Privacy @lemmy.ml Detective' @slrpnk.net 3mo ago

What's the catch with these types of giveaways? (TP-Link camera giveaway)

Partner with TP-Link today and unlock exclusive benefits! Sign up now to join our innovative partner program SolutionX and receive a complimentary VIGI network camera. Enhance your offerings with industry-leading solutions and enjoy tailored support, special pricing, and more.

Genuinely curious as to how these types of giveaways work and what the company gains from them. Is it the additional data you give them to enter the giveaway? Also does anyone own one of these cameras, are they actually worth redeeming in this case?

5 comments

Is it the additional data you give them to enter the giveaway?

Basically. You’re telling TP-Link that you’re a business that’s interested in selling their products. In return, their Sales team now has your information and can ~~pester you~~ tell you all about the latest TP-Link products.

Additionally, they’re putting their products directly in the hands of customers who could become even bigger customers. If you, as a company, decide you like the product, then you’re probably going to buy more of said product.

Finally, TP-Link is being selective about who gets the freebie—they’re not just handing them out willy-nilly. From the fine print:

Offer valid only for SolutionX partners. One Insight S445 (2.8mm) camera per qualified SolutionX partner. Approval is required, and TP-Link reserves the right to verify applications

So there’s probably some sort of “legitimacy threshold” you have to clear in order to get the goodies.
- Cisco used to not be that selective.
  
  They used to give out free Meraki APs to everyone just for attending their webinars. The catch with those devices was licensing. You've got some limited-time free license, and then you either paid or kept a paperweight.
  At least officially. Some of them were later supported by OpenWRT, but newer ones are more locked down.
It could be the price of advertising, but I feel like this is one of those cameras where you need to connect it to your wifi or make an account with them
The catch is that you can't use a tp link camera as an IP camera and anyone at their office could just tune into your home whenever they wanted.
- You can absolutely use some TP Link cameras as IP cameras, such as the Tapo range:
  
  https://github.com/JurajNyiri/HomeAssistant-Tapo-Control
  
  Permanently Deleted
- Yeah you can. Once i set mine up i locked them out of the net and use free ip to monitor