Change the time zone in the Kasa app by opening device settings

Open the Kasa app on your phone, tap the camera you want to adjust, then tap the settings icon (usually a gear symbol). Scroll down to find Time Zone or Device Time and select your region from the list. The camera will update within a few seconds. If you have multiple Kasa cameras, you change each one individually — there is no option to set them all at once.

The time zone setting matters because your camera uses it to stamp recordings and alerts with the correct time. If the time zone is wrong, your video timeline will be off, and any motion alerts will show the wrong time when they arrive on your phone. This becomes obvious when you review footage and the timestamp does not match when the event actually happened.

Some Kasa cameras also let you adjust time zone through a web browser if you log into your account at home.kasa.com, though the app method is faster and works the same way.

Key Takeaways

  • Time zone changes happen in the Kasa app under device settings, not in your phone's system settings.
  • Each camera stores its own time zone setting, so you must change them one at a time if you have multiple devices.
  • The camera updates its time zone within seconds of you saving the change, and you will see the new time reflected in video timestamps when ready.
  • If your time zone is wrong, motion alerts and video playback will show incorrect times, making it hard to find footage when you need it.

Why your Kasa camera needs the correct time zone

Your Kasa camera records the time and date on every video clip and stores it with the footage. When you open the app and look at your video library, you see clips organized by the time they were recorded. If the time zone is set to Pacific but you live in Eastern, every clip will be stamped four hours earlier than it actually happened. A motion event at 3 p.m. will show as 11 a.m.

Motion alerts work the same way. When your camera detects movement, it sends you a notification with a timestamp. If the time zone is wrong, the alert will say the motion happened at a time that does not match what you saw or what your other devices recorded. This makes it hard to cross-reference events or figure out what actually triggered the alert.

Some Kasa cameras also use time zone to control scheduling features — for example, if you set the camera to stop recording between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., it uses the device's time zone to know when those hours are. A wrong time zone means the schedule runs at the wrong times.

How to find your time zone in the Kasa app

Open the Kasa app and tap the camera you want to adjust. At the top or bottom of the screen, look for a settings icon — it usually looks like a gear or three horizontal lines. Tap it to open the camera's settings menu.

Scroll through the menu until you see an option labeled Time Zone, Device Time, Time Settings, or Location. The exact name varies depending on your camera model and app version. Tap that option to see a list of time zones organized by region (for example, "America/New_York" or "US Eastern Time").

Find your region in the list and tap it. The app will show a confirmation message or return to the settings screen. Your camera is now set to that time zone. You can close the settings menu and the change takes effect when ready — you do not need to restart the camera or reconnect it to your network.

What to do if you cannot find the time zone setting

Some older Kasa camera models do not have a time zone setting in the app. Instead, they pull the time zone from your phone's system settings. If your phone is set to the correct time zone, the camera should use that automatically. Check your phone's settings app — look for Date & Time or Time Zone — and make sure it matches where you are.

If your phone's time zone is correct but the camera's timestamps are still wrong, restart the camera by unplugging it for 30 seconds, then plugging it back in. After it reconnects to your network, check the app again to see if the time updated.

If you still cannot find a time zone option and restarting did not work, check the model number on the back of your camera and look it up on TP-Link's support website. Some very old models may not support time zone changes through the app at all, though this is rare.

Changing time zone when you move or travel

If you move to a different time zone or travel with a Kasa camera, you can update the time zone setting from anywhere using the Kasa app. You do not need to be on the same Wi-Fi network as the camera — as long as you are logged into your Kasa account and the camera is connected to the internet, you can change its time zone remotely.

Open the app, select the camera, go to settings, and change the time zone the same way you would at home. The change syncs to the camera over the internet, so it works even if you are thousands of miles away. This is useful if you have a camera at a second home or if you are troubleshooting a camera remotely for someone else.

Keep in mind that if you physically move a camera to a new location but do not update the time zone in the app, the timestamps will be wrong until you do. There is no automatic detection — the camera does not know where it is geographically.

Syncing time zone across multiple Kasa cameras

If you have more than one Kasa camera, you have to change the time zone for each one separately. The Kasa app does not offer a bulk update feature. Open each camera's settings and repeat the process for every device.

To make this faster, write down your time zone before you start (for example, "America/Chicago"). Then open each camera in the app, go to settings, select the time zone option, and pick the same one from the list. It takes about 30 seconds per camera.

If you have many cameras, consider labeling them by location or room so you know which ones you have already updated. The app shows the device name at the top of the settings screen, so you can keep track of your progress.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will changing the time zone affect my saved video recordings?

No. Your saved recordings keep their original timestamps. Changing the time zone only affects how new recordings and alerts are stamped going forward. If you had a recording from when the time zone was wrong, it will still show the old (incorrect) time — only new footage uses the updated time zone.

What if my time zone is not in the list?

Kasa cameras support all major time zones. If you cannot find yours, look for the closest city or region name in your country. For example, if you live in a small town, search for the nearest major city's time zone. The list usually includes options like "America/Denver" or "Europe/London" that cover most locations.

Do I need to reconnect my camera to Wi-Fi after changing the time zone?

No. The time zone change happens when ready and does not require reconnecting. Your camera stays on the same Wi-Fi network and continues recording without interruption.

Can I set different time zones for different cameras in the same house?

Yes, each camera has its own independent time zone setting. You could set one camera to Eastern Time and another to Pacific Time if you wanted to, though this would be confusing. Normally, all cameras in your home should be set to the same time zone.

Why does my camera show the wrong time even after I changed the time zone?

The camera may not have synced the change yet. Wait a few minutes and refresh the app by closing it completely and opening it again. If the time is still wrong, check that your camera is connected to the internet — look for a blue dot or "connected" status in the app. If it is offline, the time zone change will not take effect until it reconnects.