@jwwhite 

Hi,
Typically, after you set up your camera successfully, you can control it remotely in the Tapo app via our cloud server, including watching the camera's live feed or video recordings.
However, only when your phone and the camera are connected to the same Wi-Fi network and your phone accesses the camera in the local network, you can download the video recordings from the SD card in the Tapo app.

If your phone and the camera are connected to the same Wi-Fi network but you can't download a video clip from the SD card, please try the following steps.
  1. Force close the Tapo app on your phone.
  2. Turn off the camera, wait for two minutes, and turn it back on.
  3. Ensure your phone and the camera are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
  4. Turn on the Tapo app on your phone and check if you can download the video clips from the SD card.
  5. If not, check if you can ping the camera's IP address on your phone.

Best Regards

  @jwwhite 

Hi,
Since the camera is connected to the internet, when you manage your camera in the Tapo app, it may be managed through our cloud server or the local network.

You can ping the camera's IP address on your phone when they are under the same network but connected to different Wi-Fi networks. If you failed to ping the camera on your phone, there are settings on the router, such as client isolation, that block communication between clients. In this situation, you can't control the camera through the local network. You can turn off such settings on the router and try again.

If you can ping the camera successfully on your phone, it means the local connection is ok. Then, try the steps below to see if you can download the video clips from the SD card on your phone.
  1. Force close the Tapo app on your phone.
  2. Turn off the camera, wait for two minutes, and turn it back on.
  3. Ensure your phone and the camera are connected to the same router.
  4. Turn on the Tapo app on your phone and check if you can download the video clips from the SD card.

Best Regards