As smart homes become more prevalent, an increasing number of households are installing security cameras to ensure safety in their daily lives. Among various storage options, microSD cards have emerged as a popular choice due to their affordability and ease of installation. This post will share experiences regarding the use of microSD cards in Tapo Cameras, including how to select the right microSD card, installation and configuration tips, common issues, and troubleshooting advice. We welcome everyone to join the discussion.

Part 1: What are the Advantages of inserting a microSD Card into the Tapo camera?

> Local Storage for Video Recordings

A microSD card serves as a reliable local storage solution for recording videos from Tapo cameras. This allows users to save video recordings directly to the microSD card, eliminating the need for cloud services that can incur additional costs and require stable internet connectivity. Storing video recordings locally also significantly reduces the risk of data breaches.

> Retaining Critical Footage During Internet Outages

One of the significant advantages of using a microSD card is its ability to retain essential footage even in the event of an internet disconnection. This feature ensures that you don't lose critical recordings during unexpected circumstances, providing peace of mind and continuous security coverage.

> Loop Recording Functionality

The Tapo cameras support the Loop Recording function, which automatically overwrites the oldest videos once the microSD card reaches full capacity. This ensures the camera can store video recordings on the microSD card constantly without manual intervention.

Part 2: How to Choose the Right microSD Card

Selecting the appropriate microSD card requires careful consideration of several key factors, including whether an authorized seller sells it, whether it's a high-endurance SD card, whether it is recommended for video surveillance, the capacity of the SD card, and so on.

Below are the instructions to select the right microSD card for the Tapo cameras. This article contains a compatibility list of microSD Cards we have tested, microSD card buying tips, instructions on how to verify fake microSD cards, and the maximum recording hours of a microSD card when used with our cameras. We recommend reading this article before buying a microSD card to work with our cameras.
What type of microSD card does Tapo/Kasa Camera support?

Note: Based on our lab test results, please note that the ADATA (A1, V10) and Samsung (256 GB, EVO plus U3, V30, A2, SDXC1) are not supported by any Tapo/Kasa cameras.

Part 3: How to Install a microSD Card for Storing Video Recordings from Tapo Cameras

For most Tapo cameras, you can choose to install a microSD card directly into the camera itself to store video recordings. If you have a Tapo Hub, such as the Tapo H200, and both the Hub and the Tapo camera are connected to the same network, you can also insert the microSD card into the Hub to store the camera's video recordings. However, some Tapo cameras only support saving video recordings to their built-in microSD card or exclusively to the microSD card installed in the Hub.

Below are typical scenarios for installing a microSD card in either a Tapo camera or a Hub. You can also refer to the user guide specific to your camera model for detailed installation instructions.
How to install an SD card for my Tapo camera

To find out which Tapo cameras support saving video recordings to the Tapo Hub, refer to the following article: Tapo Smart Hub Compatible Camera List.

Part 4: Common Consultations and Troubleshooting Tips for Storing Videos with a microSD Card

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