@Tapo-Sucks 

Hi，

 

We understand how upsetting and stressful this situation must be, especially when you were counting on the camera to provide important evidence.

 

Whether the camera recorded the event depends on how the recording was set up:

• If Continuous Recording was enabled (with a microSD card inserted), the camera should capture everything continuously, and the footage should be available on the playback timeline.
• If Detection Recording was enabled, the camera only records when motion or activity is detected. If no motion was triggered at that time (or detection settings didn’t pick it up), the event may not have been recorded.

 

If you are encountering any recording issues, please review the troubleshooting steps below:

Situation 1: No SD Card Recording

    1. Ensure that your SD card is in the compatibility list of microSD cards we’ve tested: microSD Card Compatibility for Tapo and Kasa Security Cameras

    2. Format the microSD card in the Tapo app before use and ensure its status is Good under camera settings > Storage & Recording > Local Storage page.

    3. Ensure camera storage settings are properly configured (see step 3): How can I store the Tapo camera video recordings on a microSD card

    4. Review the "Recording Schedule" under Camera Device Settings > Storage & Recording page. If using Detection Recording, verify that detection settings are correctly configured: How to Enable Detection Feature on Tapo and Kasa Cameras and Doorbells18

 

Situation 2: No Cloud Recording after Paying for Tapo Care

Tapo Care stores only detection-triggered clips in the cloud for 7 or 30 days (based on your plan). Older clips are automatically deleted. If no cloud videos appear:

    1. Ensure both the camera and Tapo App firmware are up-to-date.

    2. Verify if the camera is added to the Tapo Care plan: How to add new cameras to my Tapo Care plan

    3. Enable detection and increase sensitivity on the Tapo APP > Device Settings > Detection page.

    4. Turn on the camera alarm and walk in front of the camera to confirm detection works and triggers the alarm.

    5. Confirm the camera is connected to the internet/cloud (solid green LED, accessible via mobile data).

    6. Improve network quality by moving the camera closer to the router.

    Refer to this article for more troubleshooting: Troubleshooting for cloud video recordings of Tapo Camera