What Type of MicroSD Card Does Tapo/Kasa Camera Support?

A security camera with a standalone micro SD card is primarily designed to store motion-activated recordings or short video clips of movements with local storage, offering a cost-effective alternative to subscription-based cloud storage. However, users may encounter issues such as the SD card not being recognized or formatted by the camera app, inability to overwrite recordings, or the SD card becoming full and stopping recording.

This article offers key insights into choosing a microSD card, identifying fake microSD cards to avoid potential issues, and more.

Compatibility List of microSD Cards We’ve Tested

microSD Card Buying Tips

Verify Fake microSD Cards

Maximum Recording Hours

Compatibility List of microSD Cards We’ve Tested

Notes:

• The information listed in the compatibility table is based solely on our lab test results. This indicates that the SD cards have been tested for compatibility with the camera, but the stability depends on the quality of each card.
• MicroSD cards use flash memory technology, which has a limited number of write cycles. Each data write operation wears down the flash memory chips. We recommend choosing high-endurance SD cards specifically designed for video surveillance and continuous read/write operations.
• Based on our lab test results, Samsung (256 GB, EVO plus U3, V30, A2, SDXC1) Micro SD cards are not recommended for use with any Tapo/Kasa cameras.

microSD Card Buying Tips

Key specifications to consider:

1. Try to choose High/Max/Pro Endurance microSD cards as they are designed for continuous recording and re-recording, offering greater stability and reliability in recording and storage.
2. Regular SD cards are typically designed for digital cameras and may not be suitable for continuous recording. They are not recommended for use with dash cams, home monitoring, or security systems.
3. The capacity varies by camera model and hardware version. For specific information about supported capacities, please refer to the specific product’s page on our official website.

*Comparison of microSD card Speed Class ratings

Buying tips:

• Always ensure that you purchase from an authorized seller and avoid cheap or used/refurbished SD cards.
• Please be aware that due to the varying quality of microSD cards, we cannot guarantee that the one you've purchased will be fully compatible with our Tapo/Kasa camera. We recommend testing the microSD card immediately after purchase. Please note that we are not obligated to offer any return, replacement, or troubleshooting assistance for your microSD card. To verify fake microSD Cards, please refer to Verify Fake micoSD Cards.
• Be mindful of the Operating Temperature of the SD card, which can usually be found in the card’s Specifications.
• microSD cards have a limited read and write lifespan. Replace microSD cards once every few years to reduce potential failure. Select High/Max Endurance microSD cards specifically designed for your home security cameras or dash cam to ensure stable camera performance.
• Based on our lab test results, we regret to inform you that the ADATA (256 GB, A1, V10, SDXC1) and Samsung (256 GB, EVO plus U3, V30, A2, SDXC1) are not supported by any Tapo/Kasa cameras.

Verify Fake microSD Cards

What is a fake microSD card?

Please take note of the following information:

The most common type of fake SD card is the fake capacity expanded card. This type of card uses illegal means and tools to make cards with small capacities appear larger. For example, a 32GB card may show up as 128GB on your computer or other devices. These fake cards are usually sold at lower prices than official quality goods. However, since the capacity is deceitfully altered using illegal means and tools, the extra space beyond the original capacity cannot be used normally. If the stored file exceeds the actual capacity, the file becomes inaccessible.

When you insert the SD card into our camera, it will be formatted using the FAT32 file system and index files will be created to store your video data. This process reads and writes the entire space of the SD card and checks its validity. If your SD card is fake, it will not be successfully formatted and will not work correctly with our camera.

Due to our cameras' specific requirements, we do not support the use of fake SD cards. Since camera data is relatively important, we need to ensure that the SD card can work stable for a long period. Data loss or a failure to write data can significantly impact monitoring.

Types of fake microSD cards

When it comes to counterfeit memory cards, you will find some different types of them listed below:

1. Reduced Read / Write Speed: You buy an SD card that shows something like “maximum 95 MB/s read and 90 MB/s write speed” and a “V30” label that guarantees a minimum writing speed of 30 MB/s. However, when copying a file using a fast SD card reader, you might not even get more than 5-10 MB/s.
2. Reduced Capacity: The SD card might report a large capacity when inserted in your computer, camera, or storage device, while it contains only a small part of the overall capacity. This happens because the microchip (a tiny part of the SD card responsible for reporting the total amount of storage available) within the card has been reprogrammed to report a different size to the host. Counterfeit SD cards with reduced capacities should be avoided because they will most certainly result in data loss.
3. Fake Brand: Some SD cards have big brand labels attached to them and are sold at a premium price when made from cheap parts by some unknown manufacturer. Such products are often more challenging to identify and might require a call to the manufacturer to verify the serial number. You can also read the reviews posted by verified buyers on Amazon or other online stores.
4. Unrealistic Capacity: Some memory cards advertise completely unrealistic storage sizes. For example, if you search online for microSD cards, you may find cards with capacities as large as 2TB, however, such capacities do not yet exist.
5. Bogus / Non-Working: Some SD cards are sold at incredibly low prices by unknown sellers and may not work at all.

Fake microSD card issues

The issues can range from very slow speeds to data loss and unusable SD cards. The problem with fake SD cards with reduced capacity is that when users exceed a certain capacity, all data from that point on will be corrupted. Everything appears to be working great at first, but troubles may show up in later usage.

How to identify microSD cards

If you have already purchased an SD card, there are a few things you can inspect and basic tests you can run to identify a fake SD card.

1. Inspect Product Packaging: Make sure the package contains necessary information about the product, such as its specifications and card speed, as well as all the appropriate labels, warranty information, and a proper UPC. Users may also verify with the SD card manufacturer directly.
2. Test the SD card with third-party software: Make sure you format the SD card before you start this step. For example, you could verify if you can write files to the advertised capacity for your SD card with the software H2testw. Install the H2testw on your Windows computer (you can also run a similar tool called “F3” on Mac OS and an app called SD Insight on Android devices) and run the test. It will show you the actual capacity of your SD card.

If the SD card you are using is fake, it will report errors and show how much actual data was written and read from the card.

Maximum Recording Hours

Notes:

1. The recording durations in the table are estimated based on the average video bitrate measured in the laboratory. The actual recording duration in usage may vary depending on factors such as scene complexity, proportion of dynamic scenes, frame rate settings, and the resolution supported by the camera model.
2. With Loop Recording enabled, the microSD card will automatically overwrite the previously recorded videos from the beginning when they become full.