KC401 - Cameras stop recording or problems viewing them when sd card nears the full mark

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KC401 - Cameras stop recording or problems viewing them when sd card nears the full mark

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KC401 - Cameras stop recording or problems viewing them when sd card nears the full mark
KC401 - Cameras stop recording or problems viewing them when sd card nears the full mark
2022-07-08 01:15:00 - last edited 2022-08-15 08:13:31
Model: KC401  
Hardware Version: V1
Firmware Version: 2.3.13

I have four KC401 cameras. All are equipped with San Disk Max Endurance 32 gb sd cards. I seem to be having various problems with all cameras when they get close to being full (when only a small remaining memory amount is shown in red). It seems like the cameras are encountering problems when they have to initiate an overwrite of existing videos. When this happens, I am either left with a spinning circle when trying to view the latest videos or I can see that videos were recorded but the camera says no recordings are available. In every case, reformatting the sd card always fixes the issue. However, this results in the loss of an unknown amount of un-viewed recordings. Any chance this could be fixed via a firmware update? A fix would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

moto

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Re:KC401 - Cameras stop recording or problems viewing them when sd card nears the full mark-Solution
2022-07-11 00:55:49 - last edited 2022-08-15 12:11:18

Hello everyone, 

If you experience similar problem that Kasa camera stops 24/7 recording, or you have trouble viewing 24/7 SD recording  (when SD card is almost full), please help  confirm some case details below, and we'd like to escalate your case.

 

Note:  For some kasa camera model(s), we may push a debug firmware to the camera via cloud. 

Some debug firmware itself contain  some fixes that help with the problem;  with debug firmware, the camera will also generate more log on the cloud for our engineers to pinpoint the causes of the issue. 

If you are willing to help with debug,  please let us know the MAC address (share via private message ) of your kasa camera and reply with the following information: 

 

1. A photo of H2testw test result : How to Verify Fake Micro SD Cards

Note if H2testw has a warning or error, it is recommended to try a different SD card. 

2.  A photo of SD card (brand & capacity of SD)

3.  The photo of the error on Kasa APP 

4.  Mac address & SN of camera (please share via private message)

 

  • Here is an instruction that helps with troubleshoot SD card problem, kindly give it a try and let us know if it works for you.

What should I do if the SD card doesn’t work properly on my camera?

  • Confirm Kasa APP and tapo Camera firmware are both up to date. 

 

 

This thread will be marked the 'solution' of this thread temporarily so users who encounter the same problem can see the information in full and provide additional information for troubleshooting, thank you for your understanding. 

 

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Re:KC401 - Cameras stop recording or problems viewing them when sd card nears the full mark-Solution
2022-07-11 00:55:49 - last edited 2022-08-15 12:11:18

Hello everyone, 

If you experience similar problem that Kasa camera stops 24/7 recording, or you have trouble viewing 24/7 SD recording  (when SD card is almost full), please help  confirm some case details below, and we'd like to escalate your case.

 

Note:  For some kasa camera model(s), we may push a debug firmware to the camera via cloud. 

Some debug firmware itself contain  some fixes that help with the problem;  with debug firmware, the camera will also generate more log on the cloud for our engineers to pinpoint the causes of the issue. 

If you are willing to help with debug,  please let us know the MAC address (share via private message ) of your kasa camera and reply with the following information: 

 

1. A photo of H2testw test result : How to Verify Fake Micro SD Cards

Note if H2testw has a warning or error, it is recommended to try a different SD card. 

2.  A photo of SD card (brand & capacity of SD)

3.  The photo of the error on Kasa APP 

4.  Mac address & SN of camera (please share via private message)

 

  • Here is an instruction that helps with troubleshoot SD card problem, kindly give it a try and let us know if it works for you.

What should I do if the SD card doesn’t work properly on my camera?

  • Confirm Kasa APP and tapo Camera firmware are both up to date. 

 

 

This thread will be marked the 'solution' of this thread temporarily so users who encounter the same problem can see the information in full and provide additional information for troubleshooting, thank you for your understanding. 

 

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Re:KC401 - Cameras stop recording or problems viewing them when sd card nears the full mark
2022-07-11 09:32:44 - last edited 2022-07-11 09:48:07

  @Solla-topee 

 

I have seen this exact response to several similar complaints. However, I have not seen any evidence that you have tried to recreate any of these problems in a lab environment. With that said, all four of my cameras are permanently mounted and I am not willing to extract all four legitimate sd cards and test them under the suggestion they might be fake. I have attached an image of the sd cards in question and they are the best legitimate 32 gb camera sd cards that money can buy.

 

I have four KC401 cameras:

My hardware versions are all V1

My firmware versions are all 2.3.13

My Kasa app version is 2.38.0 build 1066

 

Also, since my cameras are permanently mounted, I am not willing to demount them to try and secure the SNs for all four cameras. Moreover, I see no practical reason for you to request my Mac addresses unless you explain why you need them.

 

In summary, you have had many complaints about problems related to sd card recordings and they all mention things like "spinning circles when trying to view them" or "recording thumbnails shown but recordings are not available for viewing", etc.

 

In any event, I just ordered three more San Disk 32 gb Max Endurance sd cards just in case I need to replace them prematurely due to excessive reformatting.

 

I would love to see your company take these complaints more seriously but until that time I will keep reformatting as needed.

 

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Re:KC401 - Cameras stop recording or problems viewing them when sd card nears the full mark
2022-07-11 12:05:59 - last edited 2022-07-11 12:06:16

  OK, here are two snapshots of the failure. As stated previously, when the memory gets too low, the camera either stops recording or the newest recordings become unavailable for viewing:

 

 

 

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Re:KC401 - Cameras stop recording or problems viewing them when sd card nears the full mark
2022-07-11 12:45:37

 OK, I did some research on this issue and I am going to guess it has something to do with the cameras loop recording timer settings. I noticed that many dash cams stop recording when the sd card gets near full and the solution is to lower the loop recorder timer setting. Also, I notice other security cameras have a 12 second maximum recording timer for events that get recorded directly to an sd card. Now, this may be to encourage people to subscribe to their cloud service but it could also be related to sd card looping and overwriting previous recordings. In summary, I am not sure how your detection recordings are flagged (by thumbnails) on your 24/7 continuous recording; however, this looping could be a problem if it runs into one big 24/7 recording and tries to overwrite it? Maybe you need to insert a few periodic breaks in the 24/7 recording to make it more manageable when it comes time to be overwritten?

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Re:KC401 - Cameras stop recording or problems viewing them when sd card nears the full mark
2022-07-12 02:18:49

Hello   @Moto-KC401 

Thank you for sharing more case details and the investigation.  Testing the SD card via H2tesw is mainly to double-check if the SD card itself is fine, the test result can be helpful when we forward the case to our team for further test.  We'd like to know MAC and SN of the camera  as our senior may check the log the of the specific camera.

The kasa camera will do 24/7 recording by default, and the loop recording is enabled automatically.  SD card recording a state of fast write and rewrite and some unqualified SD card have some problem do continuous recording, that could the reason that in some dash cam it is recommended to use motion detection recording.

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Re:KC401 - Cameras stop recording or problems viewing them when sd card nears the full mark
2022-07-12 05:26:11 - last edited 2022-07-12 05:27:46

  @Solla-topee Hello again,

 

The four cameras are permanently mounted with screws into walls and other surfaces.

I will not demount them to try and obtain the SNs.

 

The San Disk 32GD Max Endurance cards are the premiere series of camera cards.

They are touted to last 3 to 15 years.

All four KC401 cameras, with these premiere camera cards installed, react the same way, and all four cards cannot be defective IMHO.

I will not remove and test all four cards as you suggested.

 

Suggestion: Why don't you buy a few San Disk 32 GB Max Endurance SD cards, and test them yourself?

 

I don't believe you will do anything productive with the Mac addresses (alone); therefore I will not provide them.

 

And, most importantly, others are reporting similar situations and that should be enough to stimulate your support group into some remedial action.

 

In summary, I will keep reformatting with the hopes your support group may (someday) take these reports seriously and provide a firmware fix for this annoying issue.

 

Regards,

 

moto

 

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Re:KC401 - Cameras stop recording or problems viewing them when sd card nears the full mark
2022-07-12 10:33:41 - last edited 2022-07-12 10:33:58

Hello   @Moto-KC401 

Thank you for sharing more case details. I agree with your pointing of testing the same SD card in the lab,  I'd escalate your case to our seniors and see if they have other suggestions or other ways to help with troubleshooting.  Please check your email inbox TKID220712163.

If any user experience the similar feedback, kindly help test the SD card and provide SD details requested above, this will help with isolating the issue and get the case escalated for further analysis,  thank you. 

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Re:KC401 - Cameras stop recording or problems viewing them when sd card nears the full mark
2022-07-12 16:30:10

OK, I will do the card test and send the results when they are completed; however, I do not have the proper card reader to do the test right now so I had to order a new one from Amazon.com. It should arrive in about one week:

 

 

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Re:KC401 - Cameras stop recording or problems viewing them when sd card nears the full mark
2022-07-13 02:36:24

  @Moto-KC401 As learned from our engineer,  they are also looking for some ways to help with debug and will follow up your case on the support ticket. Really appreciated for patience and your cooperation. Hope our senior could help locate the cause and fix it together. 

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Re:KC401 - Cameras stop recording or problems viewing them when sd card nears the full mark
2022-07-13 21:24:05

  @Solla-topee I am having a similar problem when the SD card is getting full. I have SanDisk 256GB Ultra micro SDXC in a Kasa 4mp security Outdoor camera. When the card gets full I have to reformat in order to be able to view past recordings. There is definitely a bug in the software that is causing this problem.  A fix would be much appreciated. 

  

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