FTP v. SD Priority and recording when Internet down but network up

zedbyers

I suppose I don't understand how this system is meant to work after years of having Reolink products installed. I searched and don't see any clear explanations. I have only been using FTP recording without issue, except when I loose internet from my ISP. Then there is no recording, even though the network drive is local to the cameras and all equipment is powered up. That makes no sense to me. Had a hurricane go by last fall and really had hoped to have video recording as long as I had power and the network in my house was up and stable, even though the internet was down. Looking into the documentation that is available, Reolink tells you to install a SD card to be able to record when internet is down. So I did. however it seems to me that it is either record to SD or FTP, not both or no way to set priority.

Why does it seem like the internet has to be connected to record to FTP on a local network? Why is there no feature to allow FTP v. SD recording and possibly make it situationally dependent? Can someone please explain how this is designed to work and am I missing something here, or is Reolink missing something here?

TIA