Foscam FI8918W Wireless IP Camera $70

[livinlarge34]

1saleaDay has Foscam FI8918W Pan & Tilt Wireless IP Camera With Infrared Night Vision, Remote Viewing, and Motion Detection! (http://1saleaday.com/) for $64.99

Available in black or white, S&H $4.99

[yuugotserved]

1SaleaDay (http://slickdeals.net/?pno=51361&lno=1&afsrc=1) has Foscam FI8918W Wireless IP Camera (black or white) for $64.99. Shipping is $4.99. Thanks livinlarge34

[wikipost]

I have the black version of this camera, I got it a week ago from daily steals for the same price but they did not have the white one. I ordered another one (white) on this deal.

Just a few notes if you have Public IP address that does not change very often you do not need to setup the DNS service. Just do port forward in your router and then add your port to your public IP address when you access it from the internet example 70.25.35.15:4587. Of course, once your ISP changes your IP address you will have to setup your port forward again.

Also once you get it on your network then you will want manually assign it an IP address so that you can do the port forward. Setting up a Static IP for the Camera is highly recommended and that is how I have it configured. However, you can enable UPnP on your router and on the camera and it will create its own port forward and figure out the IP address of the camera for you. In my test, it does not work 100 percent of the time. Do you self a favor, do not enable UPnP.

Connect the camera to the LAN port to your router, run there IP software and configure the camera for manual IP addressing and manually setup a port forward for the camera in your router settings and follow my directions below on Active X.

The camera web server defaults to port to 80 change it, think that they recommended 8001 in the manual.

When you are setting up email notification for motion alarms, you must submit your changes prior to pressing the test button or else it will not pick up your changes. Email works well I just set it up.

If you can access the admin console and log in from the internet but you do not see the camera image (but you see a little red x) more than likely your problem is with active X not being enabled and installed on the PC you are trying to access the camera from. When it prompts you to install it say yes and more than likely you will have to log in again.

There are two ways to resolve this problem:

1） Install “IP Camera Tool”, (its on the install CD) ActiveX controller is installed simultaneity

2）download ActiveX controller (you can just wait for the browser to prompt you for the download)

Either way you will also have to Enable some active X controls in Tools=>=>Internet Options =>Security Tab =>Custom Level Button =>Under ActiveX Controls and plug-ins

Enable Download unsigned ActiveX controls
Enable Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe
Enable Run ActiveX controls and plu-ins

If you have to make the above changes then you will need to close out ALL of your browser windows and then open a new one for your changes to take effect. And more than likely you will have to log onto the admin console again

Have fun you are going to love it :D

A list of Windows (and OSX/Linux) software which can be used to record and monitor IP cameras (http://slickdeals.net/forums/showpost.php?p=39684123&postcount=359)

This list leaves out ispy. A very good open source IP camera security software
http://www.ispyconnect.com/

How to update the firmware:
1. Click here to start download (http://www.mediafire.com/?kijaq12zyuye7ld)
2. Unrar it using 7-zip or another program
3. Run IP Camera tool, double click on the IP address to log in
4. Default user is admin, no password, so just click on Login
5. Click on For Administrator, then Upgrade Device Firmware
6. Click on the top Browse and look in the system firmware folder created in Step 2, it should be "lr_cmos_11_22_2_36", double-click on it
7. Click on Submit and wait for it to finish
8. Then Browse for the WebUI firmware, it should be "2.4.18.16", double click on it
9. Click on Submit and wait for it to finish

[Selma]

http://1saleaday.com/

[microkelvin]

Damn it. Bought it from last time for $75 each, 2x so it's $10 down the toilet.

[SaraMaldonad]

repost
http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?sduid=1240123&t=2913877

[LawProdigy]

Does it support standalone FTP uploading?

[PhotoHobbyist]

Crazy price! I'm in.

[tdmosk]

The retail price is wayyyyy off. Listed on Amazon for $99 (http://www.amazon.com/Foscam-FI8918W-Wireless-Camera-Viewing/dp/B0046710G6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1305000937&sr=8-2). I was about to bite until I noticed it's not that slick of a deal

[mgold]

Has never been this cheap, I bought 10 pcs a few weeks back. I should've waited for this, could've had some savings with this great deal!

[ChristopherJLee]

Damn it. Bought it from last time for $75 each, 2x so it's $10 down the toilet.

agreed, that was last week I believe. I got in on the same deal and now I regret because if they're selling them discounted there must be a new model coming out.

[dj-3lusion]

repost
http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?sduid=1240123&t=2913877
damnit man give kudos to selma for being a snipe bot im repping her anyway shes more prettier hahaha

agreed, that was last week I believe. I got in on the same deal and now I regret because if they're selling them discounted there must be a new model coming out.
so does that mean get the rep tape and stay away?

[dj-3lusion]

The retail price is wayyyyy off. Listed on Amazon for $99 (http://www.amazon.com/Foscam-FI8918W-Wireless-Camera-Viewing/dp/B0046710G6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1305000937&sr=8-2). I was about to bite until I noticed it's not that slick of a deal
yeah im not going to bite either its not mpeg4 or at least i could find. so im not too sure about this. and if theres any zoom etc. I need more reviews before i toss my rebate money on some camera. I am looking though if something slick enough comes along

Has never been this cheap, I bought 10 pcs a few weeks back. I should've waited for this, could've had some savings with this great deal!
thats how it goes on slickdeals, now you have slick buyers remorse

[Troublestylist]

The retail price is wayyyyy off. Listed on Amazon for $99 (http://www.amazon.com/Foscam-FI8918W-Wireless-Camera-Viewing/dp/B0046710G6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1305000937&sr=8-2). I was about to bite until I noticed it's not that slick of a deal

30% isn't slick enough for you? Some people go apeshit over 10%, but I suppose that's if you need it already.

[Fam Money]

Nice find OP. Don't really need one but find myself very tempted to buy 2.

At 35% off Amazon's price how could this not be slick?!?!?!?

[z2g]

I have this camera which I bought on Amazon for $99. It's a great wireless IP camera for the price. There are a lot of fake Foscams being sold online though. So, I don't know if this is the real Foscam or a fake. And, there have been a lot of complaints regarding fake Foscams since they have a lot of bugs.

[5thgen]

damn, just bought one last week for $75 shipped.

[aprman]

Damn good price for a PTZ IP cam!

[stormlight]

it's a pt camera. No z. :p

[waveofdestiny]

Is this indoor/outdoor? or indoor only

[MCeatalot]

Is this indoor/outdoor? or indoor only
What he/she asked. I need to know if this can be used outdoor as well. What's the difference between outdoor and indoor camera?

[HRockets]

I don't see anything about the housing being weather or water resistant. I take it this can be an outdoor cam only if it's under cover?

[Ducman69]

I have four of these. They kick ass, and I've returned a bunch of other brand's crappy cams.

There are better cams out there, but not for under $100 a present. Foscam does have a brand new camera that is virtually the same but with 3x optical zoom (this has no zoom), which may be the reason for the price drop.

I use it while at work, can see my cats from laptop, and while on the go it will send an alert to my cellphone if it detects motion (for which the sensitivity is adjustable).

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5024/5586770415_e3323478ca.jpg
(I have some cheap replacement lenses on the way to increase the field of view)

I can assure you that there is no chance in HELL you could use these outdoors. The lens would fog, the electronics would likely break from the humidity, and the IR lights would not be strong enough at night.

[MCeatalot]

I have four of these. They kick ass, and I've returned a bunch of other brand's crappy cams.

There are better cams out there, but not for under $100 a present. Foscam does have a brand new camera that is virtually the same but with 3x optical zoom (this has no zoom), which may be the reason for the price drop.

I use it while at work, can see my cats from laptop, and while on the go it will send an alert to my cellphone if it detects motion (for which the sensitivity is adjustable).

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5024/5586770415_e3323478ca.jpg
(I have some cheap replacement lenses on the way to increase the field of view)

I can assure you that there is no chance in HELL you could use these outdoors. The lens would fog, the electronics would likely break from the humidity, and the IR lights would not be strong enough at night.
I beg to differ. This guy has it installed under his porch.
http://www.wealthyaffiliaterevolution.com/foscam-fi8918w-wirelesswired-pan-tilt-ip-camera-video-review/

[Train Wreck]

The question is, is this a real Foscam?

[jplee3]

Thinking about getting a handful of these for us and for my in-laws. I'm not sure if I'm comfortable at this point though - especially with the concerns of getting fakes...

I've ordered from 1saleaday before but I just don't know. Wish there was more info to go by...

My in-laws have a restaurant and wanted to setup some monitoring - not sure if this would be the best solution. They may want to put it in places where outlets may not be the most accessible. I've seen those POE cables though that can 'extend' the power cable but those are still somewhat limited by distance I hear.

Wish there were more input on these cams. They seem really nice but I feel like it's a risk... mostly because I have little experience with IP cameras and monitoring solutions.

BTW: for those of you who have this, have any of you utilized a DVR type of setup where you're recording video throughout the day? Just wondering what the best type of setup for this would be, etc.

[bailmeout]

Got 1. 21 day return policy in case its jacked up.

[Ducman69]

I beg to differ. This guy has it installed under his porch.
http://www.wealthyaffiliaterevolution.com/foscam-fi8918w-wirelesswired-pan-tilt-ip-camera-video-review/
If you put one of these in your hands, you will see how open it is. It would get full of little bugs attracted to the IR building webs into the gears and the moisture would kill it, at least in Houston humidity.

There is a difference between working on a covered patio outside, and lasting more than 6 months.

[igorvin]

What he/she asked. I need to know if this can be used outdoor as well. What's the difference between outdoor and indoor camera?

With the exposed connections on back it stands to reason this should not be exposed to the elements. Most cameras suitable for outdoor use are sealed and at least water resistant with the tell-tale hood over the top to prevent rain from covering lens.

You may be able to mount it in some type of enclosure or under an overhang, but moisture would surely find its way in eventually and fog up the lens and destroy inner workings.

[Jza80TT]

Everyone using there iphone, are you using the Foscam App or are you using a web browser to view it on your phone?

[Train Wreck]

My take is this is a real Foscam

Condition: NEW
Retail Packaging
1-Year Warranty
Manufacturer: Foscam
Model: FI8918W

Features Include:
High image and video quality
Two-way audio monitoring
Remote viewing on desktop or smartphone
Motion detection email alert
1/4" Color CMOS Sensor
3.6 mm glass IR lens
67-degree viewing angle
640 x 480 pixels display resolution
Auto IR-LED illumination for night vision (up to 25 ft.)
Record from anywhere anytime
Pan/Tilt control
Pan: 300° & Tilt: 120°
Built-in microphone and speaker
10/100Mbps RJ-45 ethernet
Wireless IEEE 802.11b/g
WEP & WPA WPA2 encryption
Supports IE browser or any other standard browsers
Windows and Mac compatible
Available in black or white
Package Includes:
Wireless IP Camera, WiFi Antenna, Mounting Bracket with Screws & Anchors, Power Adapter, Ethernet Cable, User Manual, CD

In any case, you dispute it with your Credit Card.

[jplee3]

If you put one of these in your hands, you will see how open it is. It would get full of little bugs attracted to the IR building webs into the gears and the moisture would kill it, at least in Houston humidity.

There is a difference between working on a covered patio outside, and lasting more than 6 months.

If you search Ebay they have 'weatherproof' domes built for these cameras. Last I saw one was $75 - not sure if it's worth paying for the price of the camera but if you think about it most weatherproof type enclosures, at least for DSLR and P&S cameras for example, are as much if not more than the cameras themselves.

[sfsilicon]

Not listed as an official dealer here: http://www.foscam.com/buy.asp

Unless they specify which company will support the cameras you will not be able to get support for it. From my experience the US resellers will only support camera's that they sold.

[jplee3]

Anybody using this as a baby monitor? I read some Amazon reviews where some people have. Just wondering how practical it is and if it works well for that.

Thinking ahead here... :) If I were to go in I'd probably want to get a couple. I actually have a Logitech 9000 (720p) cam hooked up to my tv/htpc in the living room and need to figure out how to best utilize that for monitoring. I saw in the other Foscam thread that people recommend Blue Iris. Is there any free software people would recommend? I know Dorgem can record video but I'd want something a bit more automated and robust. Guess you get what you pay for with surveillance software hehe.

[Train Wreck]

Another thing, if you buy it from them, you will not receive the technical support that you might want while installing it since it can be quite hard to do on your own.

[jplee3]

Not listed as an official dealer here: http://www.foscam.com/buy.asp

Unless they specify which company will support the cameras you will not be able to get support for it. From my experience the US resellers will only support camera's that they sold.


This is another factor that makes me think twice. From the sounds of it, it seems like it's a big risk buying from anyone *not* on the authorized reseller list as Foscam may not honor warranty/support terms. Can someone confirm or deny this?

[kevlar3d]

i wish this was poe. Looks like a decent cam though. thanks OP

[Ducman69]

This is another factor that makes me think twice. From the sounds of it, it seems like it's a big risk buying from anyone *not* on the authorized reseller list as Foscam may not honor warranty/support terms. Can someone confirm or deny this?
Most people buy multiple cameras.

If you wanted four, you could buy three from these guys, and one from an authorized reseller and get all the support you need.

[Ducman69]

i wish this was poe. Looks like a decent cam though. thanks OP
It works fine over wireless-G. Its only streaming a 640x480 low bitrate 15fps video.

[Ducman69]

agreed, that was last week I believe. I got in on the same deal and now I regret because if they're selling them discounted there must be a new model coming out.
There is, the new model has the same specs, but 3x optical zoom added on.

[Festisio]

These are cool cameras, I have several around the house. It is worth the money, in 4 1 :)

This is no *slickdeal* by any means, just a decent price, about $10 cheaper than average on Ebay...

Why all the mediocre deals keep going FP completely eludes me.

[jplee3]

Most people buy multiple cameras.

If you wanted four, you could buy three from these guys, and one from an authorized reseller and get all the support you need.


Good idea... but what happens if one or more [that were not purchased from an authorized reseller] needs servicing later down the road and you need warranty repair or something? You're saying that if 1 out of 4 of the cameras you purchased was from an authorized reseller, you'll get that level of support for ALL of them?

[Festisio]

If you put one of these in your hands, you will see how open it is. It would get full of little bugs attracted to the IR building webs into the gears and the moisture would kill it, at least in Houston humidity.

There is a difference between working on a covered patio outside, and lasting more than 6 months.

You are very wrong, I had one of the older models, the 8908w i believe, under the porch at my restaurant in Cambodia. I had it for nearly 2 years, operating 24/7 through humidity that rivals saunas.

I used a little bit of silicon to seal the lens to keep it from fogging, but other than that, it was unmodified.

I am actually using the same camera (I have since returned to the USA) in my house now to watch my 2 year old play while I am at work.

I had it outside for a while, but replaced it with a sony ccd PTZ, as the foscam lacks an IR filter -- so the outdoor colors on that model are all off in sunlight (at least on my older model -- the newer one looks like the colors are way better outdoors)

[faltoos]

There is, the new model has the same specs, but 3x optical zoom added on.
That model has been on FOSCAM's webpage for more than a year now. There is no update on its availability.

[godofwar]

pulled the trigger. Thanks.

[duyoken]

I can't decide.
White for better concealment or black to warn people?

[The1andonly]

Anyway once received to tell if these are fake or not?

[jsl262]

http://1saleaday.com/


Thanks Selma. I just ordered one. Selma, I will feel more secure while I travel with this camera watching my home. John

[judydealhunter]

Anyway once received to tell if these are fake or not?
if you receive it in origina Foscaml box with Foscam logo on the product then it's not fake.
I've purchased from 1saleaday in the past and was very pleased.

[BosuxRedsux]

tax sure hurts the SD. got one for $75.75. oh well. thanks selma.

[eb50]

I can't decide.
White for better concealment or black to warn people?

always better to try to deter crime, not fight it. get black.

[garyhgaryh]

i wish this was poe. Looks like a decent cam though. thanks OP

Yeah wish it was poe!

[bigwang]

I bought this camera from dailysteals last week. (Shipped wicked fast BTW)
I was afraid it wasn't going to be genuine, but it seems to be.
Love it so far.
I had a nerdgasm when I was able to control the camera via my iphone though an app (DSCam) made by my NAS vendor (Synology).

Have not had the chance to test it too much though, including stand-alone ftp uploading.

[StadiumRocks]

Got one from 'dailysteal' last time for $75 shipped. It's great, setting up is a little bit hard (at least for me). I still can not figure out how to set up motion detection alerts via email.
For android phone user, you can use free app IP Cam Viewer to monitor via internet. I don't know about iPhone ( I don't have one).

I believe mine is not fake Foscam. Everything looks real. Never had one before, so nothing to compare to.

[MrSandman]

n 4 1

[wozzukes]

Thanks! Ordered 2! I have the older model that I use as a baby monitor in my daughter's room that I originally purchased directly from Foscam almost 2 years ago and paid about double this price. I ended up returning it to be replaced because of the internal speaker making a humming noise even though it was turned off. After a couple of months, the new one did the same thing. I ended up plugging an audio cable into it and that got rid of the noise. The audio quality is horrible on it, so I don't use it for that anyway. I think they made some improvements to that with the newer model though. The other issue I have is that it randomly locks and needs to be rebooted by unplugging it. Annoying, but you still can't beat the price in comparison with other IP cams with IR. The IR does well at night in her room. We just found out we're expecting #2 in December so I figured I might as well jump on it and get a spare as well that I am sure we will find a home for!

I use the IP Cam Viewer on my Droid to view. Great little app and the developer is very responsive to questions! Definitely worth the money for the paid version which gives you audio support as well (if you use it).

[cbragwel]

Been looking at getting this camera and can't beat this price for it.

[xninjagrrl]

Maybe I am confused but for a couple bucks can't we all just buy an app for our smartphones that will allow us to use the webcam on our laptops/computers to monitor our homes? I swear itunes has something like icam for 5 bucks which does the same thing as this $70 camera. Can anyone clarify this for me?

[duyoken]

Maybe I am confused but for a couple bucks can't we all just buy an app for our smartphones that will allow us to use the webcam on our laptops/computers to monitor our homes? I swear itunes has something like icam for 5 bucks which does the same thing as this $70 camera. Can anyone clarify this for me?

Compare the specs.

[taar44]

I have one of the fake Foscam i bought a few years back off EBAY. Dont really use it no more but it still works. Paid $80 for it back then. For an original with software support, this is a good deal.

[phatty]

Would love a couple of these, but decided to limit myself to 1 and see how it works out.

[Troublestylist]

Maybe I am confused but for a couple bucks can't we all just buy an app for our smartphones that will allow us to use the webcam on our laptops/computers to monitor our homes? I swear itunes has something like icam for 5 bucks which does the same thing as this $70 camera. Can anyone clarify this for me?

If so, your computer has to be where you want the camera, and it has to be on 24/7.

Those two conditions alone would kill it for most of us.

[yazyazoo]

Missed out on the dailysteals cause of fear of fake. People said they got real Foscams. Anyone using this as a baby monitor? Does this have VOX where the sound will turn on the monitor? Should I go with authorized ebay seller and 10% ebay bucks or this. Hmm decisions!

[Damocles]

does this have android control apps?

[vinny64a]

I have been looking at these since my buddy setup two for his house. I am in for one.

[jnthornh]

The retail price is wayyyyy off. Listed on Amazon for $99 (http://www.amazon.com/Foscam-FI8918W-Wireless-Camera-Viewing/dp/B0046710G6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1305000937&sr=8-2). I was about to bite until I noticed it's not that slick of a deal

So wait, 30% off isn't a slick deal?

[duyoken]

always better to try to deter crime, not fight it. get black.

You have a point. But I was thinking that someone might get pissed off at the sight of it and try to vandalize/steal.

Maybe I'm a bit too paranoid after what happened to my car last month.
Some punk key scratched my car windows and left gang marks on there.
Car was parked at night on the side of street right in front of my house too.

Even if I catch someone in the act, I'm sure all I could legally do is call police.
This isn't Texas.

[yubbie2]

Got one. Thanks OP

[eurostylin]

I have sixteen of these cameras. I have my main house that I live in, and two vacation homes that I monitor. I also have six outside versions (no pan/tilt) just stationary. I'll give you my $.02. I decided to go with the cheaper foscams after playing around with the panasonic cameras $269, vs the foscams ($119).

First off, I use h264WebCam Deluxe to monitor all 16 of my cameras. This is an after market software that monitors up to 32 cameras at once, including the ability to record video after motion is detected. Depending on your needs, the software that comes with the foscam will probably not be desirable.

The software (I think it's called IPCamview) is stored on the camera itself, and it has the ability to do many things. How it works:

1. You hook up your camera(s) to your router. Open up port forwarding, setup an account to a DNS forwarding company (free) like dyndns.org and you get yourself a nice little web address that will forward you or your friends/family to your camera. You will end up with something like ht tp://mikescamera.dyndns.org:8100. This will be your link to your camera when you're away from the camera's location.

When you log in to your camera from work, an ipad, iphone, and so on, you will have the ability to pan, tilt, turn on/off the IR, and converse with the room with the camera. The camera has a microphone and a speaker that is actually pretty effective, however it has a second delay like when you're talking on the phone overseas.

There is NO ZOOM! You get what you get from built in lens, and that is it.

Downside with the software would be the HORRIFIC motion sensing setup. Most motion camera software break the field of view into 40, 250, 500, 1000 and so on little grid squares, and sensitivity on motion alarms (to trigger a record, or to trigger an email) is setting up a % of movement on the total grid squares. Such as 20% motion would mean 20% of the grid squares have to have motion in order to trigger the device to perform an action. You also cannot have the software disregard motion for parts of the view. For example, if you're monitoring your back yard, and a willow tree is in the right side of the picture, you cannot tell the software to ignore the movement in that area, so on a windy day you will be inundated with motion alarms. The motion settings with the software are 1-10, there is no documentation on what the numbers are changing, but setting the motion alarm to 1 will net you no alarms, and setting it to 10 will give you a constant alarm. This is annoying.

THE SOFTWARE DOES NOT RECORD VIDEO! It takes snapshots and emails them to you. If you are filming in kitchen, and a hypothetical intruder walks across your kitchen you will receive five emails. If the intruder is walking with any speed, you will be left with a couple blurry images with time gaps in between. This is again why I use the h264 software, because it records actual video as opposed to the snapshots.

Cliffnotes on the software: The software works great, except for motion sensing. And when you finally get the motion sensing tweaked just right, it will send snapshots to your inbox (OR FTP SERVER!) not video.



Low light settings are wonderful! as long as you're not looking out through glass. Windows are reflective, and just like if you were to aim a flash light out a window at night, the IR lights will reflect off the window, and wash out the image. It will be all white. Two of my cameras are aimed outside windows (I wanted the ability to pan, so a stationary outside camera was out of the question). In these two setups, I have the cameras IR lights turned off, and I'm using external IR lights outside the house, so I still get the nice "night" vision, without the glare off the window.

If you are recording inside a house, the built in IR lights are VERY VERY nice You will get nice video quality, and even the darkest rooms will look bright.


Wireless range. All three of my locations are setup running wireless N routers. The wireless range is wonderful, and I very rarely have issues. I even have two cameras that are 200' away through two walls that function. Every once in a while I will have a camera that goes "dead" as it stops sending signal, and I have to simply unplug the camera, and plug it back in. Then it starts sending a picture again. This is annoying on the houses that I'm not normally at, but doesn't happen that often. I am not sure what causes this, but it is not a deal breaker for me.

DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT MOUNTING THESE OUTSIDE! I don't care if you came across a video online from someone claiming they use these under a porch, or under a eave, because while they might work at first, they will not hold up humidity. These are not sealed, and IR lights do attract bugs, which will cause them to go into the camera and setup shop. I would never think about putting these outside, you shouldn't either.

Mobile viewing. I'm an apple fanboy, so I use IP cam viewer software on my ipads and my iphone. This allows me to quickly choose a camera, log in to that camera, and control it from my iDevice. This is very very helpful to me in the winter when I log in to two cameras that are aimed at indoor/outdoor thermometers in the houses so I can make sure that I won't have to deal with frozen pipes and a flood from furnace failure.

This is also handy when I'm expecting somebody to show up, and I can open up my ipad, tune to my entrance camera, and then when I see the vehicle pull in, I can start walking to the front door to greet them. I use that all the time on my deck, since I cannot see or hear the entrance to the house from there.

TECH SUPPORT! I messed up, when I purchased my original outdoor cameras, I ordered very narrow viewing lenses. I believe they were 20 degrees. This did not work for my setup. I submitted an email to the seller through amazon, and they emailed me a phone number and I was very surprised to call and talk to them on a saturday. While the gentlemen didn't speak the most fluent English, he was very helpful in setting up a return, and they immediately shipped me out four 60 degree view angle lenses. It was my mistake, but they took care of me!

In my 1.5 years of setting this up, I've filmed all sorts of cool stuff. Mostly wildlife, but I did have a UPS man that said he left something at the door, and when it wasn't there, I actually had video proof that the truck pulled in, and never made it to my front door, and that driver was fired from UPS for stealing that package.

I've been multitasking while typing this up, and I didn't proof read it, so hopefully it has some good helpful info for you. If I had to do it again, I would go with the foscams, and I would continue to run third party monitoring software. If I missed something, let me know, I use these cameras on a daily basis. Also feel free to ask questions, I'll help you out.

[vinny64a]

If so, your computer has to be where you want the camera, and it has to be on 24/7.

Those two conditions alone would kill it for most of us.

You need one computer on all the time which the camera connects to via wireless. Then by using dynaic DNS, you can access the camera video from a web page or phone app.

http://www.techrepublic.com/article/make-your-home-pcs-accessible-anywhere-with-dynamic-dns-for-free/6174999

[xninjagrrl]

If so, your computer has to be where you want the camera, and it has to be on 24/7.

Those two conditions alone would kill it for most of us.

Wouldn't the Foscom have to be hooked up to a running computer in order to get the email alerts and view the live video feeds? Or does it plug right into the router? I think I will just get the $5 icam app that sends out push notifications when my webcam detects motion, email alerts wouldnt do me any good as I manually "fecth" my mail.

[eurostylin]

You need one computer on all the time which the camera connects to via wireless. Then by using dynaic DNS, you can access the camera video from a web page or phone app.

http://www.techrepublic.com/article/make-your-home-pcs-accessible-anywhere-with-dynamic-dns-for-free/6174999


These cameras DO NOT require any kind of computer to be turned on. They have all of the software stored in memory on the camera. You could have a cable modem, a router, and a camera (without a computer) and the camera would function as normal.

[warezdog]

The question is, is this a real Foscam?

Thats my question as well, heard that the knock offs can be quite the pile of poo.

[xninjagrrl]

I have sixteen of these cameras. I have my main house that I live in, and two vacation homes that I monitor. I also have six outside versions (no pan/tilt) just stationary. I'll give you my $.02. I decided to go with the cheaper foscams after playing around with the panasonic cameras $269, vs the foscams ($119).

First off, I use h264WebCam Deluxe to monitor all 16 of my cameras. This is an after market software that monitors up to 32 cameras at once, including the ability to record video after motion is detected. Depending on your needs, the software that comes with the foscam will probably not be desirable.

The software (I think it's called IPCamview) is stored on the camera itself, and it has the ability to do many things. How it works:

1. You hook up your camera(s) to your router. Open up port forwarding, setup an account to a DNS forwarding company (free) like dyndns.org and you get yourself a nice little web address that will forward you or your friends/family to your camera. You will end up with something like ht tp://mikescamera.dyndns.org:8100. This will be your link to your camera when you're away from the camera's location.

When you log in to your camera from work, an ipad, iphone, and so on, you will have the ability to pan, tilt, turn on/off the IR, and converse with the room with the camera. The camera has a microphone and a speaker that is actually pretty effective, however it has a second delay like when you're talking on the phone overseas.

There is NO ZOOM! You get what you get from built in lens, and that is it.

Downside with the software would be the HORRIFIC motion sensing setup. Most motion camera software break the field of view into 40, 250, 500, 1000 and so on little grid squares, and sensitivity on motion alarms (to trigger a record, or to trigger an email) is setting up a % of movement on the total grid squares. Such as 20% motion would mean 20% of the grid squares have to have motion in order to trigger the device to perform an action. You also cannot have the software disregard motion for parts of the view. For example, if you're monitoring your back yard, and a willow tree is in the right side of the picture, you cannot tell the software to ignore the movement in that area, so on a windy day you will be inundated with motion alarms. The motion settings with the software are 1-10, there is no documentation on what the numbers are changing, but setting the motion alarm to 1 will net you no alarms, and setting it to 10 will give you a constant alarm. This is annoying.

THE SOFTWARE DOES NOT RECORD VIDEO! It takes snapshots and emails them to you. If you are filming in kitchen, and a hypothetical intruder walks across your kitchen you will receive five emails. If the intruder is walking with any speed, you will be left with a couple blurry images with time gaps in between. This is again why I use the h264 software, because it records actual video as opposed to the snapshots.

Cliffnotes on the software: The software works great, except for motion sensing. And when you finally get the motion sensing tweaked just right, it will send snapshots to your inbox (OR FTP SERVER!) not video.



Low light settings are wonderful! as long as you're not looking out through glass. Windows are reflective, and just like if you were to aim a flash light out a window at night, the IR lights will reflect off the window, and wash out the image. It will be all white. Two of my cameras are aimed outside windows (I wanted the ability to pan, so a stationary outside camera was out of the question). In these two setups, I have the cameras IR lights turned off, and I'm using external IR lights outside the house, so I still get the nice "night" vision, without the glare off the window.

If you are recording inside a house, the built in IR lights are VERY VERY nice You will get nice video quality, and even the darkest rooms will look bright.


Wireless range. All three of my locations are setup running wireless N routers. The wireless range is wonderful, and I very rarely have issues. I even have two cameras that are 200' away through two walls that function. Every once in a while I will have a camera that goes "dead" as it stops sending signal, and I have to simply unplug the camera, and plug it back in. Then it starts sending a picture again. This is annoying on the houses that I'm not normally at, but doesn't happen that often. I am not sure what causes this, but it is not a deal breaker for me.

DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT MOUNTING THESE OUTSIDE! I don't care if you came across a video online from someone claiming they use these under a porch, or under a eave, because while they might work at first, they will not hold up humidity. These are not sealed, and IR lights do attract bugs, which will cause them to go into the camera and setup shop. I would never think about putting these outside, you shouldn't either.

Mobile viewing. I'm an apple fanboy, so I use IP cam viewer software on my ipads and my iphone. This allows me to quickly choose a camera, log in to that camera, and control it from my iDevice. This is very very helpful to me in the winter when I log in to two cameras that are aimed at indoor/outdoor thermometers in the houses so I can make sure that I won't have to deal with frozen pipes and a flood from furnace failure.

This is also handy when I'm expecting somebody to show up, and I can open up my ipad, tune to my entrance camera, and then when I see the vehicle pull in, I can start walking to the front door to greet them. I use that all the time on my deck, since I cannot see or hear the entrance to the house from there.

TECH SUPPORT! I messed up, when I purchased my original outdoor cameras, I ordered very narrow viewing lenses. I believe they were 20 degrees. This did not work for my setup. I submitted an email to the seller through amazon, and they emailed me a phone number and I was very surprised to call and talk to them on a saturday. While the gentlemen didn't speak the most fluent English, he was very helpful in setting up a return, and they immediately shipped me out four 60 degree view angle lenses. It was my mistake, but they took care of me!

In my 1.5 years of setting this up, I've filmed all sorts of cool stuff. Mostly wildlife, but I did have a UPS man that said he left something at the door, and when it wasn't there, I actually had video proof that the truck pulled in, and never made it to my front door, and that driver was fired from UPS for stealing that package.

I've been multitasking while typing this up, and I didn't proof read it, so hopefully it has some good helpful info for you. If I had to do it again, I would go with the foscams, and I would continue to run third party monitoring software. If I missed something, let me know, I use these cameras on a daily basis. Also feel free to ask questions, I'll help you out.

16 of these? Jeez man, over kill but I would do it too if I thought I could!

So you said this "This is again why I use the h264 software, because it records actual video as opposed to the snapshots"
Where is this video stored? On the computer the thieves steal or can it be backed up somehow?

[Jabbit]

Looks cool, in for 1. $69.98 shipped. Should be able to find a use for it.

[wizardman]

A review wrote on Amazon: "The software is not compatible with Win 7". Is that true?

[eurostylin]

A review wrote on Amazon: "The software is not compatible with Win 7". Is that true?

No, that guy is an idiot. I setup my cameras using Win7

[deshwasi]

whats the IR range?

[The.Dude]

does this have android control apps?
You need one computer on all the time which the camera connects to via wireless. Then by using dynaic DNS, you can access the camera video from a web page or phone app.

http://www.techrepublic.com/article/make-your-home-pcs-accessible-anywhere-with-dynamic-dns-for-free/6174999
If so, your computer has to be where you want the camera, and it has to be on 24/7.

Those two conditions alone would kill it for most of us.
I compiled a list of all home automation AND cctv software for iOS, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone, and there are many apps which support the Foscam, without requiring a computer to be turned on (for monitoring at least):

iOS CCTV/surveillance apps (http://www.cocoontech.com/portal/lists/ios-iphone-ipad-home-automation-apps)
Android CCTV/surveillance apps (http://www.cocoontech.com/portal/lists/android-home-automation-apps)
BlackBerry CCTV/surveillance apps (http://www.cocoontech.com/portal/lists/blackberry-home-automation-apps)
Windows Phone CCTV/surveillance apps (http://www.cocoontech.com/portal/lists/windows-phone-apps)

A lot of time has been put in these lists, and they are updated daily. Searching for Foscam will show some hits, while there are also some apps out there, such as Total Control (not affiliated with this product, but do use it) which runs on most smartphones, and supports almost every camera out there, but won't show up when searching for Foscam (just change the category filter to Surveillance to see all apps).

[TheSpatulaOfLuv]

I really wanted to use one of these cams as a baby monitor, but so far there is no audio option for iPhones/iPads. It appears they decided to use WMV for audio streaming (I may be wrong here), but it's Internet Exploder compatible only.

It's really too bad, I want this cam...

[DePingus]

I have had FOSCAM's outdoor model for over a year now. So far its been good.
I have it setup to put images on a FTP server when it detects motion. It can do email alerts too.

Here is some good info.
http://www.gadgetvictims.com/2009/07/foscam-ip-camera-part-two.html

On my desktop using Chrome I have a shortcut to:
http://cam.ip.address:PORT/videostream.cgi?user=guest&pwd=
(I created a guest account on the camera with a blank password).

On my Android phone I have a shortcut to:
http://cam.ip.address:PORT/snapshot.cgi?user=guest&pwd=
(the phone doesn't seem to handle push, so I can only view a snapshot and not a stream)

The link above shows you other shortcuts you can link to.

The original ones came with ActiveX only web control (which meant you were stuck using IE). But they have since released a updated firmware that supports push. So if you find you have the old firmware on these you will need to update. But keep in mind that if you try to upgrade a fake camera you will probably brick it.

And remember, even though it is wifi, you still have to run power to it.

[Masterbasser]

I really wanted to use one of these cams as a baby monitor, but so far there is no audio option for iPhones/iPads. It appears they decided to use WMV for audio streaming (I may be wrong here), but it's Internet Exploder compatible only.

It's really too bad, I want this cam...

Why can't you just use motion detection? Does your baby lie perfectly still and cry all the time?

[The.Dude]

The one thing I would be worried about is blasting your baby's eyes with IR. While it hasn't been proven to be unsafe, there also isn't enough data to show it's safe. IMHO of course.

[chong67]

Everyday sell price from flebay that Foscam authorized.

I have had FOSCAM's outdoor model for over a year now. So far its been good.
I have it setup to put images on a FTP server when it detects motion. It can do email alerts too.

Here is some good info.
http://www.gadgetvictims.com/2009/07/foscam-ip-camera-part-two.html

On my desktop using Chrome I have a shortcut to:
http://cam.ip.address:PORT/videostream.cgi?user=guest&pwd=
(I created a guest account on the camera with a blank password).

On my Android phone I have a shortcut to:
http://cam.ip.address:PORT/snapshot.cgi?user=guest&pwd=
(the phone doesn't seem to handle push, so I can only view a snapshot and not a stream)

The link above shows you other shortcuts you can link to.

The original ones came with ActiveX only web control (which meant you were stuck using IE). But they have since released a updated firmware that supports push. So if you find you have the old firmware on these you will need to update. But keep in mind that if you try to upgrade a fake camera you will probably brick it.

And remember, even though it is wifi, you still have to run power to it.

I make my life easy too.

I got 100 subdomain and so I use something like this:

toiletcam.domainname dot come
bedroomcam.domainname dot come
peekhole1.domainname dot come

etc etc

Basically I do URL redirect and open a bunch of port for each unique subdomain URL.
Sorry, godaddy does not allow you do to that.

[TheSpatulaOfLuv]

Why can't you just use motion detection? Does your baby lie perfectly still and cry all the time?
It loses some depth without the sound. If you can hear what kind of noise the baby is making, then you can decide if you need to address the baby's needs immediately. The sound is an absolute requirement for us and I'm sure for many other parents.

[The.Dude]

Also, if you plan on accessing these cameras remotely (by exposing them via port forwarding), make sure you:

1) Change all default settings, especially the user/password.
2) Lock down your wireless network properly.
3) Understand that these cameras can be wireless, so be careful with placement (don't point them at the alarm / safe keypad ;))).
4) Try to research a different method of connecting remotely (VPN/SSH,..., see this thread (http://www.cocoontech.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18969) for some good info)

[krane21]

in 4 1 thanks op!

[airplnmdls]

As far as 1saleaday is concerned, their items are generally pretty decent. I've bought a couple of the Akribos watches (and a few other things) from them and I've been pretty happy with the quality. If they call out a name brand then you should be fine. If they don't give a brand name, then you might want to reconsider. And someone mentioned before about them having like 3 weeks to return it, well correct me if I'm wrong, but 1saleaday has no "returns". You can return the item, and they will send a new one out. If they don't have a new one then you will get a full refund.

[Foxxy]

Thanks OP - repped. Got one to spy on pet while travelling.

@Eurostylin (repped), thank you for the very informative write-up.

[warezdog]

rolling the dice on 2

[mutha_scratcha]

nice, now I'll be able to watch my "cherdrens" while I'm at work.

[wakko]

anyone with a link on how to get power to these if mounted toward the ceiling?

[JC86]

These cameras DO NOT require any kind of computer to be turned on. They have all of the software stored in memory on the camera. You could have a cable modem, a router, and a camera (without a computer) and the camera would function as normal.

Just double checking but you're sure these cameras do not require a computer to be turned on? I bought a Lorex security camera recently that does require a computer to be turned on which I'm not too fond of. With all the positive reviews and this little perk I would definitely return the Lorex system for the Foscam.

Does anyone know if Amazon will price match? I've bought from 1saleaday plenty of times and never returned anything but read customer service isn't that great and no returns after purchases unless defective.

[Nugent1021]

As far as 1saleaday is concerned, their items are generally pretty decent. I've bought a couple of the Akribos watches (and a few other things) from them and I've been pretty happy with the quality. If they call out a name brand then you should be fine. If they don't give a brand name, then you might want to reconsider. And someone mentioned before about them having like 3 weeks to return it, well correct me if I'm wrong, but 1saleaday has no "returns". You can return the item, and they will send a new one out. If they don't have a new one then you will get a full refund.
I've returned something to 1saleaday before. They sent me a used T-mobile card that wouldn't set up right (they advertised it was new). I was really pissed and thought I was in for a fight, so I called and was ready to get all aggressive and they were like "just send it back and we'll refund your money." Now, I suspect that they won't just let you return something just because you want to, but in this case it wasn't as advertised (and I wasn't going to take another "used" card to replace it) and they didn't fight me. I'd have to give them props on that one.

[TheFreak]

I have sixteen of these cameras. I have my main house that I live in, and two vacation homes that I monitor. I also have six outside versions (no pan/tilt) just stationary. I'll give you my $.02. I decided to go with the cheaper foscams after playing around with the panasonic cameras $269, vs the foscams ($119). ...



Excellent information. Thanks much!

[atarilynx]

Everyday sell price from flebay that Foscam authorized.



I make my life easy too.

I got 100 subdomain and so I use something like this:

toiletcam.domainname dot come
bedroomcam.domainname dot come
peekhole1.domainname dot come

etc etc

Basically I do URL redirect and open a bunch of port for each unique subdomain URL.
Sorry, godaddy does not allow you do to that.

I sure hope you don't work at or own a motel....

[tonycpsu]

One word of caution that I don't think I've seen in this thread so far (apologies if it's been mentioned already.) The FI8918W lacks auto exposure control. You can get it set up so that there's usually a passable picture during most of the day, but in low light situations, you'll need to manually dial up the brightness, then dial it back when the sun comes back up. Here are a couple threads with some vague references from Foscam support about maybe fixing it in the future:

http://foscam.us/forum/exposure-issue-t660.html
http://foscam.us/forum/temporary-fix-for-brightness-issue-auto-gain-t568.html

I've worked out a kludgy Python script to try to auto-detect when the picture's too dark or light and auto-adjust the brightness/contrast to compensate, but it's not a 100% solution.

Don't get me wrong, this is a great camera for the money, but you might have to babysit it a bit if you need a reliable picture in all light conditions.

[flydeep]

NY Sales tax = $5.77 bringing the total to $75.75 ... can get this price any day .. pass for now.

[eurostylin]

One word of caution that I don't think I've seen in this thread so far (apologies if it's been mentioned already.) The FI8918W lacks auto exposure control. You can get it set up so that there's usually a passable picture during most of the day, but in low light situations, you'll need to manually dial up the brightness, then dial it back when the sun comes back up. Here are a couple threads with some vague references from Foscam support about maybe fixing it in the future:

http://foscam.us/forum/exposure-issue-t660.html
http://foscam.us/forum/temporary-fix-for-brightness-issue-auto-gain-t568.html

I've worked out a kludgy Python script to try to auto-detect when the picture's too dark or light and auto-adjust the brightness/contrast to compensate, but it's not a 100% solution.

Don't get me wrong, this is a great camera for the money, but you might have to babysit it a bit if you need a reliable picture in all light conditions.


Those cameras change exposure all day long, because every time it is super cloudy out and it goes to sunny or the other way, it has to adjust which triggers a motion alarm.

[giran99]

i am in for one. i been using Axis cams but expensive

[commonplace]

1SaleaDay (http://slickdeals.net/?pno=51361&lno=1&afsrc=1) has Foscam FI8918W Wireless IP Camera (black or white) for $64.99. Shipping is $4.99. Thanks livinlarge34
Thanks OP, in for four (two of each).

/Kevin

[Troublestylist]

Wouldn't the Foscom have to be hooked up to a running computer in order to get the email alerts and view the live video feeds? Or does it plug right into the router? I think I will just get the $5 icam app that sends out push notifications when my webcam detects motion, email alerts wouldnt do me any good as I manually "fecth" my mail.

As noted above...it's wireless, directly to the router.

I suspect most of us intending to use the "live" features will use an Android or Iphone.

[wozzukes]

Why can't you just use motion detection? Does your baby lie perfectly still and cry all the time?
I really wanted to use one of these cams as a baby monitor, but so far there is no audio option for iPhones/iPads. It appears they decided to use WMV for audio streaming (I may be wrong here), but it's Internet Exploder compatible only.

It's really too bad, I want this cam...


I'm using the older model (FI8908W) as a baby monitor for my 18 month old and have been since she was born. The audio on the camera sucks, although that was supposed to have been addressed with this newer version. We use a cheap audio-only monitor for sound. There's no point in having the camera app running using up bandwidth and battery power if you're not actually watching the screen, and trust me, you will not be watching while your baby is asleep. For us it works better to have the audio only monitor on, and then when I hear something I pull up the app to check on her. I also don't have to sleep with my computer or phone on next to me to hear her at night.

[TarheelGrad1998]

I bought this camera from dailysteals last week. (Shipped wicked fast BTW)
I was afraid it wasn't going to be genuine, but it seems to be.
Love it so far.
I had a nerdgasm when I was able to control the camera via my iphone though an app (DSCam) made by my NAS vendor (Synology).

Have not had the chance to test it too much though, including stand-alone ftp uploading.

I have a similar NAS. Do you get audio from this cam on the NAS?

[Troublestylist]

anyone with a link on how to get power to these if mounted toward the ceiling?

Run an extension cord toward the ceiling. :)

[DePingus]

Just double checking but you're sure these cameras do not require a computer to be turned on? I bought a Lorex security camera recently that does require a computer to be turned on which I'm not too fond of. With all the positive reviews and this little perk I would definitely return the Lorex system for the Foscam.

Does anyone know if Amazon will price match? I've bought from 1saleaday plenty of times and never returned anything but read customer service isn't that great and no returns after purchases unless defective.

My camera functions without a computer. But remember, you will need a computer (or another device) to view the image. These cameras are not equipped to connect to a TV or other analog monitor. Also, you will need to have a computer with an FTP server if you wish to have the camera store images.

A couple side notes on FTP servers...
If your FTP server goes down the camera will still function properly. Obviously, it won't be storing images, but you can still connect to it and view. When the FTP server comes back up, the camera will start saving images again.

You can specify one FTP server and port number, the username and password, and an upload folder.

The camera stores a bunch of jpegs in the folder specified. They are named with the camera's MAC address, date and time. It uploads when motion is detected. You can set the upload interval in seconds. You can also schedule when you want the motion detector active.

The camera does NOT manage the images once put on the FTP server. It never deletes old images. Therefore you will need to setup up some alternate method of having the server prune old images. If you don't the FTP server will eventually fill up with thousands of small jpegs and stop working. (I use a cron job.)

You can also setup email alerts to 4 recipients. You will need to specify an SMTP server, port, and username and password.

Keep in mind, my experience is with FOSCAM's outdoor model that I got about a year ago. As far as I know, they use the same software (even tough mine has less remote control features). But things could have changed since I got mine. So YMMV.

[Troublestylist]

Don't get me wrong, this is a great camera for the money, but you might have to babysit it a bit if you need a reliable picture in all light conditions.

That's odd. For all the high marks this camera gets, you'd expect it to have auto-exposure worked out. I mean, they solved that problem 20-30 years ago.

[Prince01]

Did Kim Kardarshian, Paris Hilton and others used this camera for the tape?
Any way heard lots of complain and reviews about fake camera.
I am still awaiting someone confirm it can be used outdoor I don't need to monitor anything from inside the house.

[baberswallet]

anyone with a link on how to get power to these if mounted toward the ceiling?

does poe work with these?

[gath2]

So you can store images onto an FTP server for "security" purposes. I'm assuming you can set an interval between each picture when motion is detected?

It can email you and tell you there is motion and then you can also log into the camera directly via a computer and watch a live stream.

Does anyone know of any cheap/free software that could record the live stream for security purposes? It would need motion detection as well to keep the videos from getting huge.

[nitemare]

in for 1 in black. Thanks and repped!

[DePingus]

So you can store images onto an FTP server for "security" purposes. I'm assuming you can set an interval between each picture when motion is detected?

It can email you and tell you there is motion and then you can also log into the camera directly via a computer and watch a live stream.

Does anyone know of any cheap/free software that could record the live stream for security purposes? It would need motion detection as well to keep the videos from getting huge.

Yes you can set the interval between each pictures. You can also set the motion detect sensitivity (though I'm not sure how exactly that works).
See my last post for more details on FTP.

Software? Check out Zoneminder. Its opensource.
http://www.zoneminder.com/

[feeth]

If you search Ebay they have 'weatherproof' domes built for these cameras. Last I saw one was $75 - not sure if it's worth paying for the price of the camera but if you think about it most weatherproof type enclosures, at least for DSLR and P&S cameras for example, are as much if not more than the cameras themselves.

Can you provide a link to that ebay item, I tried to search but all I see is the camera with the dome.

TIA!

[pandy00]

does anyone know what size the DC input is (2.5mm)? i'm buying a poe -> dc splitter/injector for it and it seems like there's multiple sizes.

thanks.

[coachclass]

Can anyone else who's had this camera chime in about the auto exposure? Does the latest firmware fix the exposure issue?

If you have to change exposure settings, can it be done via the web interface (remotely)?

[matts8008]

Anybody using this as a baby monitor? I read some Amazon reviews where some people have. Just wondering how practical it is and if it works well for that.

Thinking ahead here... :) If I were to go in I'd probably want to get a couple. I actually have a Logitech 9000 (720p) cam hooked up to my tv/htpc in the living room and need to figure out how to best utilize that for monitoring. I saw in the other Foscam thread that people recommend Blue Iris. Is there any free software people would recommend? I know Dorgem can record video but I'd want something a bit more automated and robust. Guess you get what you pay for with surveillance software hehe.

Just bought one of these as a baby cam. Amazon had a review that said audio quality was bad, but it has an audio input that I plan to use for a cheap PC microphone to attach to the crib.

[rr423]

NY Sales tax = $5.77 bringing the total to $75.75 ... can get this price any day .. pass for now.


where?

[rr423]

is ny tax with paypal as well?

[gath2]

Yes you can set the interval between each pictures. You can also set the motion detect sensitivity (though I'm not sure how exactly that works).
See my last post for more details on FTP.

Software? Check out Zoneminder. Its opensource.
http://www.zoneminder.com/


Thanks for the info! Looks like a good reason to finally setup that linux server.

[DePingus]

Can anyone else who's had this camera chime in about the auto exposure? Does the latest firmware fix the exposure issue?

If you have to change exposure settings, can it be done via the web interface (remotely)?

Here are the camera settings available:

Flip and/or Mirror: On/Off
Resolution: 640x480 or 320x240
Mode: 50 Hz, 60 Hz, or Outdoor
Brightness: 0-15
Contrast: 0-15

The exposure isn't the greatest. But I haven't had a problem. I have camera outside pointing to my driveway. I have it set to Outdoor / Brightness5 / Contrast4 and find that the image is acceptable at both daytime and nighttime. There is a decent light source near my driveway so the IR never really comes into play.

[choxi]

The one thing I would be worried about is blasting your baby's eyes with IR. While it hasn't been proven to be unsafe, there also isn't enough data to show it's safe. IMHO of course.

Yes, and the safety of tap water has been unproven as well, guess I'll just let my children drink soda and fling themselves out of their cribs since it's not been proven to be safe to use ir cameras or tap water.

As for using this for a baby monitor, I would pass as a baby monitor is better suited for that purpose. (and all baby video monitors have IR on them) There's too many links to break in setting it up as a proper baby monitor that I wouldn't completely trust it. But for a playroom or general home monitoring, this is a GREAT price.

[e2g]

It would be cool if
1) current owners showing a sample pic of the quality
2) they provided kits such that you can use your own microcontroller with the camera, motion sensor, ir, etc.
3) I had some use for this :D

[sgtpod]

You need one computer on all the time which the camera connects to via wireless. Then by using dynaic DNS, you can access the camera video from a web page or phone app.

http://www.techrepublic.com/article/make-your-home-pcs-accessible-anywhere-with-dynamic-dns-for-free/6174999
These are stand alone cams, you need no computer to use them, just a wireless AP to hook to.

[tonycpsu]

Can anyone else who's had this camera chime in about the auto exposure? Does the latest firmware fix the exposure issue?

If you have to change exposure settings, can it be done via the web interface (remotely)?

I don't think there's a firmware update that fixes it. The latest firmware on their site seems to be dated 2010-11-17, and doesn't address the problem.

As DePingus says, you can choose some conservative brightness/contrast settings with the outdoor mode setting to get an acceptable picture in many lighting conditions, but since I don't have much of a light source outside at night, I need to change the exposure mode to 50Hz at night, and then back to the outdoor setting during the day, and there's no way to have it do this for you.

I think my next IP cam will be an outdoor model with better day/night exposure adjustment, but I still think this is a very good camera for the money.

[coolmann]

Just pulled the trigger :) Thanks Selma!

[zamboni]

lack of audio on the iphone apps is holding me back from purchase

[wozzukes]

It would be cool if
1) current owners showing a sample pic of the quality
2) they provided kits such that you can use your own microcontroller with the camera, motion sensor, ir, etc.
3) I had some use for this :D


Here's a pic from the cam in my daughter's room (minus her but plus all of the blankets and dolls she insists on taking to bed with her). Right now it is sunny outside with the wood blinds drawn in the room so her room is fairly dark. The only light coming in is from the hallway since her door is open which is why the pic looks more black and white but has that slight patch of yellow above her bed (walls are yellow). When the blinds are open during the day or the light in her room is on then the picture is in color. I'd post a full light/color picture for comparison, but since I'm sitting at work there is no way to open blinds to get it. :)

[rk260395]

So wait, 30% off isn't a slick deal?

I would consider it a SD although keep in mind that this does go down in price on Amazon occasionally. I know it's been down in the 80s and may have been down in the 70s. I've had it in my cart as a potential baby monitor for a toddler. I am a little concerned that the lights in this may bother my son but we will see. I may not need the lights and can just paint over them (there is already ambient light in his room with his night light).

Anyway I just purchased it. Hopefully this works out. Thanks Op.

[rbs123]

It would be cool if
1) current owners showing a sample pic of the quality
2) they provided kits such that you can use your own microcontroller with the camera, motion sensor, ir, etc.
3) I had some use for this :D


you can get a live sample on Foscam website:

http://foscam.us/live-demo.html

[trico]

anyone have any idea how to get this to work with a Clear internet Hotspot since there are no ethernet cable connections?

[gsumax]

this is great. I need to find out which one of my dogs is chilling on my couch during the day while at work, and now ill be able to find my culprit.

[kaway27]

I got white version of this camera for almost a year now. I got mind from ebay for 78 bucks. It works ok only. The picture quality is not good enough. Especially for moving object, it gets burry. The motion detection detects the changes in picture not the human motion. I receive false alarm email at least once a day. It wasn't easy to setup and the instruction was horrible. I do like the pan and tilt, remote access, send email on dectection, and night vision. For the price, this camera is not bad.

[phatphree]

Thats my question as well, heard that the knock offs can be quite the pile of poo.

You can tell if it's a fake because they say fo-SCAM on the side.

It works ok only. The picture quality is not good enough. Especially for moving object, it gets burry.

:lmao:

[SusieLikesDeals]

does anyone know how the foscam compares to this Trendnet SecurView Wireless Day/Night Internet Camera ?
http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?p=39481165&posted=1#post39481165

[siraloz]

Is this wifi N compatible?

[Hero76]

how good are these for outdoors for viewing 30 feet from the house?
I need to find out if there are deer attacking my garden and then decide which bbq sauce to use on them when grilling the carcass :)

[kenkaniff]

If someone is "borrowing" internet, is it possible to use this? My brother owns a store and "borrows" internet there and was wondering if he'd still be able to use something like this...

[ibarrag]

I have this camera which I bought on Amazon for $99. It's a great wireless IP camera for the price. There are a lot of fake Foscams being sold online though. So, I don't know if this is the real Foscam or a fake. And, there have been a lot of complaints regarding fake Foscams since they have a lot of bugs.

I'd can the avatar if I were you - :lmao::lmao::lmao:

[RedRaider04]

Anybody using this as a baby monitor? I read some Amazon reviews where some people have. Just wondering how practical it is and if it works well for that.

Thinking ahead here... :) If I were to go in I'd probably want to get a couple. I actually have a Logitech 9000 (720p) cam hooked up to my tv/htpc in the living room and need to figure out how to best utilize that for monitoring. I saw in the other Foscam thread that people recommend Blue Iris. Is there any free software people would recommend? I know Dorgem can record video but I'd want something a bit more automated and robust. Guess you get what you pay for with surveillance software hehe.

I've been using this camera along with a cheaper baby monitor for over 8 months now. I put some tape around the left size of the camera to remove the constant humming noise from the camera. I also don't use the camera for sound which is one of the reasons we have the cheaper baby monitor. The other and main reason for the cheaper monitor is because I don't want to drain my iPhone battery by watching the monitor all the time.

That being said, this works great for all of our relatives (mainly my parents) who don't live close. They can pull up the monitor on their iPhones any time they want to see if the baby is sleeping. This works great because I know they would probably be bugging me on a daily basis for new pictures if they couldn't see her through the camera.

By the way, I use an iPhone app called Surveillance. It allows me to zoom in and out on the camera, move the camera around and you can view several cameras at once. I think it's $3 or $4 but it's completely worth the money. (btw, I am in no way associated with this app or the developer and this is probably the only app I've ever spent money on)


You need one computer on all the time which the camera connects to via wireless. Then by using dynaic DNS, you can access the camera video from a web page or phone app.

http://www.techrepublic.com/article/make-your-home-pcs-accessible-anywhere-with-dynamic-dns-for-free/6174999

I know someone else already said this, but I wanted to say it again. You DO NOT need a computer running all the time to access these cameras. I hooked my dyndns account up to my router and everything works great.

The setup to get this thing is fairly technical, so make sure you know a little about IP addresses and port forwarding or make sure you have someone on call who does. :)

[GreatWhite]

Thanks! Picked up 2 white ones! Been wanting something like this for awhile now!

[skylinegtr]

this camera can work for outdoor?

[redpoint5]

does anyone know how the foscam compares to this Trendnet SecurView Wireless Day/Night Internet Camera ?
http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?p=39481165&posted=1#post39481165

Foscam has pan and tilt, and a wired ethernet jack.

[tarataqa]

In for one!!! Thx!

[dj-3lusion]

I've returned something to 1saleaday before. They sent me a used T-mobile card that wouldn't set up right (they advertised it was new). I was really pissed and thought I was in for a fight, so I called and was ready to get all aggressive and they were like "just send it back and we'll refund your money." Now, I suspect that they won't just let you return something just because you want to, but in this case it wasn't as advertised (and I wasn't going to take another "used" card to replace it) and they didn't fight me. I'd have to give them props on that one.
calm down killer

[bluedream]

I had two trendnet TV-IP422W indoor camera bought from amazon.com at $150 each. very nice camera. Seemed also same with this Foscam FI8918W. Pictures under low light are not good, so I installed a motion-sensing light.
Now I'm waiting for a good deal for outdoor internet camera, like Logitech 750e.

[dj-3lusion]

this camera can work for outdoor?
no... but you can try or modify it

[skylinegtr]

no... but you can try or modify it

How to modify? :confused:

[bluedream]

For dynamic DNS (DYNDNS), if you have a router with DD-WRT firmware, then you can apply an account from many DYNDNS service provider like no-ip.org, etc. Set up the account info in your router and set up port forwarding for your wireless camera, then you can access your wireless camera through internet.

[gsumax]

this camera can work for outdoor?


why wouldnt it work outside? just dont let it get wet or protect it

[holun5]

Subtotal $64.99
Shipping $4.99
Sales Tax $5.77
Total $75.75


What's up with the shipping and taxes... Almost killed it but hey worth a try if I don't like it, then it's up on fleabay.

[redpoint5]

In for 3. I'm hoping I can setup some sort of PoE hybrid system to power this. Perhaps I will just splice in the power adapter with the cat5.

[kanundrum]

So just to confirm this can record video onto a NAS or a Local Drive onto a Comp or Not ?

[warezdog]

You can tell if it's a fake because they say fo-SCAM on the side.



:lmao:


LOL Good one!

[Paxx]

I have two of these in my house – one in the nursery mounted on the ceiling and one in the garage sitting on a shelve. I also have two other camera (different type) watching the front door and the backyard. Everything is hard wired to a switch in the attic that goes to my router. I have a Linux server that is on 24/7 in the closet that I use for stuff needed around the house (file server, steaming movies, some scripts I wrote for banking etc, web server) and I monitor these camera using Zoneminder. No complaints on the these two camera’s…once they were setup I’ve never had to touch them. They have excellent picture quality and make a dark room look light so they are perfect for monitoring my 5 month old (we use a separate auto monitor). One additional thing – these camera’s have a light weight webserver already installed on them. You don’t have to have a computer on 24/7 to take a look remotely. Simply setup the camera on your network and open the port on your router. Once complete, you will be able to point your browser to your ip address and port (example: http://192.168.1.1:8800).

On a side note, I jumped right into setting up my home surveillance system without doing much research. I quickly learned that everything needed to be plugged (duh) so I had to run wire from the fusebox into the attic and install outlets for each of my cameras. It was a pain but I was planning on running wire to the garage anyways so I didn’t mind. If I wasn’t going to run wire, I would defiantly look into POE cameras.

[dj-3lusion]

How to modify? :confused:
find a dome that would fit perfectly and not obstruct the lens with reflection. I believe someone did put this outside but again depending on weather conditions you would want to put some kind of weather resistant dome so that the internal electronics wont go bust

[dj-3lusion]

If someone is "borrowing" internet, is it possible to use this? My brother owns a store and "borrows" internet there and was wondering if he'd still be able to use something like this...
why not just pick up a asus rt12 thats on sale for 20-30 bucks and flash the firmware to tomato or dyndns and youre all set =).

[everlast556]

wait, so I understand this can take snap shot pictures, but it doesnt record video?

anyone know if this (or recommend one that does) will record video based on motion and then be able to upload the video to a FTP?

[budster]

It says there's a 1 year warranty on this, but who is the warranty with since it seems 1saleaday isn't an authorized Foscam retailer?

[kdiggz]

sales tax = fail. u can get these on ebay for that much

[iRabbitt]

Is there a good multiple camera recording software available for PC that doesn't cost lots of $$$$?

[Festisio]

DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT MOUNTING THESE OUTSIDE! I don't care if you came across a video online from someone claiming they use these under a porch, or under a eave, because while they might work at first, they will not hold up humidity. These are not sealed, and IR lights do attract bugs, which will cause them to go into the camera and setup shop. I would never think about putting these outside, you shouldn't either.


I had one of these mounted outside for about 2 years in damn near 100% humidity (Cambodia).. The only change I made was a bit of silicon to seal up the lens -- yes bugs (huge jungle bugs) were attracted by the light, but they were just more of a nuisance and made the motion detection useless.

I brought the camera back with me and I am using it to watch my daughter's play area.. camera still works fine.. rotates, pans, everything..

[iRabbitt]

i had one of these mounted outside for about 2 years in damn near 100% humidity (girls shower)....


ftfy.

[dwade]

I have sixteen of these cameras. I have my main house that I live in, and two me know, I use these cameras on a daily basis. Also feel free to ask questions, I'll help you out.

EXCELLENT and unbiased review.. thanks REPPED!!

[eurostylin]

I had one of these mounted outside for about 2 years in damn near 100% humidity (Cambodia).. The only change I made was a bit of silicon to seal up the lens -- yes bugs (huge jungle bugs) were attracted by the light, but they were just more of a nuisance and made the motion detection useless.

I brought the camera back with me and I am using it to watch my daughter's play area.. camera still works fine.. rotates, pans, everything..

So you were using a 120v 60hz camera off Cambodia's 220V 50hz power grid? Sweet!

[nitemare]

sales tax = fail. u can get these on ebay for that much

Ebay = Fakes. So no, you dont get the same product.

Anyone know how to tell if it is a fake?

[canyahearmenow4]

So you were using a 120v 60hz camera off Cambodia's 220V 50hz power grid? Sweet!

Camera is 5 volts. Who cares what the power grid is. 5 volt adapters are a dime a dozen.

[Troublestylist]

If someone is "borrowing" internet, is it possible to use this? My brother owns a store and "borrows" internet there and was wondering if he'd still be able to use something like this...

If he's savvy enough, he may be able to access the control panel of the other router. If they have it unprotected, it's unlikely they changed the default password or any other settings.

But it's unlikely.

[justwanna]

I have had the older model of this for a year or so. Works great for the price. The camera recently stopped working wirelessly for some reason, but it still works fine when wired. I ordered two of this newer model from the other recent deal and am awaiting delivery.

On Android, the best app I have found is IP Cam Viewer.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.rcreations.WebCamViewerPaid

On iOS, I like Live Cams Pro (is a universal app that works on iPhone and iPad).
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/live-cams-pro/id428145132?mt=8

Both support a wide variety of cameras, including the Foscams (and their pan/tilt functions).

[jplee3]

Ebay = Fakes. So no, you dont get the same product.

Anyone know how to tell if it is a fake?


This may have been covered before but not all Ebay resellers are selling fakes. You need to go to Foscam's website and look at the list of authorized dealers - http://www.foscam.com/buy.asp

In fact, they list several Ebay resellers as authorized resellers, so you will not be getting fakes if you order from them.

[Troublestylist]

why not just pick up a asus rt12 thats on sale for 20-30 bucks and flash the firmware to tomato or dyndns and youre all set =).

It won't do much good without internet connected to it. ;)

[dj-3lusion]

It won't do much good without internet connected to it. ;)
yeah looks like he will "borrow" hopefully return the internet connection when he is done ;)

[nitemare]

This may have been covered before but not all Ebay resellers are selling fakes. You need to go to Foscam's website and look at the list of authorized dealers - http://www.foscam.com/buy.asp

In fact, they list several Ebay resellers as authorized resellers, so you will not be getting fakes if you order from them.

"1SaleADay" is not on this list as authorized resellers. So does that mean these are fake?

[Festisio]

no... but you can try or modify it

Yes, without modification, I had mine under an eve.. moved it inside now, but still working 2+ years later. (Foscam 8908W)

[seaham358]

In for one.. Been looking for a pan/tilt night vision ip cam for under $100 for a while. $75.75 here in NY.
The tax and shipping did not Kill the deal for me.. Thanks..

[typicalsurge]

Might be fake, good price, wouldn't consider huge slick deal, but after reading all posts on this deal,

in for +2

[Festisio]

So you were using a 120v 60hz camera off Cambodia's 220V 50hz power grid? Sweet!

The camera is 5V --

My power supply is 100-240VAC with 5V out..deeeerrrp!
I am not sure if the new ones are the same, but my 8908w came with it (ordered it from foscam - china)

My plug has the round poles (EU/Asia) and an adapter to blade (USA style).

[eurostylin]

The camera is 5V --

My power supply is 100-240VAC with 5V out..deeeerrrp!
I am not sure if the new ones are the same, but my 8908w came with it (ordered it from foscam - china)

Awesome! I was saying sweet, as in sweet, not sweet, as in being dicky.

[nitemare]

Fakes for previous model- Go here to determine if it is fake or not: (dealextreme.com sells fakes)
I dont know..these could be fake too...
http://www.gadgetvictims.com/2009/11/original-fi8908w-and-clone-side-by-side.html

Update-I don't think fakes of FI8918W has been reported. FI8908 had lot of clones/fakes. So I think we are OK

[ontwowheels]

Here's a pic from the cam in my daughter's room (minus her but plus all of the blankets and dolls she insists on taking to bed with her). Right now it is sunny outside with the wood blinds drawn in the room so her room is fairly dark. The only light coming in is from the hallway since her door is open which is why the pic looks more black and white but has that slight patch of yellow above her bed (walls are yellow). When the blinds are open during the day or the light in her room is on then the picture is in color. I'd post a full light/color picture for comparison, but since I'm sitting at work there is no way to open blinds to get it. :)

Thanks for the pic, but it's a little scary....kind of like that movie...Paranormal....;)

[MCeatalot]

Ok, I bit and bought one. Been looking for one like this. Thanks, OP!

[greenmeansgoooo]

if you want to use this camera outside you need an enclosure, either dome or one specifically made for PTZ cameras ($50-100). if you dont turn off the IR LEDs they will reflect back into the lens and make the picture look bad, no matter if you use a clear or tinted enclosure. to get the camera to work at night you would have to install some IR LED panels ($15) on the outside of the enclosure.

also you can use some motion activated flood lights, which are actually better then IR LED panels, but dont activate unless there is movement.

[Nugent1021]

uh... okay.

good one funny guy.

[JC86]

Reading all the posts but still can't decide if I should get this. I have a Lorex Indoor/Outdoor 4 cam system thats $500. The price, PT, and not having to leave your computer on for the Foscam is all very nice...

[HenrySsy]

I had two trendnet TV-IP422W indoor camera bought from amazon.com at $150 each. very nice camera. Seemed also same with this Foscam FI8918W. Pictures under low light are not good, so I installed a motion-sensing light.
Now I'm waiting for a good deal for outdoor internet camera, like Logitech 750e.

I was in the market for several Logitech cameras too. Didn't want to pay full price so I kept digging and found this:

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/349/7077?WT.mc_id=amr_email_dvs-05_082010_us&fn=OtherOffer||||Webcams+Communications|LearnMore|TopCenter|Text

Basically send an old Logitech product back, and they give you 20% off something new! -- You don't actually have to send anything back because they give you the code immediately. ;)

Now I can't decide which to get. A Logitech setup will definitely cost 2-3 times more, something I would be willing to pay if the difference is worth it.

Anyone have any input, please decide for me! I'm aiming for a 3 indoor, 1 outdoor setup. Thanks!

[s2000fsu]

Got a black one for stealth. This will bring me some peace of mind when we're traveling over the summer. This will really take advantage of my Android and Ipad devices.

Thanks OP!

[Nugent1021]

As far as 1saleaday is concerned, their items are generally pretty decent. I've bought a couple of the Akribos watches (and a few other things) from them and I've been pretty happy with the quality. If they call out a name brand then you should be fine. If they don't give a brand name, then you might want to reconsider. And someone mentioned before about them having like 3 weeks to return it, well correct me if I'm wrong, but 1saleaday has no "returns". You can return the item, and they will send a new one out. If they don't have a new one then you will get a full refund.

calm down killer

uh... okay.

good one funny guy. You missed the point.

[jplee3]

"1SaleADay" is not on this list as authorized resellers. So does that mean these are fake?


Actually, I was meaning to post this but I emailed Foscam directly and asked if they are authorized:


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Hello,

I was wondering, if I were to purchase the FI8918W on a site such as 1saleaday.com would this void the support/warranty terms? I believe it is mentioned that in order to retain support I need to buy from an authorized reseller. Would 1saleaday.com count as an authorized reseller? Or would support/warranty not be offered to me if I purchased from this site?
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

RESPONSE:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Hello,

Yes, It is our authorized distributor.

Best Regards

Stephanie Lv (Ms.)
Technical Support & Service Team
Email:tech2@foscam.com
MSN:tech2.foscam@hotmail.com
Skype: tech2.foscam
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

[Dealseeker16]

Are there two pieces to this or is everything built into the camera? Is there a base that needs to be configured to the wifi or is it the camera itself?

Basically. Is it completely wireless besides the power adapter

[jplee3]

Are there two pieces to this or is everything built into the camera? Is there a base that needs to be configured to the wifi or is it the camera itself?

Basically. Is it completely wireless besides the power adapter

Everything is built in - there's an antenna included that you screw onto the back but that's primarily for the signal. Think of the unit as a mini-wireless dumb computer - it will assign itself an IP (DHCP) or you can probably assign it one, but all you need is a wireless router for the connectivity. So yes, it can be "wireless" besides the power adapter. It also has the option of connecting via CAT5 ethernet cable too.

[justwanna]

Are there two pieces to this or is everything built into the camera? Is there a base that needs to be configured to the wifi or is it the camera itself?

Basically. Is it completely wireless besides the power adapter

One piece. Wireless except for power adapter.

[or1ginal]

from my experience of buying products from them, 1saleaday is pretty legit.

thx op.

[newtechkie]

I have this camera but could not make the internet viewing part work, i.e. I can view the camera from my home network but not outside of it, such as at work. Is there any detailed instruction on setting up this camera?

[jplee3]

I have this camera but could not make the internet viewing part work, i.e. I can view the camera from my home network but not outside of it, such as at work. Is there any detailed instruction on setting up this camera?


Did you setup port forwarding on your router? From what other owners have mentioned, this seems to be the way to do it.

[z2g]

I'd can the avatar if I were you - :lmao::lmao::lmao:

Why? I'm not a bandwagon fan. Despite their early exit in the playoffs this year, I'm still a fan!:P

[rohitkumar]

I have this camera but could not make the internet viewing part work, i.e. I can view the camera from my home network but not outside of it, such as at work. Is there any detailed instruction on setting up this camera?

here are the instructions

http://foscam.us/blog/foscamipcameras/setting-up-port-forwarding-on-router-to-view-foscam-live-on-internet-over-iphone/

[BosuxRedsux]

can this just work strictly on wifi? Dont really want to mess with the schools router.

[saxman717]

In 4 2 ---- no kids or anything and I wasn't sure what I was going to do w/ them but just had a brilliant thought.....

......til I come up w/ a better use, I will prop them up in front of my tarantula cages so I can have 24/7 SPIDERCAM!!!!!!! Now I will be able to see just how the water dish I keep putting in there keeps getting dragged across the cage and flipped over ---- also will get to see how all the crickets I put in there disappear by morning:lol:

[coachclass]

I don't think there's a firmware update that fixes it. The latest firmware on their site seems to be dated 2010-11-17, and doesn't address the problem.


What about the infrared LED's - can they be programmed to come on via timer or are they fixed for either manual on or manual off? I have a feeling they're manual on/off, since switching lighting modes (ambient vs infrared) requires the sensor to switch to the infrared sensor instead of the regular cmos sensor?

Even for indoor use, I wonder how people transition from day light (ambient light through windows) to night without having to automatically turn on lamps.

[z2g]

With the issue with Foscam authorized dealers in the U.S., there's actually a lot of discussion on different forums and websites regarding this. Foscam U.S. is the main authorized dealer here in the states. They are going around telling ppl that they're the only retailer selling authentic Foscam cameras. And, the other retailers are basically selling fakes.

In reality, there are many Foscam retailers, who are selling actual Foscam cameras. However, if you buy from Foscam U.S., you'll get their tech support. If you buy from other retailers, you'll get no tech support. Note, Foscam U.S. sells the cameras for much more. As far as the tech support, it may be needed for some consumers. The Foscam cameras aren't as user-friendly to setup as others on the market. Some ppl will find it very difficult to set up. And, their included manual isn't very good.

Then, you also have the issue of some Amazon third party sellers who are selling fakes. I hear it's pretty prevalent. With the fakes, they have a lot of bugs and they just don't work very well.

[pipdipchip]

I bought 2 of these recently from Amazon and let me tell you, they are pretty awesome. They are easily worth $300-400. The picture quality isn't the greatest but you can see what you need to see. Also remember that it doesn't have zoom but at this price point you can't complain too much.

Also, this camera works with a program on the Android and iPhone called IP Camera Viewer that not only allows you to view these cameras remotely but also control and move them.

[WhiteHat09]

What about the infrared LED's - can they be programmed to come on via timer or are they fixed for either manual on or manual off? I have a feeling they're manual on/off, since switching lighting modes (ambient vs infrared) requires the sensor to switch to the infrared sensor instead of the regular cmos sensor?

Even for indoor use, I wonder how people transition from day light (ambient light through windows) to night without having to automatically turn on lamps.

I was wondering the same thing. Also (this might have been mentioned already but I didnt see it in earlier posts) can the cameras software schedule motion recording? Like if motion is detected between 9am-5pm record it, otherwise dont. I currently have a crappy Airlink camera staring at my front door and its annoying having to delete photos of me leaving for/coming home from work.

[blackoper]

in for three

[budster]

in for 1 just to try it out. will buy more later if it works out.

by the way, i bought a white one since I plan to use it to monitor kids and I thought it would look less threatening to them and more like a toy to blend into the surroundings.

[z2g]

Some ppl have mentioned that this camera doesn't have zoom. Please note that for any camera around $200-300, you'll only get a digital zoom feature which sucks anyways. The picture will just be blown up and will be very pixelated.

So, having a zoom feature should not be a determining factor to buy this camera.

[MOkoFOko]

Some ppl have mentioned that this camera doesn't have zoom. Please note that for any camera around $200-300, you'll only get a digital zoom feature which sucks anyways. The picture will just be blown up and will be very pixelated.

So, having a zoom feature should not be a determining factor to buy this camera.
Hah, anyone who thinks they can get optical zoom on a webcam like this knows nothing :D

[jplee3]

How is the pan/tilt functionality of this cam? I envision it as more gimmicky than anything... a cool feature if you can use it but necessary? I don't know. What say you, Foscam owners?

[newtechkie]

Thanks rohitkumar for the link and jplee3 for the tip. I will try this out this weekend.

[saxman717]

Any recommended programs for recording the video stream from this camera?

[greenmeansgoooo]

i have one of these camers upstairs on the inside window seal. as much as the neighbors watch me and the twins, i watch them back just as much. a while back this is how i found out why our water bill was so high and which neighbor was stealing water! O.O he opted to pay the whole water bill vs. me calling the cops and showing a video. =]

[DoggXXL]

Finally bit the bullet. I'm in for 2. One of each color.

[SusieLikesDeals]

no zoom, right?

[canyahearmenow4]

no zoom, right?

Hah, anyone who thinks they can get optical zoom on a webcam like this knows nothing :D

Only pan and tilt, no zoom.

[sunnyvali]

Only pan and tilt, no zoom.
Ended up getting 2. This will be helpful while we are on vacation this summer.

Thanks!

[garyhgaryh]

I have two of these in my house – one in the nursery mounted on the ceiling and one in the garage sitting on a shelve. I also have two other camera (different type) watching the front door and the backyard. Everything is hard wired to a switch in the attic that goes to my router. I have a Linux server that is on 24/7 in the closet that I use for stuff needed around the house (file server, steaming movies, some scripts I wrote for banking etc, web server) and I monitor these camera using Zoneminder. No complaints on the these two camera’s…once they were setup I’ve never had to touch them. They have excellent picture quality and make a dark room look light so they are perfect for monitoring my 5 month old (we use a separate auto monitor). One additional thing – these camera’s have a light weight webserver already installed on them. You don’t have to have a computer on 24/7 to take a look remotely. Simply setup the camera on your network and open the port on your router. Once complete, you will be able to point your browser to your ip address and port (example: http://192.168.1.1:8800).

On a side note, I jumped right into setting up my home surveillance system without doing much research. I quickly learned that everything needed to be plugged (duh) so I had to run wire from the fusebox into the attic and install outlets for each of my cameras. It was a pain but I was planning on running wire to the garage anyways so I didn’t mind. If I wasn’t going to run wire, I would defiantly look into POE cameras.

Yeah I did research on the Foscams a year or two ago and was bummed they don't support POE. I got the Panasonic BL-210A instead (horrible low light but excellent image quality). The Panasonic comes with POE injector which is really nice.

I got two of these because of the price and am thinking about getting another. I have about a dozen ip cameras and they are still in use today. My worst one is probably a Airlink (i forgot the model), but it's still working today, but the image is blurry compared to the new cameras.

I've put inside cameras outside with no problem. Remember to put it under the eves (sp?) to protect it from the rain. I plan on putting a camera outside regardless of what people are saying.
Gary

[realdreams]

Never see an ip camera lower than $40. How get I hook up a usb webcam to a linux router with usb support?

[nickman777]

do you need to have internet access and a wireless router to view the cam from a different location?

[canyahearmenow4]

Never see an ip camera lower than $40. How get I hook up the camera to a linux router with usb port?

No. Ethernet or WiFi only. No USB port.

[garyhgaryh]

if you want to use this camera outside you need an enclosure, either dome or one specifically made for PTZ cameras ($50-100). if you dont turn off the IR LEDs they will reflect back into the lens and make the picture look bad, no matter if you use a clear or tinted enclosure. to get the camera to work at night you would have to install some IR LED panels ($15) on the outside of the enclosure.

also you can use some motion activated flood lights, which are actually better then IR LED panels, but dont activate unless there is movement.

Where is a good place to buy these LED Panels?

[judydealhunter]

do you need to have internet access and a wireless router to view the cam from a different location?
The camera needs to be connected to the internet in order for you to have access to it, however you only need a wireless router if you want to use the camera wirelessly, otherwise you can connect it directly to the network with the included cable

[fallenturtle]

Is the general consensus that the 2-way audio on these isn't good enough for a baby monitor? I actually care less about the camera and want the audio feature so I can monitor the kid from any computer in the house.

[kevman]

mine recently crapped out after about a month. It was not able to maintain a connection to my network wired or wireless. And the audio is no good for a baby monitor, its has too much reverb and it ended up scaring my kid.

[jplee3]

mine recently crapped out after about a month. It was not able to maintain a connection to my network wired or wireless. And the audio is no good for a baby monitor, its has too much reverb and it ended up scaring my kid.


Reverb? Were you talking to your kid or something?

Is it possible to disable the speakers on the camera unit?

Did you end up sending the unit back to Foscam to repair? How is their support for issues like this?

[greenmeansgoooo]

Where is a good place to buy these LED Panels?

3bay and you will need at least one for each major direction.

[kevman]

yea you can disiable the sound and mic only in IE though.

[garyhgaryh]

I was wondering the same thing. Also (this might have been mentioned already but I didnt see it in earlier posts) can the cameras software schedule motion recording? Like if motion is detected between 9am-5pm record it, otherwise dont. I currently have a crappy Airlink camera staring at my front door and its annoying having to delete photos of me leaving for/coming home from work.

That's good. I can rob you while you leave your house. You won't even be recording it.. lol!
Gary

[wozzukes]

Reverb? Were you talking to your kid or something?

Is it possible to disable the speakers on the camera unit?

Did you end up sending the unit back to Foscam to repair? How is their support for issues like this?


The older version (FI8908W) had serious audio issues to the point where it was unusable. It has two way audio, so yes, theoretically you could talk to your kid. Even with the speaker turned off there was a hum that came through it. Plugging an audio cable into the port on the back fixed it though and it makes no noise now. I sent my first one back because of this issue and they were fast to respond and send a new one back. The new one was better, but the hum came back after a few weeks. I just decided to plug the audio cable in again instead of going through shipping it back at my expense again. Supposedly this was addressed with this newer version which I'm interested to see if it really was when mine arrives.

[JollyRoger]

Reverb? Were you talking to your kid or something?

Is it possible to disable the speakers on the camera unit?

Did you end up sending the unit back to Foscam to repair? How is their support for issues like this?

Not sure if its been mentioned in this thread or not, but Foscam will not give any support for their products unless they are purchased directly from Foscam. So, regardless of whether or not this is a genuine Foscam, you will not be able to get support on it.

That said, this is still a pretty good deal and I will probably pick up one or two.

[fallenturtle]

Do the audio features only work through IE? While we have a few PCs, we are mostly a Mac household.

[bmcneil43]

Can anyone who owns the camera tell us if there is an app available with two-way audio support for ios (iPhone)?

It looks like there are apps for Android that support audio, but I can't find one for the iphone. Thanks!

[HamZer11]

Do the audio features only work through IE? While we have a few PCs, we are mostly a Mac household.

Yes, only in IE or if you have certain IP cam viewing applications. On my iPad I have the IP Cam app and it can enable the audio.

Can anyone who owns the camera tell us if there is an app available with two-way audio support for ios (iPhone)?

It looks like there are apps for Android that support audio, but I can't find one for the iphone. Thanks!

When I get home I will check it again to make sure it works and give the exact name of the app. I know the icon for speaking and listening are there with the app I have. I had to pay a little bit for it though (under $5). It's free on android.

[clamee]

Can the footage be recorded?

[Dolce]

Video Image Compression MJPEG
Image Frame Rate 15fps(VGA),30fps(QVGA)


Too bad these uses Motion JPEG for video compression instead of h.264. Makes video streaming very inefficiency and requires a lot more bandwidth.

[WhiteHat09]

That's good. I can rob you while you leave your house. You won't even be recording it.. lol!
Gary

haha, very funny. well Im in an apartment so everything is close together and I have to walk in the field of view of the camera every time I go upstairs or sit on the couch to watch tv. Anyways, after looking at the Foscam forums there does seem to be an "alarm" scheduler to record to an ftp server during hours of your choice. the LEDs Im still not sure about.

[DealWinner]

What is the uPNP for? I could make things work from internet without this thing checked or not. Can anyone explain?

[ultratumba]

This only records videos when it senses motion correct? Also, can you set it up to store the videos it recorded on a NAS? I picked one up. Thanks and TU. I plan on putting this outside against my exterior siding using a half-dome enclosure right under the roof eave so its unreachable pointing to the driveway/street. Can I pick these domes up at home depot or lowes? would they have them?

[fallenturtle]

Apparently you can get audio from the camera on a Mac using VLC player, but I don't know about speaking back to the camera.

[jplee3]

Not sure if its been mentioned in this thread or not, but Foscam will not give any support for their products unless they are purchased directly from Foscam. So, regardless of whether or not this is a genuine Foscam, you will not be able to get support on it.

That said, this is still a pretty good deal and I will probably pick up one or two.


It's obvious that there is a lot of confusion over this matter.

Foscam will not support their product if it is purchased from a non-authorized reseller.

[dj-3lusion]

Why? I'm not a bandwagon fan. Despite their early exit in the playoffs this year, I'm still a fan!:P
underneath your avatar should say Got Swept. :lol: on a funny note the lakers trying out some MMA moves for the octagon :lmao: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZSje5VO83U & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBfvmJIxwPQ&feature=related maybe the WWF with the short close line action

[pointbob]

this is silly; so many paranoids throwing money away. wow.

[cj7eagle]

In for one thanks!

[eurostylin]

wait, so I understand this can take snap shot pictures, but it doesnt record video?

anyone know if this (or recommend one that does) will record video based on motion and then be able to upload the video to a FTP?

Read my post on page 5.

[z2g]

underneath your avatar should say Got Swept. :lol: on a funny note the lakers trying out some MMA moves for the octagon :lmao: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZSje5VO83U & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBfvmJIxwPQ&feature=related maybe the WWF with the short close line action

Come on.....they won the last two NBA finals and represented the West in the last three Finals. So what if their age and lackluster bench finally got to them and they didn't make it past the second round in this year's playoffs?

Considering how vulnerable they were this year, I'm not all that surprised. It doesn't make me less of a fan. It's all part of the game....losing a series and even getting swept every so often. At least, the Lakers didn't win nearly 70 games in the regular season, was the top seed in the West, and get upset in the first round by an eighth seed. .....you know what I mean? They got swept by a third seed who had the same regular season record.

[OstrichSak]

this is silly; so many paranoids throwing money away. wow.

Please explain why you need to be paranoid to buy one or more of these? Why are you even clicking on this thread if it's so silly?

[mofares]

Got one, Thanks OP.

[dj-3lusion]

Come on.....they won the last two NBA finals and represented the West in the last three Finals. So what if their age and lackluster bench finally got to them and they didn't make it past the second round in this year's playoffs?

Considering how vulnerable they were this year, I'm not all that surprised. It doesn't make me less of a fan. It's all part of the game....losing a series and even getting swept every so often. At least, the Lakers didn't win nearly 70 games in the regular season, was the top seed in the West, and get upset in the first round by an eighth seed. .....you know what I mean? They got swept by a third seed who had the same regular season record.
yeah they need to regroup or something.

[e.B]

Black OOS - N 4 2 on white. Wanted 1 Black as well. Guess will review and buy next round if all goes well. Thanks Selmmmmmmmma.

[kenkaniff]

why not just pick up a asus rt12 thats on sale for 20-30 bucks and flash the firmware to tomato or dyndns and youre all set =).

Can you explain this to me? I have NO idea what you just said lol. Thank you!

[NativeTexan]

Amazon has a Loftek wireless IP camera that looks very similar - and cheaper than the Loftek. Anyone have comments about the comparison?

[jplee3]

Black OOS - N 4 2 on white. Wanted 1 Black as well. Guess will review and buy next round if all goes well. Thanks Selmmmmmmmma.

Dang, now I'm less inclined. Yes because of the color. I was looking exclusively at the black ones. I think I'll pass... maybe wait and hope that these continue to drop in price :)

[dealstorm]

There's a post on their forums claiming a substantial drop in low-light picture quality in recently-purchased units. More concering is the claimed implied admission that they don't currently support hidden SSID. I find this hard to believe.
http://foscam.us/forum/fi8918w-quality-t662.html

The user manual is posted - in .rar format, because we all know that's the de facto standard for online documents.

It seems that Amazon does not sell this product directly - they only fulfill it for 3rd party merchants, and I've never heard of any of them.