SUMMARY
This article is a review of the Foscam FI8910w (current model for 2012) wireless IP camera. This is a very versatile, affordable IP camera that works well. It provides clear 640x480 resolution, it's easy to mount, stable, and works
both wired and wireless. Additionally, it comes with infrared capabilities so you can see at night. This camera can be used for all sorts of things, from a security system to a baby monitor. It comes in black and white, and the white
makes most sense if you are planning on mounting it indoors on a wall. You can run multiple of them, I have 3 installed at home, and have no issues. The easiest way to set it up is to give each camera a different port, for example, 81, 82, and 83
in my case (since port 80 is already in use for a web server). If you plan of watching them from outside your LAN, you will need a dynamic DNS
setup, or a fixed IP. Of course, to do that, you will have to open the appropriate ports on your router and forward them accordingly.
You can use a web browser to access the cameras from your desktop, move them, take screen shots, etc. You can do the same from your iPhone, or easier, you can buy a $0.99 app that will let you monitor the cameras with a nicer interface.
In summary, this is a great little camera that, at under $100, you will not regret buying.
Foscam FI8910W
After searching for a good camera to use as a baby monitor, I came across the Foscam.
Foscam FI8910W Wireless/Wired Pan & Tilt IP/Network Camera with IR-Cut Filter for True Color Images - 8 Meter Night Vision and 3.6mm Lens (67° Viewing Angle) - White NEWEST MODEL
Most other cameras I had looked at cost $200 or more. The Foscam FI8910W had impressive specs and was priced at under $100, bingo.
Additionally, the camera had a huge array of infrared emitters compared to other models and I thought the extra LEDs could really help it out in illuminating dark areas for the camera's night vision feature. I made my purchase and waited for it to arrive.
The unit arrived a few days later and right away I was amazed at how heavy the camera was. It was solid metal construction, had an excellent build quality, and appeared that it would hold up well against the elements. Foscam was kind enough to
provide mounting hardware for a basic ceiling installation and I had it mounted in no time in one of my bedrooms.
The setup is relatively simple if you understand what you are doing. Basic setup requires that you first connect the camera via an Ethernet cable to your router so I had to take it down from where I had mounted it.
Once you have set up the camera's basic settings, you can then enable the wireless mode and ditch the hard wire network connection.
This camera features:
Wi-Fi or Ethernet connectivity
Standard VGA resolution (640x480)
On-board motion detection with snapshot to e-mail/FTP capability
Night vision with a large array of infrared emitters
Weather-resistant housing
The night vision capability is excellent. The large array of emitters really helped increase the quality of the image compared to other night vision cameras I had seen with less emitters.
The camera lacks onboard DVR capability for capturing video so I had to invest in a 3rd party software package for real-time video capture from my computer. I used a software package called EvoCam for Mac which had built in profiles for Foscam cameras and had no problem interfacing with my camera and adjusting its settings.
Overall, this camera is a strong competitor against other units that cost 3x its price.
Pros: Inexpensive compared to other cameras in the same class. Solid build quality. Great night vision image quality.
Cons: Poorly translated instructions.
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