Foscam FI8907W IP camera review

So this is my first product review, I thought that I would write one because I actually had trouble finding review's about this camera when I was looking to purchase an IP camera recently.

The first thing that I noticed about the FI8907W was the lack of information about it, some Foscam distributors do not even have the model for sale on their website.  Digging deeper it seems that the FI8907W and FI8909W are very similar as they do operate on the same firmware.  If you do decide to purchase the FI8907W I would recommend downloading updated firmware from  http://www.foscam.com and not your local Foscam website.

At the time of writing the latest firmware is 11.xx.2.51 (where xx is either 25 or 35 depending on your hardware revision) and the latest WEBUI firmware is 2.4.30.5.



Unboxing

 Packaging

Image #1

The packaging contains the following:-

• Camera unit (either matte black or gloss white)
• Mounting Bracket
• Retractable network cable
• CD with documenation
• User manual
• 5v power adapter (a 240V AU to 5V 2A was supplied in this example)
• 4x Mounting screws and plastic wall anchors for mounting the bracket.

**Note** The box has a WiFi Antenna listed as included with the FI8907W, but this is not the case as this unit has an integrated antenna so you cannot attach an external Antenna.

Front

Image #2

The above image shows the front of the Foscam FI8907W.  In the top left of the unit you can see the pinhole microphone, the bottom right part of the camera contains the speaker.  There are two IR LED's fitted, the top LED has a diffuser so that the light is evenly distributed while the bottom LED is focused to provide a concentrated area of IR light.  The lens is fitted with a focusing ring so that you can manually focus the camera during setup.

 Side

Image #3

On the left hand side of the unit, if looking from the front, you will notice two 3.5mm audio jacks for audio input and output so you have an option of using an external speaker and/or microphone.

  Back

Image #4

On the back/rear of the unit you can see the Ethernet and power jacks, the mounting screw that connects to the bracket supplied, a reset or "REST" button (that must be a printing mistake), two LEDs (green is network activity and red is power) as well as two information stickers.

Mounting bracket

  Image #4

The mounting bracket is pretty simple and is well weighted so that the camera does not fall over when using the bracket as a simple stand.




Setup

Setting up the unit for me was a little painful, this is because my home setup consists of two separate subnets, one is for the wireless devices and the other is for wired devices.  Normally you would just connect the unit via its wired Ethernet port, web browse into the device (The camera will pickup an IP address via DHCP) and then configure from there (setting up wireless if desired).  You can use the IPCamSetup.exe program that is included on the supplied CD and this program seems to use multicast to discover cameras.  This program is not required for setup or normal use, but is handy if you have multiple cameras to manage or if you are not to familiar with networking.




Use

Using this camera is quite trivial, just point your web browser to http://camera_IP_address (eg http://10.0.0.1 ) and you will be presented with a login window (default username is "admin" with a blank password).  Once you login you will be preseted with three viewing options

Viewing options

  Image #5

As you can see, select ActiveX Mode if you are using IE, Server Push Mode if you are not using IE and Mobile Phone if you are on a mobile or a simple HTTP device.

If you have chosen the ActiveX or Server Push Mode you can then select "Device Management" from the bottom left hand corner of the window that opens.

You can also view the camera with direct URL's.  Below is a list obtained for the FI8907W and FI8909W, I have tested some, but not all of them.

http://IPADDRESS/videostream.asf?user=[USERNAME]&pwd=[PASSWORD]&resolution=[WIDTH]*[HEIGHT]
http://IPADDRESS/videostream.asf
http://IPADDRESS/videostream.asf?user=[USERNAME]&pwd=[PASSWORD]&resolution=64&rate=0
http://IPADDRESS/videostream.asf?user=[USERNAME]&pwd=[PASSWORD]&resolution=32&rate=0
http://IPADDRESS/cgi-bin/CGIProxy.fcgi?cmd=snapPicture2&usr=[USERNAME]&pwd=[PASSWORD]&
http://IPADDRESS/cgi-bin/net_jpeg.cgi?ch=[CHANNEL]
http://IPADDRESS/snapshot.cgi
http://IPADDRESS/video.cgi
http://IPADDRESS/cgi-bin/net_jpeg.cgi?ch=0
http://IPADDRESS/videostream.cgi?user=[USERNAME]&pwd=[PASSWORD]&resolution=32&rate=0
http://IPADDRESS/videostream.cgi
http://IPADDRESS/cgi-bin/net_video.cgi?channel=[CHANNEL]



If you would like to monitor the camera via your android powered device I can recommend tinyCam Monitor http://tinycammonitor.com/ which is available from the Google Play store in free and paid versions.  I have tried the Foscam official android app, but its really terrible.

Setting up your own DVR is also easy, try http://www.ispyconnect.com/ (for windows) or http://www.zoneminder.com/ (for Linux).

 


Thoughts/Performance

Now I purchased this camera strictly as a baby monitor so I did not require or want a HD camera so my requirement's are actually quite low.  I purchased the camera for $62.95 AU delivered from http://www.foscamdirect.com.au and for that price I am very happy with the purchase.  Here are a few pros and cons I have with the camera.

Con

• Device has no HTTPS support (apparently a CPU limitation)
• Device has no RTSP support (apparently a CPU limitation)
• Bottom IR LED seems too bright, I have had to cover it with blue tack so that my image is not washed out
• No SD card support
• No Samba support (obviously tied to having SD card support)
• Camera cannot be powered off POE
• Official Foscam android application is terrible

Pro

• PRICE
• Third party support (Many NAS manufacturers support Foscam)
• Two way audio
• Ease of use
• IR LED's are photoresistor (LDR) controlled so they only operate during low light conditions
• The top diffused IR LED is great for throwing light around the room rather than concentrated directly on one spot.
• 2 year warranty.

Overall I am very happy with this little device, the problem with having no secure protocols is not a major issue for myself as I have openVPN running on my IPFire gateway so my laptop and android handsets can connect remotely to view the camera.  As I am using this for a baby monitor, this functionality is not required, but I may purchase a few more Foscam cameras in the near future to keep a watch on the house so I may



Please leave a comment if you have any questions or if you have found this review to be useful.  I will attempt to get back to you in a timely manner.