From Foscam
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Product Description
The Foscam FI8910W features high quality video and audio, pan/tilt, remote internet viewing, motion detection, night-vision, embedded IR-Cut filter as well as a built in network video recording system. In addition, it is smartphone compatible (iPhone, Android & Blackberry) as well as viewable over the internet using standard web-browsers. The camera functions well as an iPhone baby monitor or as part of a home or office security system with remote internet monitoring ability. Building on the success of the Foscam FI8918W, the FI8910W is the latest camera from Foscam Digital Technologies LLC. The FI8910W distinguishes itself with an embedded IR-Cut filter providing enhanced picture and color quality. The IR-Cut filter automatically adjusts the lighting exposure via mechanical filter to provide true and accurately colored images that are not washed out. In addition, the FI8910W has an upgraded and higher quality external housing as well as an included 2 year extended warranty. Features: Remote internet monitoring from anywhere in the world over LAN or internet Supports standard browsers; iPhone/iPad, Android & Blackberry compatible IR-Cut filter for true color video and images Two-way audio 300 degree pan, 120 degree tilt Auto IR-LED illumination lights for night vision up to 8 meters IR lights can be turned off manually from the software Audio quality is improved, there will be no noise when speaking into the camera. WPA2, WPA & WEP Internal mic as well as jack for external mic Simple to setup with a friendly graphical interface 640 x 480 Pixels (300k Pixels) Infrared Motion Detection (with email notification and image upload via FTP) Wifi IEEE 802.11b/g, Wired connection also included DDNS Multi-level user management.what's in the box: Foscam Wireless IP Camera, Wifi Antenna, User Manual, Installation CD, Mounting Bracket, Network Cable and DC Power Supply 5v. 2 year extended warranty, when bought from authorized retailers listed at foscam.us/where-to-buy.html
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #4 in Camera & Photo
- Color: Black
- Brand: Foscam
- Model: FI8910WB
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 1.50" h x 2.30" w x 3.90" l, 1.65 pounds
- Display size: 0
Features
- IR-Cut filter for true color video and images.The IR lights can be turned off manually from the software
- Audio quality is improved, there will be no noise when speaking into the camera
- WPA2 Encryption Supported, Light Frequency 50 / 60 Hz or outdoor, IEEE 802.11b/g/n
- Added an audio input jack which can be used with an external microphone
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
895 of 922 people found the following review helpful.
Beware of a hardware problem introduced on newer Foscam cameras
By J Den
Quick Summary: Foscam is manufacturing and selling cameras with a known manufacturing defect. If the camera is pointed at a scene with too much detail (trees, grass, wood grain, window screen, etc) the camera will fail by either freezing, displaying black or rebooting. This defect was introduced as the result of a sensor change late in 2012. This manufacturing defect has been confirmed by Foscam as the DSP and a repair procedure has been made available. However, Foscam (the manufacturer) has released themselves of responsibility for repairing this defect. To be clear, Foscam acknowledges this manufacturing problem but refuses to be responsible for repairing the cameras. As of this writing, 423 faulty cameras have been reported in the Foscam forums. Exchanging the camera does not correct the problem as +91% of exchanges have the same defect (also detailed in the forums). The small percentage of successful exchanges are explained as old 2012 inventory. Users also confirm that Foscam continues to manufacture cameras with this defect. It seems that Foscam simply hopes users will not notice the defect or incorrectly identify the problem as cabling or networking gear. Do not buy this camera, or any other Foscam MJPEG camera unless you want to gamble with this known and confirmed freezing/black/rebooting problem. Based on the quality of support I recommend staying away from all Foscam cameras in general. They are inexpensive, but your time and sanity are worth a far greater value.
This defect has been confirmed on various Foscam models and a review has been posted to each of these confirmed models. This includes Foscam models 8904, 8905, 8906, 8910, 8916, and 8919. However, be aware that the defect may exist on additional models as well. There is no need to read any further unless you are very interested in this specific problem.
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::::Foscam posted a response to this review. If you are seeking additional information, my comments on the response are below::::
Foscam US, thank you for the response. I have been close to this issue since the defect was first brought to Foscam's attention in May and this is the first public acknowledgement that I am aware of. Previously this had only been acknowledged privately through email/phone. As there are currently 62,997 views on this topic in the Foscam forums and over 400 reported faulty cameras I'm glad that there is now an "official" acknowledgement of this defect.
I do contend with some of the statements you provided as these statements do not match the current experience from actual users.
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Foscam US - "all cameras currently sold by Foscam US through the Foscam US website as well as through Amazon.com direct and the Amazon store "Foscam Digital Technologies LLC" have the issue 100% resolved as of November 2013"
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This is simply not true. Users continue to report faulty cameras from these sources. It is also worth noting that several times over the last 7 months Foscam support told users (privately over email/phone) that the defect has been fixed and newly purchased cameras will function correctly. Regardless of these statements by Foscam, users continue to report defects. Data from 11/01 through 12/10 shows that 111 additional faulty cameras have been reported since November 1. Time may show otherwise, I hope it does, but currently this statement is simply not true.
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Foscam US - "Furthermore, Foscam US (not the manufacturer which is Foscam China) is willing to replace any cameras free of charge (shipping cost covered both ways) which are suffering from this defect"
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This is also simply not true (unless this policy very recently changed). I have 50+ emails back and forth with Foscam support detailing exactly how difficult it is to process the repair. When support did issue a repair RMA number for my faulty camera, policy still required that I pay shipping. Below is an email excerpt to support about this exact topic. To provide Foscam with fair warning, in the email I detailed that the next step would be the BBB.
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Me - "Please note that I correctly identified this problem as "a problem with the camera's encoding hardware" on my very first e-mail to Foscam support on May 29th. [...] And it is Foscam support that has sunk a tremendous amount of my time pushing to identify the source of this problem. [...] Please reconsider your stance. If shipping is not covered by Foscam to fix this manufacturing defect that was reported within the first 2 weeks of ownership, then my next step will be to contact the BBB. Please forward this email to whomever has the ability to override the current stance on shipping."
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Foscam responded by reiterating that shipping fees would not be covered. As stated, I then filed a complaint with the BBB and was shortly thereafter sent shipping labels to cover the cost of shipping. Yes, Foscam did eventually fix the defect and covered the shipping, but not without great effort on the part of the consumer (as this was against current policy). My experience was not unique, as other users have reported similar experiences. Since 8/23 there have been 7 BBB complaints; overall the BBB gives Foscam a D rating. However, if these policies have recently changed then I applaud the decision to reverse Foscam's previous policy.
Bottom Line:
1) Foscam's response claims that cameras sold from specific retailers have the issue resolved as of November 2013. This is simply not true based on consumer reports.
2) The response also claims that Foscam US will replace faulty cameras free of charge. If that is true, then that is a change in policy and a step in the right direction. However, many users outside of the US are also reporting faulty cameras. Unless the manufacturer (not simply a US distributor) steps up to repair the cameras, then these international users are still without a repair solution for their faulty cameras. Foscam the manufacturer needs to assist users in correcting this defect.
3) Big picture, Foscam has consistently shown itself to be unfriendly towards consumers. Users (not just myself) identified, detailed, and have easily been able to reproduce this problem since May. These details were brought to Foscam's attention in a very helpful and friendly manner (see page 2 for the forum thread for my first 16 emails between support). Based on Foscam's response, I do not recommend purchasing any of their products.
One user mentioned that support said Foscam is aware that this is a "serious image problem." It is telling that Foscam identifies this as an "image problem" and not a "product problem." This Amazon response seems to be at attempt at addressing the image problem regardless of the product problems that continue to be reported by consumers.
--The referenced data and user experiences above are detailed in the Foscam forums and from the BBB.--
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:::: My original review is below - The contents of this review and the three updates have already been summarized above::::
This review is to alert potential buyers to a substantial hardware problem with the Foscam 8904, 8905, 8906 and 8910 cameras. As the image complexity increases, there is a point where the video stream fails and remains in this failed state until the video encoder is manually reset by the user. The trigger point for failure is a function of the complexity of the image; inputs to this function include the scene being recorded, the intensity of the sunlight at any given time, and the software image adjustment settings (brightness and contrast). This problem is well documented on the Foscam user forums. For more information, do a web search for "MJPEG Cameras hanging rebooting based on image data." You will find a thread where the bug is reproduced by many users with a variety of Foscam models. The power supply, firmware, webUI, and network type have all been ruled out as sources of the problem. The working theory is that this bug affects all Foscam MJPEG cameras manufactured after a specific date. Users are trying to determine the specific date that introduced the hardware change that causes the bug.
For me, this problem first exhibited itself by the camera failing every afternoon. It took awhile to isolate the problem, but it was because the sunlight was brighter in the afternoon. The bright sunlight intensifies the luminosity changes in my scene and the image detail increases. The increased detail causes the video encoder to fail.
Buying one of these cameras is a gamble. If you are lucky, then the scene you are recording will naturally have a lower level of detail. This would include walls that are a solid color, shaded areas, and large sections of solid sky. If you are unlucky, then your scene will have too much detail (grass or light through tree leaves) and you will be at the mercy of your encoder failing every time the sun comes out from behind the clouds.
I've literally spent over a month in an ongoing email conversation with Foscam's support, tech support, and the R&D team and they are unable to reproduce the problem. Many other users have been receiving the same response from Foscam. Until Foscam acknowledges this problem and provides a solution, I do not recommend buying this camera. I'm surprised by the sheer volume of 5 star reviews, and suspect some potential manipulation by Foscam.
Update:
It has now been two months and I (and other users) continue to communicate with Foscam. The cause of this error was likely a sensor change that was introduced by Foscam in late 2012. It took several months before this hardware change trickled into the consumer market. The reason that Foscam has been unable to reproduce the problem is because they have been testing on older lab units; this problem only exists on units that have been manufactured since implementing the sensor change in late 2012. The forum thread mentioned above currently contains 82 cameras documented with this problem and 14 RMA's where the replacement cameras have also exhibited the same problem. One of Foscam's resellers has sent them a camera that exhibits the problem, but Foscam has remained silent on confirming any of the testing results from this specific camera. As it currently stands, the faulty cameras are likely still being produced and Foscam continues to fail in providing a solution for current/future owners. The bad news is that it took months for the hardware change to make it into the consumer pipeline. If Foscam ever decides to actually fix this issue by changing the sensor, then it will likely again take months before the new functional hardware makes it into consumer's hands. Even then, there will probably be pockets of old hardware still trickling out to consumers.
Update 2:
After 39 e-mails back and forth, I just recieved a confirmation from Foscam of this hardware problem. The e-mail is below.
"For the issue that MJ cameras reboot when light is too bright and the environment is very exquisite, our engineers find the reason and provide the solution. The reason for this issue is that if the environment is special (light is very bright and has many grass and trees), the picture size may beyond the DSP buffer. It can solved by flash the the DSP driver of the sensor board. Please contact your reseller to have repair.
Have a nice day!"
It is unclear if Foscam plans on continuing to manufacture the cameras with the DSP bug or if they will begin reflashing the DSP as a part of manufacturing. Based on their track record, if they do plan on making a change I doubt it will be any time soon. To correct the problem current cameras need to be shipped back and the DSP must be flashed. It is good that Foscam has confirmed the problem and can provide a fix for ambitious current camera owners. But, I think we are going to continue to have new users purchasing faulty hardware and identifying this problem for a significant amount of time.
Update 3:
This update will repeat some if the information already available in the quick summary up top. Foscam has now provided a repair solution. However, they have also claimed that Foscam (the manufacturer) is not responsible for the repair of this manufacturing defect. Foscam claims it is the individual resellers, in this case Amazon, who are responsible for repairing the cameras. I wholeheartedly disagree with this, but that is Foscam's stance. Users in the forums have compiled the steps of this repair procedure together along with a list of required parts/cable as a DIY project. The DIY repair will likely void your warranty on a brand new camera, but it is good to know that this option exists. The end result of this issue is that the defect has been confirmed by Foscam and a repair solution has been provided. But, they claim no responsibility in actually performing the repair. Foscam has been the definition of difficult through the entire process and so I do not recommend buying any Foscam cameras. I recommend finding an alternative even if it costs a little more money, your time and sanity are worth it.
1335 of 1407 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent Features for the Price
By R. Tickle
Considering that you are paying less than $100 for a wireless IP Camera that provides PT (no Zoom), infrared night vision, motion detection, and automatic email of alarm photos, there is very little one can criticize about this camera. Yes, it's tricky to set-up if you have never done port-forwarding before and yes, the frame rate and resolution are both a little low, and the audio is crap, but remember that you paid less than $100 for this thing. If you need audio, higher frame rates and better resolution, you should buy a more expensive IP camera.
As far as setup goes, if you understand networking and port-forwarding, these are my recommendations:
1) Do NOT install the software on the CD.
2) Connect the camera by Cat-5 wire to your router.
3) Login to your router (via browser) and find the IP address assigned to your camera.
4) Login to the camera at that IP address (via browser) and IMMEDIATELY turn OFF the DHCP.
5) Give your camera a fixed IP address on your network and fill in the subnet mask with what you normally use.
6) The Gateway and DNS fields should normally be the IP address of your router.
7) Fill in the SSID, encryption type, and share key used by your wireless network.
8) Pick a 4 digit number to use for the HTTP port number. (I have no idea what "Network Lamp" is so I left it checked.)
9) Disconnect the Cat-5 cable and re-boot the camera.
10) Re-login to the camera at the new fixed IP address to verify that everything's working.
11) Login to your router and set a port-forwarding entry to map to the fixed IP address and HTTP port you gave your camera.
12) Use the "What's My IP" site to find your outside IP address.
13) Enter your outside IP address and HTTP port number into a browser and verify that you can get into the camera from outside your house.
14) You're done.
UPDATE #1:
Under the Mail Service Settings there is a checkbox named "Report Internet IP by Mail". If you check this, when you ISP gives you a new external IP address or when the camera reboots because of a power failure, the camera will email you the current external IP address and port! A very nice feature for those of us who prefer not to use DDNS services.
UPDATE #2:
The best app I've found for viewing IP camera feeds on a smartphone or tablet is IP Cam Viewer by Robert Chou.
UPDATE #3:
While I am still pleased with my FosCams, two things have happened recently that make me wonder about the business practices of FosCam. First, out of the blue they have raised the price $10. Second, FosCam.us is given me the run-around about an RMA to return a camera I purchased directly from FosCam. If you do decide to purchase a FosCam camera, buy it through Amazon. Amazon will not give you the run-around over a return. FosCam seems to be money-grubbing and anti-customer.
608 of 667 people found the following review helpful.
Great inexpensive security cam
By Roger H Gray
The Foscam F18910W camera is operating quite well. I have 3 F18918W cameras and have been pleased with their operation and function as well. They are very stable cameras - images always available whenever I link to them- and easy to set up.
For setup, I have found it easier to just plug them in using the Ethernet connection, and then log into my router and find their IP address, and set them up from there. The only thing you have to remember during setup is that the new camera's port may be set the same as an existing camera. In this case either shut down any existing cameras, or use the FosCam install software and let it find the new camera and port number.
I have the FosCams mounted in our business for security and their range of motion and quality of images- including infrared- has been invaluable. Also the sound quality is good from the camera. Talking through the cameras to someone is weak, but there. I am replacing older D-Link DCS-900 cameras which are fixed position only provide picture- no sound or two-way communication capabilities.
One feature that would be good in my case would be the ability to zoom in on an object. Zoom is not a function of any of the FosCam models I now have.
I monitor the cameras from my IPad, my Droid 2 and 3 phones using an excellent app - IP Cam Viewer from Robert Chou. I also use IE and Chrome browsers.
You do have to use port forwarding on your router so you can find the cameras via your business/home location's IP address. If you don't have a static IP address, you can use dyndns.org to track your dynamic IP address.
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