Customer Reviews

Foscam FI8904W Outdoor Wireless/Wired IP Camera with 15-20 Meter Night Vision and 6mm Lens (67° Viewing Angle) - Silver

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

I've used different types of cameras for security in the past, but most of them have very narrow viewing angles, making it hard to watch a large area with one camera. This camera, however, has a wider viewing angle than most and makes it easy to watch a large area without having to move it too far back.

This camera can be setup with a wired wireless connection. Here was my experience with both:
(I'm using Windows 7)

Wired Connection:
This was very easy and quick. I simply took it out of the box, plugged it into the router with the supplied network cable and installed the software on my computer. The software recognized the camera right away, but you don't have to use the software if you just go directly to the camera within your network, i.e. [...]. Once you access the camera within your network, you can view it right away and setup a wireless connection, your mail, ftp upload, and adjust other settings. If you plan to use the wireless connection you will want to enter your wirelsss connection info while you're directly connected to it here.

Wireless Connection:
This is fairly easy once you directly connect the camera to your router and open it's settings. I simply had to supply my wireless SSID (and login/password/encryption type if used) and save it. Then I tunred off the camera, unplugged it from the router, and turned it back on after waiting about 30 seconds. From that point it was connected through the wireless connection instead of the wired connection.

Accessing the camera from outside your home network:
When you access the camera from within your home network, it's simple and easy. But when you go on a trip and you want to view your camera from outside your home network, you have to set some extra things up. This was a little trickier to do, since you will need to be able to open your router settings and adjust them. Basically you need to tell your router to allow outside connections to your camera. In short, I had to allow connections to the camera by forwarding a certain port number from within my router to my camera. Once I did that I could simply type in my router's IP address from anywhere and I could access the camera. If you don't know how to do this, your ISP tech support can probably walk you through it on the phone. Here's how I did this:
(I have a linksys router)
1) I opened up my router settings by going to: [...]
2) I located the Port Range Forward menu (under Applications and Gaming)
3) I entered the following into the first line:
-Start=80
-End=80
-Protocol=Both
-Ip Address=192.168.1.102 (your camera might have a different last number here, you can see it in your address bar when you are accessing your camera)
-Checked the Enable box and hit the Save Settings button
Your mileage may vary but once I did this I could access my camera by entering my computer's IP address into a browser from any location.

Motion Detection / Alarm:
The motion alarm works well, but you will need to adjust it's sensitivity settings for your own needs. You can set it to email you a screen capture when it detects movement and/or upload the screen captures via ftp.

The camera performs well and this model has a wider viewing angle, allowing you to view more area without having to move the camera back. I was looking for a camera like this since most I had tried had very narrow viewing angles.

I gave this camera 4 stars because the instructions were not the greatest. If you don't have experience with IP devices or this kind of thing you might not understand what the instructions are telling you sometimes.

Overall it was an easy setup, no different than setting up any other wireless device.
I will be buying a couple more of these to cover the rest of the areas around my house.

I just bought the FI8904W camera to go along with the Foscam FI8918W camera I bought earlier. I was disappointed to find that the field-of-view for the FI8904W was much tighter than the F8918W, even though both are title listed by Amazon as "3.6mm lens, 67-deg viewing angle". I went to the foscam.com website (not foscam.us) and found the spec sheet for the FI8904W. It states a "6mm lens and 42-degree viewing angle". I found that the narrow FOV made it inadequate for outdoor patio coverage. (For the tinkers out there you can buy replacement lenses. Google "IP camera lenses"). It's really too bad it doesn't come with the same lens as the FI8918W. Also, the camera does not have auto-brightness, which can be a problem if you want to view in both bright sun and darkness. On a positive note, it was not too difficult to set up in both wired and wireless modes and the construction seems solid and water resistant. I returned mine but would have kept it if it weren't for the narrow FOV.

I bought this camera to monitor my driveway when I'm not home. The wide-angle is nice and while not fantastic, the video quality is good enough to recognize vehicles or people.

However, the camera has no auto-exposure capability. You can manually adjust the exposure in the web interface to get a fairly good picture, but it's only going to look good while you have the exact same lighting conditions. Get it just right for mid-day on a sunny day, and it will be too dark in the morning and afternoon or when the sun goes behind a cloud. In fact, because it doesn't auto-adjust, the motion sensing can be triggered by nothing more than a cloud passing in front of the sun. And forget using it during the day and at night. If it's adjusted for daytime, you won't see anything but a black screen at night. Adjust it for nighttime and you'll get nothing but a white screen during the day.

The bottom line is that I can't count on this camera to send me emails when there's activity in the driveway since it only reliably detects motion when the exposure is just right. The other 22 hours of the day it doesn't work. I'll be sending it back and looking for something else. I guess that you get what you pay for...

On paper, these look like a great bargain, and they would be if Foscam would spend a bit more time on the software/firmware. My other gripe is some sellers (Loft-K) are selling the non wide angle, I had to order from another seller to finally get the 67 degree model. If your image doesn't look like a funhouse mirror, you got the standard angle.

If you aren't up on your camera software and networking, definitely stay away, setup is not for the tech shy. I already had a Zoneminder system up and running on a Linux server with various other cameras, I was looking for something with a bit better night performance.

So on to why I had to return this camera. It is just plain unreliable for video surveillance. If you only use WEP, it is actually somewhat reliable, however if you turn on WPA, forget it. I'm not sure mine even went 24 hours without requiring a reboot. Even if you hardwire, the next software bug will get you if you use any sort of motion detection software. The camera keeps adjusting its light levels, and it does it so fast that it will trigger your motion detection software.

Lastly, the main reason I got this camera over another was the built in IR. When I placed it side by side with a Panasonic camera, which was under $100 and has no IR, the night shots are much better on the Panasonic. The lighting levels are just all wrong and the IRs aren't used to their advantage. The fact that it does not have an IR filter for daytime use means images during the day are pretty rough too.

The real shame of it is, most of this is software issues within the camera, that could be fixed by the maker, but this is really just another one of those cheap Chinese cameras, I was a fool for expecting more.

I have seen quite a few bad reviews of these cameras, but they seem OK to me. Not great, but OK, especially for less than $100. So here is what I have found from the 4 cameras I now have. I have a mix of FI8904, FI8909 and FI8918. All are supposed to be 67 degree view, but the FI8904's don't appear to be quite there compared to the 2 indor cameras.

If you are going to use them outdoors, they need to be set to the "outdoor" mode so they adjust to lighting conditions. They all have a problem with bright sun and shadow areas in the same frame. They seem to wash out under those conditions. The color balance leaves a lot to be desired, but I didn't get them for perfect color rendition.

For outdoor use, the alarm setting is difficult. I get too many false alarms and miss real alarm conditions. It appears alarm triggering is based on light pattern changes, so a cloud going overhead triggers an alarm. If I set the sensitivity low enough to not false alarm, then a subject is nearly through the field of view before it will alarm.

Around dusk the cameras switch to a black and white mode and the IR lights come on. Night use is very iffy. The FI8904's do a good job of lighting the parking area and cars, but anyone walking into the picture is just a washed out white blur. The FI8909 only has 5 LED's so it doesn't wash out so bad, but the picture is basically black until someone gets close. You really need to be aware of the distance and chose the right model.

The web interface is able to handle up to 9 cameras. It is set up to split the sceen into 1, 4 or 9 segments. I can't get more than 3 cameras to work on a wireless network. Trying to go to a 4th camera bogs the network down so bad only 3 will function. I have tried them on both a "N" router and a "G" Access point with similar results. They might do better using the ethernet ports but ethernet is not an option for me.

I would recomend these camers, just be aware of the limitations.

Pros:
-Can login and view live video from ipod/iphone/ipad when logging in thru server push/firefox mode (very useful - no apps needed, just logon).
-Very good low light performance.
-Resolution is very good for a wireless security camera.

Cons:
-Personally I think the Web interface is ugly and limited.
-Tricky to get connected wirelessly, but once connected works VERY well.
-Instructions could be better written.
-Mounting bracket is a bit cheap.
-Lens angle is a bit tight - should make it into a wider angle (apparently the lens can be upgraded)

There were no signs of damage so I opened the packaging and started setup with the quick start guide. Unfortunately, the camera's ethernet port was not working, so I could not set it up. Additionally, the CD that came with the package could not be read by my computer, so I had to download the software from the website. The website has pop-ups all over the place, so make sure your blocker is turned on. My anti-spyware also blocked several links from the site, so that's not a good sign either... Anyways, I looked up the support contact information and there is no telephone number, only an email address. I sent an email asking for help with the camera and about 18 hours later I got a reply telling me to reset it to factory defaults to see if that would work. Well, I had already tried it, but the email told me to push the button on the bottom of the camera; There is no button on the bottom of the camera. I replied to the email to let them know that the reset did not work and have not received a reply. So, I'm returning the camera to Amazon to get a replacement, but if you aren't familiar with camera's or at least home networking, don't be depending on Foscam's support. I can't recommend this product at all, considering it didn't work out of the box. Also, I am forced to give the camera one star, I would have chosen none.

I should have read some of the other reviews before buying this. I also have a Foscam FI8918W (indoor, wireless, pan-and-tilt). I figured the image quality of this camera would be comparable, but there's no ability to turn off the IR, nor does the camera auto-adjust for different light levels. I am using the camera as a weather cam, and when it's clear and sunny, it's too bright and I have to adjust the brightness and contrast, and then when it becomes overcast the image is waaaay too dark. The build quality seems reliable enough for outdoor use, though. I'm still looking for a quality wireless IP camera that is weatherproof, but this will do in the meantime.

I read through the majority of the reviews on this camera. There certainly are mixed reviews on quality and functionality. I decided to get one of these and test it out for myself. I also had to actually read through all the instructions for setup. I highly recommend spending some time on youtube watching the setup videos. I've had this camera now for several weeks and tweaked every possible setting to get a good feel of the real capabilities. My conclusion, the camera works well for a $100 IR camera.

Comparing most of the reviews, I have a few things to comment on with regard to most of the negative comments about this camera. The web interface does need work. It's a bit glitchy and I'd like it do have a few other features, but everything seems to do exactly what I need it to do. The night vision is as good as any IR camera out there at this price point. I've seen complaints about the quality of the IR with regard to distance and degree angle. The colors are a bit off because of the IR filter. It's a $100 camera. For what I paid for it, I love it. I've installed $500 cameras on jobs. Those camera were certainly better in quality, and performance. However, this camera has all the same features. In my opinion, it's well worth it. Set your expectations appropriately. Again, it's a $100 camera. Don't expect $500 performance.

I'll be installing 5 more.

I bought this camera based on the assumption that Amazon was being honest about this being an 'outdoor' camera. You must hide all of the attached cableing (network interface, poer supply, reset button) indoors. This camera worked well untill the first rain and lightning storm we had (and here in the Pheonix area we don't get THAT much rain) and the power supply blew out. Purchasing a replacement power supply from Amazon allows the camera to power up now but I still cannot get into the network interface to be able to set the camera up nor get an IP address through DHCP. Have tried the 'factory reset' many times and same result. For this price I basically got a doorstop to use in my garage. I would NOT recommend this peice of junk to anybody. On the note of support from Foscam, forget it. The website is sparse on support and they will not answer emails.