One of the things i tried out recently was to install an internet protocol network camera (aka IP netcam) in and around my home to keep an eye on things over a smartphone (iPhone 4S) when we are away or out of town. I started the search for cameras online and found a brand called FOSCAM from China to be very popular all over the web. So decided to give it a try.
I found the foscam FI8910W pan & tilt ip network camera for $80 on amazon.com and ordered it. Two days later....the package arrived. Inside the Foscam box, i found the camera, antenna, ac power adapter and a small cd disc (not good for my iMAC as it has a CD slot lengthwise on the side so the CD will just fall in). NO documentation at all as is the case with most chinese brand products. They can do everyone a great favor only if they included some instructions. So off I go to everyone's favorite google.com to search for installation instructions for Foscam F18910W. I found some written instructions at foscam.com US site as well as youtube videos by "AwkwardHamster".
You can avoid the trouble of figuring this out by following the instructions at http://foscam.us/blog/foscamipcameras/set-up-guidetutorial-for-foscam-fi8908w/ or the youtube video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xKu4uZtt3M
If you have trouble even after this, please email me and I will be glad to help.
After this came the task of downloading the free app "CamViewer" in the iTunes app store and setting it up to access my camera on the iPhone. This is where the DNS server came in handy which you need to enter on the settings of the app in order to be able to view live streaming video as well as control the camera from anywhere in the world. This is really cool as you can move the camera around up and down and sideways (pan & tilt) and see the video stream live. The camera also includes IR lights around the lens to illuminate upto 15-20 feet at night time. The picture quality is not as good at night but will work.
I also found instructions by "AwkwardHamster" on youtube to setup email or sms notification of photos to me in the event of a motion alarm. So when motion is detected (there is no motion sensor in this camera instead the camera uses change in the images in the frames of the video to detect motion), the camera snaps 5-6 still photos and sends it to your phone (data charges do apply :)).
Finally I had to order a 10 foot long power cable to extend the reach of the charger in order to be able to hang the camera on the ceiling looking down (hardware is sold separately).
So after all this, do I recommend this camera. The answer is YES as it is not bad product but lacks good setup instructions. The FI8910W is only a standard definition video camera, so if you get their IR filtered HD version (FI9821W) then for sure you will be very happy with the results. There are also other IP net cams from D-link (DCS2210) and Belkin and few others that have better instructions and are easy to install but cost about $50-150 more. The choice is yours. All these cameras including the foscam i am using are all meant for indoor use. If you want to monitor the surroundings of your home or office, you should purchase the outdoor camera unit (FI9805W) which has a weatherproof enclosure and has lot more IR lights for the outdoors.
Finally if you only want totally wireless (battery operated wireless network) cameras, then there is a product called "VueZone" by Netgear that has its own router and is much easier to setup (vuezone.com). The drawback is that you want to use this one to only email photos to you when motion is detected otherwise you will drain the battery sooner than the 6 month life advertised. I will try this in the future when they have better cameras as i read the camera images are not that clear.
So that is all on how to keep an eye on your nest while you are away on vacation, or use the camera as a baby monitor or maybe even as a nanny cam to keep an eye on your sitter and the kids when you go out for the night!
Cheers
-Ram
I found the foscam FI8910W pan & tilt ip network camera for $80 on amazon.com and ordered it. Two days later....the package arrived. Inside the Foscam box, i found the camera, antenna, ac power adapter and a small cd disc (not good for my iMAC as it has a CD slot lengthwise on the side so the CD will just fall in). NO documentation at all as is the case with most chinese brand products. They can do everyone a great favor only if they included some instructions. So off I go to everyone's favorite google.com to search for installation instructions for Foscam F18910W. I found some written instructions at foscam.com US site as well as youtube videos by "AwkwardHamster".
Lack of instructions made the installation process a cumbersome one given I am not a networking savvy individual. yes even for a techie networking or debugging issues with WindowsPC is not an easy task. The camera did support what is called WPS (Wifi protected setup) but my ATT Uverse router does not, so after about 4-5 hours of messing around with detecting the camera on my wireless network and setting up a free DNS at "noip.com" (domain name server so that i don't have to remember the ip address of my camera full of numbers), I was able to see the video feed from my camera on my iMAC browser window. Phew!!You can avoid the trouble of figuring this out by following the instructions at http://foscam.us/blog/foscamipcameras/set-up-guidetutorial-for-foscam-fi8908w/ or the youtube video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xKu4uZtt3M
If you have trouble even after this, please email me and I will be glad to help.
After this came the task of downloading the free app "CamViewer" in the iTunes app store and setting it up to access my camera on the iPhone. This is where the DNS server came in handy which you need to enter on the settings of the app in order to be able to view live streaming video as well as control the camera from anywhere in the world. This is really cool as you can move the camera around up and down and sideways (pan & tilt) and see the video stream live. The camera also includes IR lights around the lens to illuminate upto 15-20 feet at night time. The picture quality is not as good at night but will work.
I also found instructions by "AwkwardHamster" on youtube to setup email or sms notification of photos to me in the event of a motion alarm. So when motion is detected (there is no motion sensor in this camera instead the camera uses change in the images in the frames of the video to detect motion), the camera snaps 5-6 still photos and sends it to your phone (data charges do apply :)).
Finally I had to order a 10 foot long power cable to extend the reach of the charger in order to be able to hang the camera on the ceiling looking down (hardware is sold separately).
So after all this, do I recommend this camera. The answer is YES as it is not bad product but lacks good setup instructions. The FI8910W is only a standard definition video camera, so if you get their IR filtered HD version (FI9821W) then for sure you will be very happy with the results. There are also other IP net cams from D-link (DCS2210) and Belkin and few others that have better instructions and are easy to install but cost about $50-150 more. The choice is yours. All these cameras including the foscam i am using are all meant for indoor use. If you want to monitor the surroundings of your home or office, you should purchase the outdoor camera unit (FI9805W) which has a weatherproof enclosure and has lot more IR lights for the outdoors.
Finally if you only want totally wireless (battery operated wireless network) cameras, then there is a product called "VueZone" by Netgear that has its own router and is much easier to setup (vuezone.com). The drawback is that you want to use this one to only email photos to you when motion is detected otherwise you will drain the battery sooner than the 6 month life advertised. I will try this in the future when they have better cameras as i read the camera images are not that clear.
So that is all on how to keep an eye on your nest while you are away on vacation, or use the camera as a baby monitor or maybe even as a nanny cam to keep an eye on your sitter and the kids when you go out for the night!
Cheers
-Ram
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