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The SecurityCameraSystemsHQ.com Review
A Very Pleasant Surprise
Let’s face it:There’s a lot of crap in the security camera systems market,and it can be tough to slog through all of these products to find the gems. While the Foscam wireless camera doesn’t have quite the brand recognition of Logitech,Lorex,or Defender,the company has managed to gain a solid following for its well built FI8908W camera.
Since that product’s launch,the company has released the new Foscam FI8918W,a replacement for the previous model. The FI8918W continues in the tradition of solid build quality and software functionality with a few improvements to make the user experience that much better.
Wired/Wireless Security Camera Functionality
One of my favorite things about this camera is the inherent flexibility provided by the networking options. Being able to use this camera in a wireless or wired environment means that you can set this camera up with just about any kind of network. Just follow the simple steps that are given in the included software package and you’ll be up and running in no time. It helps to have a little bit of computer experience,but it shouldn’t be too hard to find someone to help out with the setup if you have any questions. I found the included documentation to be pretty good as well,so that’s the first place you’ll want to look if there any issues.
Clean,Concise Software Interface
Once you have the Foscam set up,you’ll find the software to be a joy to use. Simple things like holding down an arrow key to engage the panning or zooming on the camera add up quickly to provide a streamlined user experience. This efficiency is very important when it comes to home security,so I was very happy with the FI8918W’s software integration.
Night and Day Peformance
Like most digital security camera systems,this is where the Foscam IP camera is less than perfect. This system uses a set of bright red LED lights to provide night time illumination to the camera sensor,and this works pretty well. However,the lights themselves can be a little distracting in a dark environment,so make sure that you keep that in mind before purchasing.
Depending on the time of day or night that you want to use the camera,you’ll need to set it’s refresh rate and shutter speed. This is a fairly simple task that is largely automated by the included software. Just make sure that you aren’t trying to use a single camera for both night and day. I would recommend having two cameras,one for dark and one for bright conditions so that you can set them up properly and leave them alone without having to alter their settings every 12 hours or so.
Excellent Motion Sensitivity And Reporting
One of the strongest features in the FI8918W is the motion tracking,and this is backed up by the extremely favorable Foscam review posts that I’ve read elsewhere. The Foscam surveillance camera will effortlessly pick up any kind of movement,taking a series of pictures of the event. You can optionally tell the camera to email you,send the pictures to your smartphone,or even upload them to an FTP server to be archived for later viewing. I chose the FTP server option for testing purposes and found setting the camera up with my server to be refreshingly simple.
Is This The Ideal Security Camera?
Pretty close to it. At this price point and with all the included features and user-friendliness,I would say that this is one of the best products I’ve come across,especially for people who are just getting into home/business security and surveillance. The great thing about standalone cameras like this is that you can always expand your system with something more heavy duty later on if you have a good experience!
Product Details
- 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
- Added an audio input jack which can be used with an external microphone
- Relocated the network light to the back of the camera. Add a power indicator lamp
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