FOSCAM HD 720P Outdoor WiFi Security Camera – Weatherproof IP66 Bullet / 1MP IP Wireless Surveillance Camera System with iOS/Android App, Night Vision up to 65ft, and More (FI9800P)

Foscam FI9800P is an excellent smart outdoor security camera. I build my own home security system and have been looking for low-cost but reliable outdoor camera solution for long time. Most outdoor security cameras available on the market requires actual video cable to run all the way from a central camera control station to the camera. I don’t want to drill holes on the wall and have naked wire running on the ceiling. I am very happy to find this Foscam FI9800P, which utilizes home WIFI to transmit video so the only thing I need is to connect the camera. After simple registration, I can access the camera everywhere in the world through the Foscam mobile app. It is so convenient. Besides WIFI capability, the camera does come with normal video connectors (yellow and red ones) and also Ethernet port, or ones can still use video cable or Ethernet cable to transmit video. The camera is well designed, and is a little bit smaller than I thought. The night vision works great. The IR LEDs around the lens are sufficient to “light up” an area that are at least 5-6 meter away from the camera. I get clear crystal night vision image (see pics). Great for backyard or front door.Note that the camera does not have motors equipped, which means that you won’t be able to adjust its direction remotely through mobile app like some other Foscam indoor camera (like R2). I am not bothered because I am not anticipating an outdoor camera to be able to adjust direction.The camera does not require too much power; the power supply comes with it is a standard 12V 1A (so 12Watt) supply. I think a ~$50 solar panel plus a backup rechargeable battery will be able to provide all the power required by the camera.I own this camera for more than 2 months now and never had a single problem with it. Highly recommend!

Seems to be a decent camera quality wise I'm fairly happy. However, I found it impossible to setup using my Macbook Pro running OS X 10.11.6. I tried setting it up with the latest version of Safari, Firefox, and Chrome. NONE WORKED!!! I was finally able to setup the camera by booting into Windows and setting it up from there. Even after upgrading both the firmware and the plugin to the latest versions as of this writing I still am unable to login to the camera from my Mac. Oddly enough, once I got the camera set up, I was able to view them using the uFoscam app on my Mac - but forget trying to login via a browser. After some searching the web, I found others having the same issue which has yet to be fixed. If I didn't have access to Windows these cameras would have been sent back as totally useless to me. If and when Foscam ever fixes this issue I'll update my review to reflect that... until then, if you are on a Mac, you've been warned that this camera may be useless to you. I've never been more frustrated in trying to get an IPcam working in my life - and I have several older Foscam MJPEG cameras that I never had issues like this with.

Easy to set up, and install. The only drawback is the cluster of wires and plugs that cannot be detached from the camera and need at least a 1 1/2" hole in the installation wall in order to pass all the wiring through. The solution of course is using a junction box (buy it local cheap 4" X 4" $4.99) or Foscam ( ASIN:B01KL8SSUE Foscam FAB99 Waterproof Junction Box $29.99) to store all the wiring and plugs, which I did. About the camera, this is the 8th Foscam camera I buy and install. It is by far not the best. The image during the day is acceptable, but the night vision is not the best. This is probably due to the small size of the camera limiting the IR-LEDS In some way. I have the FI9900P (1080p) and although the image is better on both day and night, the night vision also lacks quality. I compare these two mini-cams to the FI9805W ([ASIN:B018KA0TQ6 Foscam FI9805W HD) and the difference in day and night vision is easily evident. In comparison to size the FI9805W is huge, so perhaps the bigger the better? Back to the FI9800P, it is well made, all metal, waterproof, Plug n Play, and the WIFI connection works well, I was able to connect to my router easily. The design is aesthetic and depending on your installation, its small size makes it almost undetectable. As for the price, it seems to fluctuate from $64 and up. BTW the FI9900P 1080p with its wider view, is a better choice if you need to capture a wider area of video. The FI9800p is fine for carport, entrance, or long narrow area like a hallway.

Not an easy installation and software has problems. This camera works well if you use the hard wire installation to your router. If you are using WiFi, it works well with the phone app. If you want to use the WiFI feature, you have to download an additional free app from the app store to add the camera. This is essential, even if you will be monitoring on a PC. I installed on both Mac , Iphone and Windows 10, and needed to use the WiFi installation. The software allows you to select the area to be monitored for movement, but the mask is not registered with the camera picture so good luck. It becomes a game of pick the block and see which block is affected. Forget anything in the screen tight three columns, you run out of blocks to pick. Picture quality is very good, and it will detect movement. If you want to be notified by E-mail it never notifies the primary address, but always notifies the secondary address?? Buggy! I use this camera to see who is in my driveway, but would not count on it for security... Today, my MAC picture no longer works, phone is OK, not sure about Windows...UPDATE: The camera failed after 8 months of service. Now we find out about the warranty...