Foscam fi9803ep review ip camera

Foscam FI9803EP technical characteristics
Camera setup on first use
The accessories are just and necessary, from left to right, plugs and screws to hang it, a network cable, arm to hang it and power supply (which we will not need if we use the Power over Ethernet function that this camera includes)

We also see a concise quick installation guide, and as usual, a very complete manual on the CD or available from its page if we prefer. Plugins and utilities are again included on the disk for those who do not have access to the internet at hand.
The cable is quite generous, as you can see in the photo still coiled. The connection must be done in this way since it is complicated and expensive to make RJ-45 ports with water resistance, especially if it is IP66 (jets) as in this case. The power connector, again its own, is also extended to the same place.
Detail of the connections. Network on the left, power and reset button on the right.
Front of the camera. The large infrared lamp next to the lens, the small hole for the light sensor, and the protective visor are appreciated
Views from all angles of the camera:
Once configured, we proceed to take a look at the options available through the browser. The web interface is the same as in the C1 and the FI9821P, no surprise with a complete and fairly well finished software. We do not extend ourselves since we have discussed the firmware options of these cameras in the two previous reviews.
The recording can be done to an SD card (only in this model -EP), to an FTP server or to our own equipment. For the second, the user who is running the browser must have write permissions on the destination folder, so the most comfortable thing is probably to run the browser as administrator, although we do not recommend this practice, because it can have serious consequences for security, it is better specify a folder on which we have direct permissions, for example, the "Public Access" folder that most users will have created by default.
Again we have the interface fully translated into Spanish, without major problems except the aforementioned that some texts are cut or slightly out of place, but without affecting usability at all.
We return to a fixed camera, so the motion controls disappear to return to an interface similar to the C1.
In addition to the configuration menus, we have two other large tabs, one to see the video of the camera live, with the options to record and take captures. The image quality is very good, and the infrared lamp is much more powerful than we are used to, giving very good vision at medium distances. Detail of the camera image in a dark room:
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Again we can explore the videos present in the microSD of the camera ordered by date
Undoubtedly a very complete software to access from any computer without installing anything other than the browser plug-in. Support is not limited to Windows, but can also be used on Mac OS and Linux.
On the foscam website you can locate the software and installation guides in Spanish for all the supported operating systems.
As a colophon we add that we have checked the IP66 resistance of this camera by placing it under the tap for a long period, in a way more demanding than in heavy rain, without any sign of leaks or malfunctions.
Experience and conclusion
FOSCAM FI9803EP
Light image quality
Dark image quality
Recording destinations
Software and extras
Price

Today we analyze a more professional model of the well-known brand Foscam, specifically the Foscam FI9803EP. It is an outdoor camera, which can be powered by the included power supply or via PoE (very convenient if possible), waterproof ( IP66 , jets from any direction) and with great general strength.

In this case a fixed camera, for more professional outdoor security installations. Let's see how it performs.

We thank Foscam for the loan of this camera to carry out its analysis.

Foscam FI9803EP technical characteristics

Camera setup on first use

The process is identical to that seen in C1 and FI9821P, with the exception that it is a camera with a more specific purpose and does not have WiFi, which slightly complicates things but also makes it more convenient and safe for a fixed mount.

First of all we connect the camera by cable and to the power in case of not having PoE. Foscam provides a small utility to give us the IP of the cameras connected to our network, in our case it was not necessary because we have directly consulted the router's DHCP table, an option that the vast majority of routers allow and that allows us to know the addresses that have assigned to each of the devices.

Access to the camera is done directly from the address http: // IP_de_camara: 88, but the usual thing will be to see something like 192.168.1.XX. The default access data is "admin" for the user and password is blank. We must install a plugin before the application allows us to access the camera. In this case we have directly used internet explorer since we already knew that the plugin for chrome still does not work with our version.

We must also change the username and password at the first access for security.

After this we immediately access the camera menu. From here we can configure it to connect to an existing Wi-Fi network (the most common configuration) or continue using it in wired mode directly.

The accessories are just and necessary, from left to right, plugs and screws to hang it, a network cable, arm to hang it and power supply (which we will not need if we use the Power over Ethernet function that this camera includes)

We also see a concise quick installation guide, and as usual, a very complete manual on the CD or available from its page if we prefer. Plugins and utilities are again included on the disk for those who do not have access to the internet at hand.

The cable is quite generous, as you can see in the photo still coiled. The connection must be done in this way since it is complicated and expensive to make RJ-45 ports with water resistance, especially if it is IP66 (jets) as in this case. The power connector, again its own, is also extended to the same place.

Detail of the connections. Network on the left, power and reset button on the right.

Front of the camera. The large infrared lamp next to the lens, the small hole for the light sensor, and the protective visor are appreciated

Views from all angles of the camera:

Once configured, we proceed to take a look at the options available through the browser. The web interface is the same as in the C1 and the FI9821P, no surprise with a complete and fairly well finished software. We do not extend ourselves since we have discussed the firmware options of these cameras in the two previous reviews.

The recording can be done to an SD card (only in this model -EP), to an FTP server or to our own equipment. For the second, the user who is running the browser must have write permissions on the destination folder, so the most comfortable thing is probably to run the browser as administrator, although we do not recommend this practice, because it can have serious consequences for security, it is better specify a folder on which we have direct permissions, for example, the "Public Access" folder that most users will have created by default.

Again we have the interface fully translated into Spanish, without major problems except the aforementioned that some texts are cut or slightly out of place, but without affecting usability at all.

We return to a fixed camera, so the motion controls disappear to return to an interface similar to the C1.

In addition to the configuration menus, we have two other large tabs, one to see the video of the camera live, with the options to record and take captures. The image quality is very good, and the infrared lamp is much more powerful than we are used to, giving very good vision at medium distances. Detail of the camera image in a dark room:
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Again we can explore the videos present in the microSD of the camera ordered by date

Undoubtedly a very complete software to access from any computer without installing anything other than the browser plug-in. Support is not limited to Windows, but can also be used on Mac OS and Linux.

On the foscam website you can locate the software and installation guides in Spanish for all the supported operating systems.

As a colophon we add that we have checked the IP66 resistance of this camera by placing it under the tap for a long period, in a way more demanding than in heavy rain, without any sign of leaks or malfunctions.

Experience and conclusion

Although it is a shame to lose the rotation controls of the excellent FI9821P, we see that this camera fulfills its purpose as an outdoor surveillance camera perfectly. Nothing has been left to chance, with a power supply despite having PoE and a reset button that we must direct to an interior room for safety.

The Foscam FI9803EP also stands out for its performance in low light conditions, giving a very high level of detail in short and medium distances.

It is a camera with a very adjusted price, although at the time of writing this analysis we have not yet seen it listed in any Spanish store, it is expected that it will not reach € 100 seeing its price on amazon.es and the history from foscam.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ GOOD IMAGE QUALITY	- NO REMOTE ROTATION CONTROLS
+ WATER RESISTANCE IP66
+ POSSIBILITY OF FOOD VIA POE
+ INFRARED LAMP WITH GOOD RANGE FOR NIGHT VISION
+ ADJUSTED PRICE
+ VERY COMPLETE SOFTWARE AND FULL OF OPTIONS. MOBILE APP
+ OPTION TO HANG ON WALL OR CEILING