FOSCAM4K/8MP POE Outdoor Security Camera, Home Security Surveillance Camera with Auto Tracking, 4X Optical Zoom,AI Human/Vehicle Detection,165FT Color Night Vision,2-Way Audio,360° PT,IP66 Waterproof

I was looking for a PTZ camera with optical zoom that would work well with Blue Iris and didn’t cost a fortune. This Foscam model ended up being a good fit and has performed well so far.One thing to note is that the setup is a little different than other IP cameras I’ve used. Instead of accessing a built-in web interface, you use the Foscam VMS app (desktop or mobile). Through the app, I was able to assign a static IP, adjust ports, and configure all the usual settings for video, audio, and other adjustments. After that, adding it to Blue Iris was straightforward. Blue Iris automatically detected the camera settings and enabled PTZ control without any manual configuration necessary.The build quality is solid. It feels sturdier than other cameras I’ve tried in this price range, with a good mix of metal and durable plastic. The image quality looks good, both during the day and at night with IR in my very dark environment. Optical zoom is so much nicer than digital zoom only and the PTZ motion is responsive. I turned up the PTZ speed so it moves quickly between my presets.It obviously works well with Foscam’s mobile app, too, if you’re not interested in third-party software like Blue Iris.Overall, this is a capable and reliable camera that offers a lot of high-end features without the high-end price. It’s a solid option for a PTZ camera that doesn’t require a monthly subscription or cloud account unless you choose to utilize those added features.

I had high expectations for this camera : high resolution, real auto tracking, night vision.I am very disappointed with the design, software setup, functionality of this camera.1) This is a POE camera, awesome. But dear lord the wires and dongles are too long. Normally, folks who set up poe cameras want the cords nice and tidy. The whole point of poe (power over ethernet) is that you use ONE cord for both power and data. The dongle of three, while necessary, is too long and too big to hide inside the hollow bracket/arm. The bracket/arm needs to be bigger to accommodate the dongle of three. Ideally, the only thing coming out of the hollow bracket/arm should be the ethernet cord.2) Setup was too difficult. You needed to download an app or computer program to setup the camera. I would have preferred the camera have a built in web interface for setup. All my other ONVIF cameras have built-in web interface for this purpose.3) Picture image was decent during daylight. But when it got dark. Good luck. This camera turns stupid when the sun sets. When using ptz to focus on different areas, the camera loses focus and cannot auto focus. Image is all blurred. Manually focusing it does not get the image fully focused. Presets do not come into focus either. Not a good experience. Even the cheap 30 dollar ip cameras I’ve used has better auto focus than this $100+ camera.Construction quality is quite good actually. Metal housing and bracket/arm.Unfortunately, this does not make up for poor user experience in both setup and functionality.Until these issues are addressed, I do not recommend purchasing this camera.

My old 2019 Foscam is clearer than this one.Also, cannot change the date and time format, in addition to being stuck with 24hr time stamps.Customizable? ❌

The media could not be loaded. Great quality POE security camera! I prefer these hardwired POE cameras as they don't eat up my WiFi bandwidth and slow that down. Foscam has great apps to control/configure/view remotely but I mostly use it with BlueIris software on a local system and also with a local Dahua 8 channel DVR that records continuously.Mounting the unit was easy. There is a small mounting bracket that gets mounted first, then the camera slides on to that and two more screws are used to secure it to the wall. The cable is exposed a bit before I routed it under my siding. I do like that a water resistant cord grip is included to keep the RJ45 connection sealed.Picture quality is great. PTZ controls are smooth and easy to use. Zoom works great. Setup was easy with the Foscam app as the directions are well written and easy to follow. The night vision IR LED's works good, but my camera is mounted up quite high and the IR is more of a spot than a flood. The IR distance is better with the spot as I can move the cam around and zoom in to items at a distance and still have good illumination.Many cameras have a HTML page that you can access for configuration, but it seems that the newer Foscam cameras have gotten away from this and you need the Foscam VMS software for setup/configuration. At first, this seemed like a hinderance but really, the setup with the sofware or app still works well. As I mentioned, I have been able to configure it and use other software to stream/control/record from this cam. The camera does have built in alerts/motion detection/etc., I just prefer to not use it. I do have other remote cameras at another location in which I don't have the resources there and do use the Foscam basic motion and sound detection with email alerts.I almost forgot, the sound quality is good with this camera. I've had other cameras and the audio was terrible. I can monitor sound (it's quite sensitive) and use the built in speaker if needed. Even with my camera mounted quite high off the ground, it still works great. I've used it to quiet the dogs down when they are barking in the back yard. And the built in spot light and siren functions work great too, although rarely used.I think Foscam has a great design with this model. It has great functionality and is compatible with my BlueIris software and Dahua NVR. As I continue to upgrade my cameras, Foscam will remain a solid option.

I recently purchased a Foscam SD8EP camera and I found there was a part missing. I wrote to Foscam and told them of the missing part. They contacted me the next day. Dealing with technical support engineer Nora Chau. Within a few days they corrected the problem. Customer satisfaction seems to be important to them and dealing with Nora made it easy and painless. Camera is easy to set up and is good quality. So I would recommend this product and company highly.