Am I wasting my time with Amcrest/Foscam?

[kirbymurphy]

I'm beginning to think so.
I'm on my second IPM 722 bullet in a month and it shows the same problems I returned the previous cam.
I had 2 Foscams that died quickly, first the wireless function, then just plain dead. Had I realized Amcrest and Foscam were related I probably would have kept looking.

1. Random loss of signal requiring a power reset
2. Flashing video, usually in daylight but sometimes in sunset/sunrise conditions

The last one didn't want to be set to wireless, kept defaulting to wired after saving setup. Don't know how I got it to wireless setting, just brute force I guess.:mad-new: It's working on WiFi with a fixed IP. The loss of signal happens in the Amcrest IP config tool as well as Blue Iris. Happens at random,no other WiFi or microwave present.

I like the solid feel of it and when it works it looks good, but I fear the future. :sad:

Thanks!

 

[alastairstevenson]

Simple answer - Yup.
It was the first brand I bought, quite a few years back. The pink grass was quite off-putting, and I stayed away from IP cams for quite a while after that.
Popular (good marketing), but poor quality, poor specs (until recently) and quite cranky.

 

[klasipca]

+1 waste of time with Foscam hence their name "F-ing obvious scam"

 

[nayr]

Yes you are wasting your time and money on foscam, but replacing it with another wireless camera wont be much better.. WiFi can never guarantee delivery, thats pretty much critical for security use.. so pay someone to pull wires if you have to.

 

[kirbymurphy]

Yes you are wasting your time and money on foscam, but replacing it with another wireless camera wont be much better.. WiFi can never guarantee delivery, thats pretty much critical for security use.. so pay someone to pull wires if you have to.

Starting to think so. I had a Pyle that couldn't see the SSID of the router. They should have called it Pile-of$hit.

Don't want much, just a simple image and stored video by Blue Iris. Cam is about 30 ft from the router. Only one other WiFi device on the router. I would think by now they could get it right.

 

[kirbymurphy]

Yes you are wasting your time and money on foscam, but replacing it with another wireless camera wont be much better.. WiFi can never guarantee delivery, that's pretty much critical for security use.. so pay someone to pull wires if you have to.

Do you think hat applies to Hickvision also? They seem to have good recs so I was thinking about one of their bullets.

 

[nayr]

It dont matter what else is on your wifi, everything uses the 2.4G band and your camera has to accept that interference.. microwave ovens, wireless speakers, phones, bluetooth, keyboards, mice, really everything wireless is going to compete with WiFi.

If you dont send the stream constantly over wireless to BI and use built in mechanisms in the camera to send snapshots or open the stream on occasion then you'll have better luck.. but you'll also have more of a webcam than a security cam thats recording 24/7, but you can stuff a uSD card inside ad at least get couple days of recordings without relying on that wifi link.

When BI has to process that stream non-stop or you want off-camera recording, then you have little choice but run a wire.. even if its 5ft away from your access point.. I have an app my phone that'll kick everything off wifi within range.. and the only thing you can do to stop me from using it against your camera, is run a wire.

 

[beachsled]

Foscam has decided to stop offering service for cameras that have been recently sold. In May/June 2015 I bought 3 FI9853's, I have since sent back so many cameras I am on number 10. Ask me how many I have that work.... 1, 1 camera. Most of them have had the POE circuit fail. And now Foscam has stopped supporting the cameras and making customers contact the manufacturer directly. Buyer beware guys.

 

[fenderman]

Foscam has decided to stop offering service for cameras that have been recently sold. In May/June 2015 I bought 3 FI9853's, I have since sent back so many cameras I am on number 10. Ask me how many I have that work.... 1, 1 camera. Most of them have had the POE circuit fail. And now Foscam has stopped supporting the cameras and making customers contact the manufacturer directly. Buyer beware guys.

Its important to note, that the same distributor out of texas, foscam.us, that stopped supporting the foscam cameras you purchased from them is now selling Amcrest. So buyer beware.

 

[Del Boy]

Its important to note, that the same distributor out of texas, foscam.us, that stopped supporting the foscam cameras you purchased from them is now selling Amcrest. So buyer beware.

Not only that but from a thread I read they have discontinued support and warranties for existing Foscams that they sold! Shocking. Someone bought a camera on the last day of their switch-over and they won't repair or refund it. In the UK/EU that would be illegal, at the very least though it's horrible horrible customer service.

 

[Jack B Nimble]

Goes to show that even a U.S supplier such as this can stop their warranty process at any time apparently. So, all that warranty talk really has no more value than that of a Aliexpress seller. A warranty is just a word, company can promise all they want but, can change on a dime. Try opening a law suit the call to lawyer would cost more than the camera. Lesson is warranty is a sense of false promises from strangers really even proven sellers can sell the business and you would have no recourse. All middlemen are just that and unless you are buying from the mfg. you might get a long term reliable warranty ( 1 year) in 2016 terms is long time.

 

[fenderman]

Goes to show that even a U.S supplier such as this can stop their warranty process at any time apparently. So, all that warranty talk really has no more value than that of a Aliexpress seller. A warranty is just a word, company can promise all they want but, can change on a dime. Try opening a law suit the call to lawyer would cost more than the camera. Lesson is warranty is a sense of false promises from strangers really even proven sellers can sell the business and you would have no recourse. All middlemen are just that and unless you are buying from the mfg. you might get a long term reliable warranty ( 1 year) in 2016 terms is long time.

That is not true. With ali there is NEVER a warranty. Reputable companies like LTS and Nellys have been around for years. The likelihood of them voiding a warranty is extremely low. You have this issue with any warranty. A manufacturer can always go out of business.

Even foscam.us has been around for many years - though they have been known to screw folks over on warranty claims so this is not a surprise.

You also have a complete misunderstanding of US law. Every State has a consumer fraud act. Most allow for treble damages, but more importantly they allow for attorney fees - known as fee shifting. This allows an attorney to take any such case regardless of actual damages. Some of the folks who purchased china region cameras on your advice are now screwed because they cannot use gmail for alerts anymore. I guess you need justification for silly decisions.

The notion that warranties by US sellers are useless because foscam.us/foscam digital technologies committing fraud is ridiculous.

 

[Andrew Becherer]

I had 4 Foscam units. One is a brick. One is flaky. Two continue to operate. I'm not buying anymore Foscam or Amcrest units. (I do like my C1 which I use in a variety of travel scenarios)

 

[CaliGirl]

We have 3 Foscams and they have worked pretty well for 5+ years. One has been outside in extreme cold 5F every winter and operates well.

Yes they loose wifi once a month but I bet if we hooked them up with POE they would not do that. I haven't had much trouble other then wifi (which affect any ip wifi camera). Obviously they are not on the optic quality standard as others but they did the job for a while.

This is just my opinion. Listen to the others that know better.

 

[J_Nebraska]

I have 3 Foscams and 2 Amcrests. Two of the Foscams have been running very reliably for about 3 years. One is newer and so-far, reliable as well. I've had 2 Amcrests for only a few months. One inside and one outside. Still no problems. All have been reliable. I haven't had to power-cycle any of them.

I don't know if people having problems here are having issues with their wifi or the cameras. Mine have been solid, but I also use business-grade wireless. Consumer-grade wireless equipment is too unreliable for me.

Regards.

 

[TomMas]

I'm new to the game and just got four Foscam FI9961EP, for $124 ea. These are 1080P HD 2MP PoE.
Using them with Blue Iris and loving it!!

 

[fenderman]

I'm new to the game and just got four Foscam FI9961EP, for $124 ea. These are 1080P HD 2MP PoE.
Using them with Blue Iris and loving it!!

foscam is garbage...lost of folks make that mistake due to fake amazon reviews and the general incompetence of amazon reviewers when it comes to ip cameras.

 

[TomMas]

It has a great picture and 2 year warranty. I think its great for my home at $124 ea.

 

[fenderman]

It has a great picture and 2 year warranty. I think its great for my home at $124 ea.

You think its great because you have never used anything else...two year warranty ha...last time they were sold via foscam digital technologies, they left all their customers hanging and reopend as amcrest. You will live and learn...trust me. In the future avoid dome cameras..there are lots of threads discussing the issues with them.

 

[TomMas]

You think its great because you have never used anything else...two year warranty ha...last time they were sold via foscam digital technologies, they left all their customers hanging and reopend as amcrest. You will live and learn...trust me. In the future avoid dome cameras..there are lots of threads discussing the issues with them.

True, I have never run anything else. I do support a marina that has 10 CCTV cams that are probably 15 years old.
The guide in the newbie section here was enlightening ;-)
Glad I found this community so my next purchase will be a better informed one!
Thank you!