Foscam FI9900P Outdoor 1080p HD Wireless IP Bullet Camera Review

TweakTown's Rating: 88%

The Bottom Line

Foscam's FI9900p is one of the best when it comes to build quality, ease of setup, and image clarity. Adding to this, Foscam has deployed a solution to view your camera on nearly every platform including iOS, Android and Windows.

12

Foscam has been producing IP camera solutions for nearly eight years and as of late have been making a big push into the consumer IP camera market. In the past few months, we have seen many of these solutions come through the lab including the C1 and FI9821P.

The latest solution to hit our bench is the FI9900P, a bullet type camera that is intended to be used outdoors with full HD capabilities and IP66 certification. This solution houses a 1/3" CMOS sensor that enables a 2.0-megapixel resolution at 1920 x 1080 with a maximum frame rate of 30fps. The IR Cut filter enables night vision with a viewing distance of 65 feet while connectivity is available via either wired Ethernet or 802.11n wireless. H.264 is used in the video stream with multi-stream capabilities while supported browsers include IE8+, Chrome, and Safari. Operating system support includes Windows 7+, OS X along with Android and iOS.

MSRP of the Foscam FI9900P is set at $149.99 with a two-year warranty.

12

Packaging for the camera lists features on the left side of the box with an image of the camera on the right. The model number is placed at the top right.

12

The backside of the packaging gives a few more detailed features including its HD resolution, two-way audio support, and night vision.

12

Above, we have the accessories for this camera which include the wireless antenna and screw kit for installation.

12

Taking our first look at the camera, I noticed this solution differs from the standard plastic cameras I have seen in the past. The quality is much nicer, and it does have a complete metal exterior.

12

Here we have a look at the lens of the camera and the 30 IR LEDs that enable the 65ft Night Vision.

12

Attached to the back of the housing is the antenna connection.

12

All of the connections for this camera are included in breakout cables. Connections include power, two-way audio, reset, and Ethernet.

12

With this being the third Foscam solution that has come through, the process to setup these cameras is one of the easiest I have used. To get things started, you simply scan the QR code on the base of your camera.

12

The camera then asks for the password of the network your phone is on, so it is worthwhile to make sure you are connected to a solid network before starting setup.

12

After setup is complete which takes only minutes, you get to check out and adjust your camera. As you can see all of the controls for the camera are below.

As I mentioned above, this is the third Foscam solution I have seen in the last few months, but it is probably my favorite above all others. While I have seen some pretty nice PTZ solutions as well, the IP66 certification and metal structure of this camera offer a build quality I had yet to see. Like previous Foscam solutions, the FI9900P was easy to setup thanks to the superb app on iOS while on the other hand the included software for PC wasn't very friendly and actually crashed every time I tried to view a camera. Luckily there are third-party solutions out there these cameras work with flawlessly.

The image quality of this solution over wireless, which is how I set it up, was superb. This is due to the Ambarella chipset that allows this camera to offer high image quality with low bit rate, making wireless streaming possible without dropped and stuttering frames. For those of you that still want the security that a wired solution can offer, Foscam does give you access to an Ethernet port and for those that want an even simpler install, a PoE (power over Ethernet) version of this camera is available as well.

Overall, the Foscam FI9900P is my new favorite outdoor IP camera, and while it does carry a hefty price tag, it has the potential to outmuscle more well-known brand solutions that cost much more.

Tyler's Test System Specifications

• Motherboard: ASUS Z97-A - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• CPU: Intel Core i7 4770K - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• Memory: Patriot Viper 3 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3 1600 - Buy from Amazon
• Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• Storage: Intel 730 480GB - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• Case: Corsair Obsidian 750D - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower 750W - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• OS: Microsoft Windows 10 - Buy from Amazon