• out of stock

Foscam C1 Lite IP Camera for $40, Free Shipping, from Foscam Australia

720

Used to be around the $100 mark, currently selling for $64 from Catch (https://www.catch.com.au/product/foscam-c1-lite-ip-security-…) or $58 from Mwave (https://www.mwave.com.au/product/foscam-c1-lite-10mp-wireles…), this is the cheapest I've seen these being sold for.

Note that this is the "Lite" version, so no night vision (ie no IR lights on it) but they do operate to quite low lux levels. They are also fixed ie not pan/tilt/zoom. It is also only 720p but the quality of the images from this little camera (when there's enough light) is impressive. Last year a neighbour who had recently bought some expensive security cameras saw the images from mine and was seriously pissed (they ended up returning theirs).

I personally have four of the things. Three of them are mounted outside, albeit in covered areas so protected from weather, and the other is inside the laundry and pointed at the back door. Yes, you can get cameras from the likes of Xiaomi for half the price, but this entry level Foscam basically comes with the lot - built in microphone & speaker, sets clock via ntp, save video and snapshots to ftp servers, motion detection, push alerts - and you don't need to go through Chinese cloud services or flash them with specific firmware and worry about firmware updates borking them. You can use their free web service to view video remotely, and optionally pay for the service to store video, or you can run them 'offline' without an issue. As a bonus, Foscam is widely supported by many third party systems - I was using mine linked into my Vera home automation server and have recently shifted over to Home Assistant. Have been using them for a couple of years now without an issue.

I'm tempted but personally won't be buying any more - if/when my cameras outside start to die due to bugs/spiders I'll probably replace them with the higher end Foscam cameras that are designed to be mounted outside - but if you're looking for something (relatively) cheap/cheerful then these are definitely worth considering.

Related Stores

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closed Comments

  • PoE ?

    • Nah. WiFi only, and standard micro usb for power.

      • Wifi 2.4g only ? or works on 5g band ?

        no ethernet port as per spec sheet ?

        • Correct. No ethernet port, wifi only. And yep 2.4ghz - would be nice if it ran on 5 as 2.4 is pretty busy in my area but they don't seem to care ie I've never noticed any dropouts. Personal experience only of course, so your experience may vary!

  • +22

    Great write up

    • +4

      Agreed, appreciate the effort OP. Always nice to hear from someone with personal experience with a product.

      • +1

        Thanks. I've also tried the Xiaomi cameras - have a Dafang in the garage and it's good but frankly the IQ from the Foscam is better. It's cool to be able to pan/tilt/zoom but to be honest after using it to freak the kids out initially I rarely do that now. It would be nice to have IR (I suspect maybe could use external IR leds) but it's not something that's really worried me that much as I have external motion activated lights anyhow. I would note that my DaFang every now and then just drops off the network and needs to be rebooted. I accidentally updated the firmware on my Xiaofang cube camera and ended up being locked to the Chinese cloud of mystery so I gave that away. My Foscam C1's just keep ticking. The only time one stopped working was when it fell off the ceiling because the velcro strip (yes, a quality installation by me) came loose.

        • +1

          " I would note that my DaFang every now and then just drops off the network and needs to be rebooted. "

          This is what has always put me off the DaFang. An unreliable security camera is just about useless. One of the few times I really needed my security cameras, the EoP adapter that serviced those two cameras had dropped off.

          "I suspect maybe could use external IR leds" I doubt it. Most non-IR cameras have IR cut filters, otherwise the color looks crap.

          "The only time one stopped working was when it fell off the ceiling because the velcro strip (yes, a quality installation by me) came loose." Was it the glue on the velcro that fail? That is what I have found. Velcro holds, not the glue.

        • +1

          @not a bargain: Correct on all fronts. Security cameras need to be reliable. Set and forget. IR - it would probably look crap although might be ok-ish if you removed the weird colour. My assumption though is they just didn't put in IR leds. Whatever the case is, I never bothered to even check. And yes, it was the glue combined with me being slack at the time and not properly cleaning the ceiling before sticking it up there in the first place. So the failure was definitely not the fault of either the velcro or the camera itself - it was all down to the space cowboy (ie me) who mounted it poorly to begin with! ;-)

  • +1

    How to you power the ones you have set up outside?

    • +12

      PoW (Power over Wifi)

      • +3

        jv is Nikolai Tesla

    • +1

      My house is relatively new (ten years old) and when we had it built we had power sockets installed on the ceilings outside - intent was for things like Christmas lights as well as cameras. If you have external lights, if they don't use standard power packs plugged into wall sockets (some do) then you can have a sparky adapt them to provide a socket to plug in the power pack. Ideally the power pack should not be inside the ceiling cavity as it may be deemed a potential fire risk - if you put a power supply in the ceiling I believe they should be 'plenum rated' (I'm sure there's someone out there who can confirm/deny this is the case). Whether or not it's the case, personally I've seen chargers fail and overheat so I wouldn't put one in the ceiling cavity where it could fail and not be noticed.

      • I think US and Canada have requirements on in-wall cabling, that's where the CL2 and plenum come into it. I don't think Australia has this. Of course, wall cabling is different to power in the roof.

        I went to the trouble of importing plenum speaker cable.. probably wasting my money, but I don't intend on moving house for 40 years or more, so it didn't bother me to waste another $100.

        • Yeah - I'm less concerned about what is/isn't legal versus what I personally feel is safe. It may not be illegal to whack a power pack in an enclosed space but I just personally would not do it.

    • +1

      You can get POE to micro usb adapters. Just run ethernet as normal then.

  • Is it encrypted (https)? also how do you get notifications & use 2-way audio? It might be handy for the front door.

    • Encrypted - yes. Can choose either http or https or both as well as select a unique port.

      Notifications can be via email, ftp, roll your own (eg if using a third party system) or you can use the foscam app. Can definitely use it for the front door (I have one there) - easiest way is via the foscam app which you just fire up and you can see the person. In the app you press the microphone button to hear, press and hold to talk to the person. You can tap the record button to manually record the video.

      • Perfect! Thanks. Xiaomi cams have been good, but you're right about the Firmware update pains.

        Can you select the sensitivity level of motion detect?

        • When setting motion detection, it brings up a 10*9 checkerboard - you just select the areas you want to monitor. You can also choose from five levels of sensitivity along with an interval setting from 5 to 15 seconds. You can also trigger by sound with five levels of sensitivity for that.

        • @PlasticSpaceman: sild! Thanks for your post & help!

  • So can I set this up with Home Automation and use my own cloud based or local storage to store video and send alerts?

    I'd rather not rely on a free subscription, and then the product reaches End of Life.

    • Yep. I have mine setup to store video and snapshots to my Qnap NAS when motion is detected. I have my alerts being sent to me via Vera - I've started to move to Home Assistant but it seems that I can do the same with that (eg https://community.home-assistant.io/t/foscam-easily-add-moti…). I already have setup alerts for various other sensors to come to me (I actually use a dedicated twitter feed), so plan to do the same with my cameras. I also use the Foscam service as it's quicker to get onto the app than starting up my vpn first to then see the cameras, but I can live just fine if it died tomorrow.

  • Does it work with QNAP Surveillance Station?
    The QNAp compatibility list mentions C1 but not the C1 Lite. Any idea?

    • No idea, sorry. I have a Qnap but never bothered with the Surveillance Station

    • +1

      Update - just tried it then, chose C1 and it appears to work.

  • Ahh I wish this was the Foscam C2 which has IR 1080P and Ethernet input

    • it will come down in time

    • Yeah, long shot at this price.

  • Cheers. Bought two.
    My old phones that I've been trying to use as IP cams keep failing so probably worth something a bit more reliable.

  • I work interstate most of the time. My home has CCTVs throughout the house externally. Always thought of getting some inside. Xiaomi products didn't quite sell to me but your review did and it mattered in a way based on your write up.

    Bought some thanks.

  • Thanks for your writeup. I've been wondering what to buy. Need about 4 'outdoorish' (external, but under a roof) no-hassle cameras that can store to a synology. And I know nothing on the subject. So I guess I need foscams (although I may get a more expensive version).

    • Yeah - if you can afford it, definitely go the higher end models. If outside, then outside rated models are definitely better even if they aren't directly exposed to the weather. The thing that will eventually kill inside cameras used outside is generally dust and insects, followed closely by moisture. I'd suggest getting maybe one to play with - make sure it works for you ie has all the features etc you want, then fork out for the other three.

  • Good write up!!

  • Thanks for the write up! Currently have a XiaoFang with FangHacks watching the front yard. I'll be moving that to the back and replacing it with this.

  • Nice find. I've got a C2 I was thinking of adapting for a front door camera too.
    How did you set it up to record to the NAS? Setting up an FTP server?
    I got a cheap hikvision NVR, but it doesn't play too nice with non-hikvision cameras (no-go with motion detection), so might have to record direct to NAS instead :\

    • My NAS runs an ftp server. If you have one that doesn't have that, then it's easy to setup something using (say) a 'pi.

  • Cheers for OP for the effort of review.

  • Thanks for a great write-up OP. Just bought one. I've thrown away a number of Xiaofang cube cameras because they were buggy junk on my network. Here's hoping that this will work better.

  • Have got these, really awesome camera, 40$ is a great price..

  • Great write up but I'm a little bamboozled since I'm very green to the whole security camera area. I've just built a new home and wouldn't mind just one camera at the front. Is this a good one to start with or should I be looking elsewhere?

    • You probably want something with IR (nightime vision) if it's going to be you're only camera.

    • Yeah, if you only want the one at the front I probably wouldn't bother. Maybe wait for a good deal on a Nest or a Netgear Arlo. Or possibly just get a "Ring" doobell.

  • Nice write up, good personal experience. Makes it a lot easier to buy when you feel you're reading a genuine review.

    I'll give one a go. I've got about 3-4 Xiaofang that are all currently unplugged and not being used. Too many issues experienced over that time. When they're great, they're great… But when they're not…. They're painful. I've tried the hacks too, but I was never successful. Just didn't spend enough time on it I guess.

    • +1

      Just didn't spend enough time on it I guess.

      Nah, I wasted TOO MUCH time on the 3-4 Xiaofangs that I'd bought. I had exactly the same experience as you. Threw all of mine away.

      • Mine have been near flawless (esp. for the price) but the initial setup was a total pain in the ass. The hacked firmware is really a must, the Mi Home app is garbage, but once you get a RTSP stream out of the camera you can integrate them with practically anything.

        • I'm glad that you've had a good experience. I dropped the hacked firmware onto all of them successfully. Pulled RTSP streams out, but they would continually drop out. Never got more than a minute or two before it dropped out.

          At the price, they're fantastic if they work. Just wasn't my experience.

        • @t3chshopper: Fair enough!

  • The Foscam works out of the box with qnap and synology surveillance station. I use them to detect motion and send me an email and upload a snippet to Dropbox at home

  • Security cameras are good and all, but what happens if someone goes straight to your main switchboard and turns off the power?

    Primarily thinking in terms of safety when not at home obviously.

    • +1

      You can buy padlocks from your electricity retailer for like $40. Or you can setup a UPS plus 4g router.

    • +1

      ….and the phone rings and OMG THEY'RE CALLING FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE! ;-)

      Well, the cameras will be saving the video to your local NAS or to the cloud. If you want, you can make sure everything is plugged into a UPS - with the cameras you can plug them into a battery power bank that is in turn plugged into normal mains power. In general however, if someone breaks into your house they probably won't bother turning the power off. They will enter through an unlocked door or smash a window with a rock or something else they find outside, ransack the house looking for cash and anything that they can sell easily, and be out of there in a few minutes. My cameras are less for recording who broke into the house and more for being able to visually check remotely if the doors are closed properly, see who is at the front door, etc.

    • +1

      Make sure power box is in field of view of camera?

  • Thanks OP. now I can finally see how long my dog sleeps, when I'm away.

    • Might be more effective to get a Mi Band and strap that to the dogs collar…. :-)

  • Awesome - bought one to try out

    Haven't had much fun with my Xiaomi cameras

  • Would love this but it seems really expensive to wire it up :(

    • Kinda always going to have that issue as cameras need power. An alternative might be a Netgear Arlo (but you need to replace batteries/recharge every now and then) or a Ring stick up camera with solar panel - but they aren't cheap….

      • What someone blocks out the sun?

        • Like Mr Burns? Probably will have other things to worry about then.

  • Product not found !? Am I too late ?

    • Yes. :( Bikies. :)

  • +1

    Maybe its not to be. I bought ~3hrs ago.
    Now paypal have issued a refund…nothing from foscam to say the order was cancelled.

    That's a bit disappointing

    • Same thing here. Pretty annoying.

      • Yep same here :(

    • Me too :(

  • seems someone forgot to keep up with the stock levels

  • Refund here too.

  • +2

    So seem to have sold out. Ah well. For those who missed out but still want one, have had a hunt and the next best deal is $49 at msy (http://www.msy.com.au/ip-cameras/18305-f-foscam-c1-lite-whit…) then $58 at mwave (https://www.mwave.com.au/product/foscam-c1-lite-10mp-wireles…). Yep, more than $40 but still not too bad.

  • Got the email… typical, blame Ozbargain! Very nice of them to apologise and give a 15% discount, old HN could learn a lesson from this

    Hello,

    Thank you so much for your order on our store.

    Unfortunately we have now sold out of these units due to unprecedented demand today as the special was posted on Oz Bargain.

    As the camera is now and end of line product, we will not be getting in new stock.

    We have processed a refund for your purchase and we have set up a 15% discount for use on any camera on our store as an apology. This is valid till 26/08/2018.

    • So they've put the code on their website - "15off" - which would make the C1 (as opposed to C1 Lite) with passive IR motion sensor as well as IR leds $76.50, or the FI9816P with PTZ for $93.50

  • Order cancelled too

    MSY have it for $49 - although stock is low in a lot of stores

    • +1

      Thanks. Just grabbed on at MSY for pickup to replace my refunded one here.

      • -1

        Got one too

        Pick up on the way home

  • So.. with the 15% off.. which one? Yikes, there are so many to choose from.

    • The next cheapest is the C1, but I'd probably go the F19816P as for around the same price it has PTZ (pan/tilt/zoom) as well as IR leds for night vision. If planning to use it outside, the FI9853EP would be good as it is waterproof as well as uses POE so you just need to run an ethernet cable to it….. After that it starts getting pretty expensive…..

      • Just tried to use the 15% off code, and "Warning: Coupon is either invalid, expired or reached it's usage limit!"

        • Works for me.

          POE sounds like a good idea. I think I'll go the FI9853EP.

          Shame that I think my switch only only has 2 modular bays that I'm not even sure can be equipped to have PoE. A real bummer because I bought it to be futureproof (24 port gigabit L2 & L3 fanless design).

        • @justtoreply:

          $114.02 delivered inc GST via amazon US ($113.63 via foscam) so I think I'll wait a bit for now

        • @justtoreply: Can always use a POE injector - basically a box that plugs into the ethernet port of your switch and the device plugs into that.

      • do the support 2-way audio? i cant see it mentioned

  • examples of said image quality?

  • Order cancelled too..and they blamed Oz B…

    • Same

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