Simple yes or no.
Indoor monitoring/baby cam.
Thanks,
Vic
There is no simple yes or no, because it depends on what you want to do with it.
Foscams are not on the official “works with smart things” list, so you cannot get full integration with them. But they are still a very popular camera and many community members use them.
How can you answer a simple yes or no when you have two different use cases? Also Foscam is a company not a product. Is like saying, is BWM right for me?
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Some other things to consider with regard to the baby monitor.
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two way audio. Many parents find it is helpful to have two way audio so that they can talk to the baby over the monitor. This is a standard feature in most baby monitors, but not all cameras.
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it is important to understand that the SmartThings platform only supports video for the smart home monitor security feature, and that only works with the officially compatible camera types. For any other camera, you will just get screen grabs, not video.
This is why I said it depends on exactly what you want to use it for. For some people, screen grabs are enough for indoor monitoring. But other people want a live video stream.
Most people would not use SmartThings for a baby monitor.
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All of my Foscam camera’s have 2 way audio. There are several IP camera apps which support the 2 way audio.
I totally agree. The stand alone apps work better.
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Yes, with a not-SmartThings app.
I love my Blinks. Can be used with ST and app. Not sure if good for a baby monitor or not.
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Don’t have the blink myself but I was looking into it. The reason i nixed it as an option is because the led would come on if used to monitor at night. Nogo for me
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I believe long periods of streaming also kill the Blink’s battery.
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Foscams are great for baby monitors…but trying to use it through ST would be clunky at best. You are better off using TinyCam (android app) or Live Cam Pro (IOS equivalent from same company). It offers a bunch of options that including background audio with screen off. Been using it for 3 years now…works perfectly and can be used when you transition the camera for other uses after babycam is no longer needed.
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There are only Dlink and Samsung camera official support…
Over all integration. I read dlink had issues also and foscam are good over all…
I just wanted confirmation.
This is good to know…
Do with rboy device type and smart app I will not get live stream?
I could also use foscam app to monitor baby when needed.
I see Battery would be an issue over time
I’m guess I do could local storage on a NAS. What would you recommend for PTZ?
That would depend on what u need. I have the 8910W, 9826 and the C2. All are great for different reasons. If its just for a baby monitor and resolution is not a requirement, then the 8910W or an equivalent should be fine. Cheap, has PTZ, IR, 2way audio, uses Mjpeg so its compatible with SmartTiles, etc. If you use any foscam with Tinycam, you can configure it to store locally on a NAS or in their cloud. I cant speak for their cloud solution because its in beta and I haven’t used it myself but at least its an option. The NAS storage works great with my Qnap.
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What about foscam FI9816P? This looks like a budget solution with 720p
I am using the foscam c1 with @RBoy device handler. The device handler is great for motion alerts (along with the smartapp) and offers fairly good control over the camera. Seeing the stream depends on how you set it up. I personally have Ivideon server setup on a local pc and the camera video feed is connected to it. So I can see live streams using the Ivideon app on my phone or PC and the video archive is stored locally. I also use megasync to sync the video files in real time to online storage so I don’t loose any data.
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No live stream on the ST app?
Very unreliable live stream for Foscam’s since it isn’t officially supported. Also no squelch setting like in full feature ip camera and baby camera apps. We’ve used Baby Monitor on iOS for almost 2 years and have been very happy with it. Same devs as tiny cam I believe.
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