I understand you want to view your Foscam remotely, that is one of the reasons you’ve purchased the camera in the first place. Before we get started, we will give your camera a static IP address on the network. In order to do this, we will use the setup disc that came with the camera, if you don’t have a setup disc then you may download the IP Camera Tool from Foscam. Once you open the config utility, the software should find your camera on the network automatically. Right click on your camera and go to network configuration as shown below.
Your camera should already have an IP address configured in the network connection section. Uncheck Obtain IP from DHCP server, type in your custom ip and port (you can leave the IP if it is automatically filled in). Be sure to choose a custom port within the 2000 range or 8000 range. Enter your default camera admin username and password and hit save. Now your camera will have an unchanging (static) IP address on your network as well as a custom port. Besides changing the static IP address and port this way, you may also type the given IP into a web browser which will allow you to change it using the camera’s admin panel. It is a good idea to also change your default camera password at this time. When accessing the admin panel via a web browser, be sure to also type in your port along with the IP address as shown below otherwise it will not work.
Now you will have to point your internet provider’s IP address to the internal camera IP that we just set. This is known as port forwarding. This will allow you to forward requests from the outside world (internet) to your internal network (intranet). To put it simply, we will use port forwarding to accomplish this.
Foscam Port Forwarding Tips
First, we will need our router’s admin panel IP address, this is typically located in the manual that your router came with. Some manufcaturers will also print it underneath or on the rear of the router itself. The most common admin panel IP addressses are set to the following by router manufacturers. You can contact the manufacturer or simply Google it if you don’t know it.
- 192.168.1.1
- 192.168.10.1
You may also need the factory default username and password to login. This can also be found on the manual or simply Googling for it. If someone had changed your initial password and username, you may have to hard reset the router or find out from the person who setup the network.
Once you have the router’s address and credentials to login, simply type it into any web browser and login.
Locating the Port Forwarding Section on Your Router
Locating the port forwarding section on your router’s admin panel will vary between different manufacturers. However, once you know it is the port forwarding section that you are looking for, it shouldn’t take too long to find it. I have a PfSense router so my port forwarding section may be very different from yours. If you have a Linksys router or some of the other popular models, I will post a few screenshots of their port forwarding sections below.
Linksys Router – Port Forwarding Guide
Here is a sample port forwarding section for Linksys routers, both internal and external ports are set to our foscam camera port that we set earlier. We have also entered our foscam camera’s internal network ip in the next column.
If you noticed from the network configuration image above, my camera’s internal network port is set to 8090. You can set it to any port that you want that is not commonly used, I typically choose something in the 2000-8000 range. As I mentioned earlier, the port setting in the camera is located in the camera’s admin panel. You want to set the camera port the same as the forwarding port on the router. I am using an old FI8910W camera so this interface is dated but the idea is the same.
Netgear Router – Port Forwarding Guide
Now that you have an idea on how to do port forwarding, I will post a link to Netgear port forwarding steps. It should be pretty similar to the Linksys one above. Here is the noip.com guide to netgear router port forwarding.
Now that we have our assigned port open to the world, we can finally communicate with our Foscam from anywhere in the world!
But was it that simple? not yet! here is the tricky part – Our Internet service provider can change our IP address anytime thus breaking our communication with the Foscam. That’s where Dynamic DNS comes into play!
Foscam Dynamic DNS Configuration – Tracking Dynamic IP Addresses
If you are a typical home user then your ip address is assigned dynamically from an internet service provider. That is assuming you are not paying extra for any static IP services, if you are, then you may skip this step. Unlike static IP’s, Dynamic IP’s can change from time to time which makes it difficult for our Foscam to establish a constant presence on the internet. Here is an analogy to better understand this: (think of it as when you change your mailing address but your mail is not automatically forwarded to your new address). So we will need a way to track this change from your Internet service provider (ISP) and forward your internet requests to the appropriate IP address. There are a lot of free services out there that can do this, here are a few to list.
- dnsdynamic.org
- Afraid.org
- noip.com
- Foscam’s Own Built-in Service
By using one of these services, you will never have to worry about your ISP changing the IP address as these changes are automatically tracked by the Dynamic DNS provider. You will simply have to know the address (URL) and camera credentials to make a Foscam connection.
Are We Done? not yet! There is still one more important step!
Now let’s head over to our Foscam camera’s admin panel. We will need to setup a service that tells the Dynamic DNS provider when our Internet Service Provider (ISP) changes our IP address without warning. Luckily, there is a Dynamic DNS service built into our Foscam software that does just that. Here is how you configure it or you may go with a custom service from the list above. The only difference between Foscam’s own DDNS service and a custom one is that you can pick an easier to remember address to your camera. Just be sure to select your third party DDNS from the drop down list and type in the address provided to you by your third party DDNS provider.
View Foscam Cameras Remotely – Foscam Android & IOS Apps
Once you have port forwarding & Dynamic DNS configured, you are pretty much done with the hard part. You can grab any camera app from either the Play Store (Android Phones) or Apple Store (Apple IPhone’s) and type in the configuration and you should be able to make the connection. Here is a sample config screen from my own phone. I have a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge & I am using the “for FosCam” app.
If you are interested in purchasing a variety of Foscam IP cameras, here are some of my best suggestions in every usage case. These will include the best indoor cameras as well as outdoor – weatherproof cameras.
I’ve tried to simplify this article as much as possible, If you found it helpful please let me know in a comment below. You may also subscribe below, See you on the next one!
