With the C5M 3K, Foscam brings an indoor surveillance camera (best list) that not only offers a high resolution of 3072 × 1728 pixels, but also records videos at up to 25 fps. Compared to variants with 15 fps, the higher frame rate ensures a clearer display, especially for fast-moving objects. The Foscam surveillance camera stores videos on a microSD card, which can be up to 256 GB in size, but is not included in the scope of delivery. There is also an optional paid cloud subscription that stores recordings in the cloud for up to seven days for 35 euros per year and extends the standard recognition of people and pets to vehicles and packages. Thanks to Onvif support (guide), the camera can also be controlled with third-party solutions such as Synology Surveillance Station (guide) and integrated into compatible smart home centers (best list) such as Home Assistant (test report) or Homey Pro (test report). The Foscam C5M 3K can connect to your home router via a 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz WiFi network or via Ethernet.
Highlights from the Foscam C5M 3K test
5 MP resolution with 25 fps noise detection & intercom function (baby monitor) person and pet recognition, expandable with cloud subscription to packages and vehicles local storage on microSD card with up to 256 GB capacity clear and easy-to-use app compatible with third-party manufacturers Solutions like Synology Surveillance Station and smart home centers like Home Assistant or Homey Pro
Scope of delivery, commissioning & assembly
The Foscam C5M 3K, which weighs 102 grams, comes with a USB-C cable, power supply and a bracket with screws and dowels for mounting. Thanks to a rubberized base, it can be securely held on flat surfaces even without screws. Equipped with two joints, the camera holder can also be mounted on a wall. Since you can reverse the camera image using software, it can also be mounted on a ceiling. And last but not least, the camera also sticks to surfaces such as the side wall of a refrigerator using the magnetic base (see picture gallery).
A quick guide in German for assembling and installing the surveillance camera is also included in the scope of delivery. With a height of 12 cm and a width and depth of 7 cm each, the well-made Foscam surveillance camera is relatively compact. Our Top 7 list of the best offers even smaller models: The best small surveillance cameras in the test – baby monitor included.
Commissioning takes place using the Foscam app, which is available for iOS and Android and requires registration via email address. Alternatively, users can also use the desktop application Foscam VMS for setup, which allows commissioning with a local account and is available for Windows and macOS. To pair it with your home router, scan the QR code on the back of the camera and follow the wizard-assisted setup. The picture gallery shows further details about commissioning.
Operation and configuration
The Foscam app shows a preview image of the live stream on the homepage. If you press the play symbol, the live stream is activated. In the test, this is available quickly both with a WLAN connection and via Ethernet. If you also want to output the live stream on a smart display (guide) such as Echo Show or Google Nest Hub, you must have the appropriate integration Alexa or Google Assistant in the app at Account activate.
To use a microSD card as storage, you must first format it with FAT32. Unfortunately, the app cannot do this, so it will not recognize a microSD card that has been formatted with a different file system.
Motion detection, notifications, privacy mask & intercom function
Motion detection can be limited to people and/or pets. This reduces false alarms caused by other moving objects. If you also value package and vehicle recognition, you will have to take out a paid subscription. But for use as an indoor camera, the detection of people and pets should be sufficient for most users.
If false alarms occur despite activated person detection, users can do so under Alarm settings adjust the sensitivity of the motion detection and define a detection area. For a GDPR-compliant operation you can go to: Settings – privacy mask Configure areas of the image that will be automatically blacked out during capture. This is necessary, for example, if the surveillance camera is aimed at someone else’s property or public area. However, this should only rarely happen with an indoor surveillance camera.
Notifications are sent promptly via push to smartphone or tablet. It is also possible to receive alarm notifications by email and configure an FTP upload for recordings. However, this is only possible with the desktop application Foscam VMS (see also image gallery). Unfortunately, the Foscam C5M 3K does not support access via browser, but you can access the camera’s microSD card and download images and videos using an FTP client such as Filezilla (Heise Download).
The intercom function worked perfectly in the test, as did the noise detection. This means you can also use the Foscam C5M 3K as a baby monitor. The language is easy to understand on both sides. However, the sound distorts a bit at full volume.
Otherwise, operating the Foscam C5M 3K with the app is easy thanks to the clear menus. However, the manufacturer could have put a little more effort into the translation: Port with Harbor Translating doesn’t quite cover the matter Settings with Frame not either.
The playback function also offers potential for improvement. The list of events cannot be filtered and, unlike playlist notifications, pet detection is not marked accordingly, while person detection is. And downloading videos to the microSD card is also a bit complicated on Android. Instead of loading the videos directly into the Photos app, as happens with the iOS app, they are first saved in the app Account – Recordings saved. Only when you go there again Download click, the recordings appear under the standard gallery app.
How good is the image quality of the Foscam CM5 3K?
Thanks to Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) support, there is nothing wrong with the image quality in difficult lighting conditions, such as backlighting. On the contrary: the daytime photos are very detailed. In the dark, the black and white photos based on the infrared LEDs are also convincing, even if, as usual, they lack some detail (see also the picture gallery).
Which smart home platforms does the Foscam CM5 3K support?
The Foscam CM5 3K officially supports Google Home and Amazon Alexa. This means that users can not only control the surveillance camera by voice, but also view the live stream on a smart display (guide) such as Echo Show. This works perfectly in the test: The live stream is not only immediately available on the Echo Show, but also appears almost in real time without any delay.
The integration with Home Assistant (test report) also provides access to the live stream and the camera’s motion sensor. This means that users can also use the Foscam CM5 for automation, for example to set up a comprehensive alarm system. With Homey Pro, users have to forego the live stream and instead only receive a still image of the last event.
How much does the Foscam C5M 3K cost? Are there alternatives?
Foscam regularly sells the C5M 3K for 55 euros. It is available in stores for under 50 euros (price comparison). That’s a fair price for an Onvif-compatible, high-resolution surveillance camera. The TP-Link Tapo C225 (test report), which is also Onvif-compatible, is a little more expensive and although it has a slightly lower resolution of 2560 × 1440 pixels, it monitors a significantly larger area thanks to PTZ mechanics and auto-tracking. A cheaper baby monitor alternative is the Annke Crater 2, which costs 30 euros (test report). However, it does not offer Onvif support and therefore cannot be integrated into smart home centers or controlled with third-party solutions such as Synology Surveillance Station.
We show further alternatives from our best list in the following table.
Conclusion
The Foscam C5M 3K surveillance camera intended for indoor use impressed in the test with good image quality, which, thanks to WDR support, does not decrease even in backlight. The C5M 3K sends notifications promptly not only via push, but optionally also via email. Uploading the last recording to an FTP server is also possible. The live stream is not only available quickly in the app, but also on a smart display such as the Amazon Echo Show. And false alarms are practically impossible thanks to person and animal detection. In any case, we didn’t register any in the test. And thanks to the intercom function and noise detection, the camera is also suitable as a baby monitor.
It is also positive that, thanks to Onvif support, users can control the Foscam C5M 3K locally with third-party solutions such as Synology Surveillance Station and integrate it into smart home centers such as Home Assistant. Not every camera has this to offer, especially at a price of less than 50 euros (price comparison). On the plus side are the flexible mounting options, with which you can mount the Foscam C5M 3K on a wall, ceiling or a flat surface. Thanks to the magnetic base, it “sticks” to refrigerators. Overall, the Foscam C5M 3K is highly recommended.
But there is also criticism. However, this affects less the camera and more the app. The German translation is not free of errors and downloading videos on Android is a bit complicated.