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Foscam Safari plugin and macOS Sierra, High Sierra and Mojave

foscam-logoI’ve had two Foscam security cameras (model FI9805W) for a few years, and I’ve been able to view their image and adjust their settings with no problems using the official plugin in Safari, which worked fine on Sierra too.
However, I recently purchased a third camera (model FI9828P V2), and its plugin didn’t work with macOS Sierra.

Thankfully, I stumbled upon a post in the Foscam forums that provided a working version of the plugin. I took the liberty of uploading to my blog as well, you can download it from here (here you can find an older version).

UPDATE for macOS High Sierra

The plugin still works with macOS High Sierra, but I found a newer version that works with more cameras, including the FI9851P V3 which I recently purchased.

UPDATE for Safari 12 and macOS Mojave

Foscam has published a new, different kind of plugin that works with Safari 12 and macOS Mojave. Newer firmwares for newer cameras link to this plugin (my FI9900EP does, for example) when trying to access their web UI from Safari. Their SSL certificate is broken but other than that the plugin installs and works just fine. Again, I’m mirroring the installer here for posterity.

Alternative solution for Safari 12 and macOS Mojave

Foscam’s VMS app works fine, is a native Mac app and seems to have most of the features the web UI had (for example PTZ controls on my FI9828P V2 seem to be missing/not functional, I’ll have to investigate further on that).

  1. Install the app
  2. Launch it
  3. Login as admin with no password
  4. Add your cameras
  5. Enjoy!

I took the liberty to mirror the app here on my blog, in case it should no longer be available from Foscam in the future.

120 replies on “Foscam Safari plugin and macOS Sierra, High Sierra and Mojave”

Thank you, really appreciate it! Helped right away. Did not work with regular plugins. Thanks!

Thank you Thank you, yes that certainly did the trick! I have been spending hours trying to track the proper plugin! I hate doing upgrades, it takes forever to get it smoothed out. However I am back in the saddle again. Thanks again

This is fantastic… I don’t know how you managed to find it, since I’ve spent so much time searching around the horribly convoluted and mis-represented multiple “foscam” websites / support forums. I found nothing but old plugins and a promise from a couple years ago to update the software to work better with multiple browsers including Chrome which is also broken and still not working. I was just about to give up on the Foscam cameras we have and find a new brand to start over with. Still plan to do that soon, but at least now my cameras are visible again!

Firmware is another issue for another time.

Thank you!

I spent easily 2 hours last night trying to get Safari working again with my Foscam to the point I almost bought software. I don’t know why Foscam doesn’t have this posted on their site!

I think I did uninstall the old version before installing the new one, you can find it in /Library/Internet Plug-Ins: it’s the bundle named fsIPCamReg.bundle.
Quit Safari, delete it, and you’re all set.

Big help Thanks for your time. Worked for me after several attempts with the old plugin I could not find anymore?

Thank you! Worked perfectly! I have tried many, many, many things and had resorted to using an old computer that wasn’t yet upgraded. Maybe you should submit to Foscam and have them get it on their site somewhere!

Just spent over 24 hours going round in circles, deleting and reloading he plugin, failed every time.
Yours worked, just like that, magic! Life saver! Thanks

After upgrading to Sierra 10.12.4 some of my Foscam cameras are again requesting plug-ins installed. Tried re-installing the plug-in you provided (thanks!) but still no connection. Any ideas please?

Hi. I’m not having any luck. The Foscam software eventually times out on “loading”. Using Sierra 10.12.4. Have deleted old plug ins and installed the ones recommended above. Third party software accesses the cameras (a C1 and R2) perfectly, just can’t log into the cameras web software.

How is this suppose to work? As I unzip the downloaded file, it contains an exe file.
How can I install this on a Mac?

If you download this zip file and the unzip it, you will find a .pkg inside it. Just close Safari, open the .pkg and install it, then reopen Safari.

Muchas gracias me ha sido de mucha utilidad ya puedo acceder a las cámaras.

saludos desde Barcelona
Jordi

Hi, I have a Foscam R2 and when I try to use the foscam software it just times out. Im using Sierra 10.12.4 with Safari 10.1. It works on my laptop but that is running El Capitan 10.11.6 with safari 10.0.3, I have tried the plugins form this page. But still does not work. Any help would be great..Thanks

For anyone having issues getting this to work, make sure you manually refresh your window. This may then force the certificate challenge window which allows you to “continue” and log in. Hope that makes sense.

I was having lots of problems with my FI9821W V2 using Mac Sierra 10.12.5. Finally emailed Foscam; they told me to download the driver that is up now, 3.3.0.32.

That seemed to take care of my problems. Camera works fine now.

I have struggled with this darn plug-in issue for a while.
Tried many of the various recommended solutions and none worked.
This worked like a charm though.

Thanks a lot!

Thank you very much, I solved my problem with the plugin you linked above. Now my foscam works fine.

With the plugin upgrade, I can now see the video, but if I select the Settings tab it just hangs on “Loading…” so I cannot upgrade the firmware with the important security fix.

After using plug in I cannot see video nor can I do anything in the settings. As Frank above wrote, my setting panel just hangs.

Hi, I downloaded the plug in, where is it saved on my computer? I can’t find it

It should be in your downloads folder, you just need to install it bi double clicking on it, then restart Safari.

strange. for me using your plugin or the one from foscam downloads. it runs the installation process. but no fsIPCamReg.bundle appears? im loosing the will to live with these R2 Cameras now

Thanks for the help! I am however having an issue when I log in, there is no video, its just black. I have verified that the video feed is good on 2 other devices, iPhone and PC. Any ideas?

I am having same issue with foscam NVR. It uses different plugin named fsnvrPlugin.bundle

Does anyone know where I can get that file?

I have an Ambient HD3 weathercam that I had installed on my Mac. I recently tried to access the camera but was unable to. When I get to the login page, it says the plugins are not installed. They were before and everything was working. When I attempt to re-download the plugins it says my security settings won’t open from an unidentified developer. If I go to my security settings it only gives me the option to open from the App store, or the App store and identified developers. There is an option to open plugins anyway. When I do that it runs the installation successfully. However, when I go back to login, it still says that the plugins are not installed.

Worked flawlessly on High Sierra 10.13.4 and the latest Safari 11.1

Thanks Luca, much appreciated!

Ciao, another Luca 😉

BTW, if anyone finds that their Foscam page just hangs on login, once you’ve clicked ‘Login’, start scrolling with your mouse (or swiping down with 2 fingers on the trackpad) and just keep scrolling and the page should load. This trick seems to work for me whenever the Foscam pages hang!

Hi. Thank you, because it’s true that with Mojave it’s broken. I’m looking for a solution since couple of weeks without success….

Hi Luca

Myfoscam.com just stopped working for me a couple of days ago.
The error is “Please click me to install plugin(Now we don’t support IE(64))”.
The link downloads an exe file which is useless for me because I’m running Safari 11.1.2 on macOS High Sierra 10.13.6.
Any idea how to fix this? I tried deleting the bundle and installing the 3.3.0.32 plugin but it still does not work.

I have a Foscam F19828W PTZ camera wired. I see the camera on the equipment search tool but when I try to load it with a double click it tells me Plug in not found . I downloaded the Patch you posted but as soon as I hit the search tool it goes to Safari and camera page and the message is still on the log in page. ? I am running Mac OS High Seirra 10.13.6. stumped as to what to try next and how do I stop Safari from loading as soon as I double click on the equipment Search tool. I can find it with VMS software but that is limited capability JUST STUMPED hope you can help . I did get it to show me the camera a couple of times.

Hi Ralph,
I don’t understand what you need the equipment search tool for.
If you go to the camera’s IP address in Safari does it work?

The latest Safari now blocks 3rd party plugins which are not approved by Apple.

I updated the post with an alternative solution, using Foscam’s VMS Mac app.

VMS is very buggy on Mojave 10.14.1. The latest version I could find is V0.3.1 (65) from 2015 !! Is there any hope it will be updated? Or is Foscam just not interested in the mac market and I should just accept thqt?

Thanks

Safari came out today with a new Version 12.0 (13606.2.11). And now it’s telling me Plugins are not allowed click to download. I did so and it still giving me the same message.

I updated the post with an alternative solution, using Foscam’s VMS Mac app.

Anybody know of a workaround for the 3rd party plugin Safari bock? I cant even get Chrome to work now on OSX…

I updated the post with an alternative solution, using Foscam’s VMS Mac app.

I updated the post with an alternative solution, using Foscam’s VMS Mac app.

I updated the post with an alternative solution, using Foscam’s VMS Mac app.

Tried the VMS app and got it linked to my cameras via my ddns. Doesn’t seem to be the capability to set zones for motion alarm, or I can’t locate it. Anyone know where it is?

In addition, this viewer lacks access to most of the other settings that were accessible via Safari, e.g. mail settings for sending alarm alerts, ddns settings, basically all the stuff that makes these cameras usable for security — the current settings cannot be changed from this point forward without access to the camera GUI. The various iphone apps also have incomplete settings access, although better than this viewer. This all constitutes a real problem, substantially reducing the usability of Foscam HD cameras. So far, Foscam technical support has only directed me to outdated OS Sierra plug-ins from September 2016 and info on how to open third party downloads in the OS security settings (which isn’t the problem in the first place).

Right click on the camera name in the device list on the right hand side of the screen. They are all there 🙂

There is a firmware upgrade for R2 cameras (1.11.1.13_2.71.1.64) that can be upgraded via the Foscam phone app. Once this upgrade is installed, if you then try to log in to the camera with Safari, you will again see the “download plugins” message/link. Click the link and install the package, after which you will no longer see any such messages, and you will be able to log in with Safari, and control/manage the camera as usual.

I received the tip about the firmware upgrade from [email protected]. I went ahead and tried it on one of my R2E cameras and it worked fine.

Thank you, the same link was available on my FI9900EP on the latest firmware! I’m updating this post right now.

Hello! I updated my foscam cam to the last firmware and now I can access to it using Safari but I noticed that “Playback tab” is missing. Do you have any suggestion?
Thank you, Stefano

Same here, actually. Maybe Foscam’s VMS app can still do that for you?

Hello,

Not only Playback missing, but several menus are not working in configuration page anymore. For example :
– I can’t set the Motion Detection zones
– I can’t upload a firmware file directly(no Upload/Browse button available, I have to put the file in a specific directly on disk)

But the main problem is the missing playback page. And I don’t see any Playback option in FoscamVMS.

Regards,
Mike

Hi Luca,

thanks for your helpings with these stupid foscam plugins. I have two ptz cams (FI9828P V2 and FI9831W) and a stable cam (FI9805W). The new plugin doesn’t work for all of them. Yes I know, you wrote, it is for newer models.

My problem with the FI9828P V2 and the VMS app is, that it doesn’t have a possibility to adjust the focus of the cam. Just the zoom but not the focus. Is there another way to adjust it with my Mac?

If you zoom out all the way (or in) and keep going, it should autofocus once again.

Yeah, that’s the normal way but autofocus from my cam doesn’t work right. After zooming it’s not sharp and I have to manual adjust the focus.

VMS works for me thanks for that link but most the options I need don’t work in VMS so I have to get my Safari plug in working. IT looks like there is no way to install the plugin in Chrome or Firefox for mac either. I’m stuck using parallels to open the foscam web page in IE via a VM.

Hi Miked, what options do you need? Have you tried right-clicking on the video image and going into the settings?
I haven’t found anything missing to be honest, including DDNS, colour adjustment, motion area setting. All there. Happy days again

I think he believes to acces the memory card on the cam…
-neither can I
As it is now, it saves recordings on computer.

Hi Luca,
I still have problems with my Foscam FI9805W
When I try to open the IP Camera Tool app, I got the message “Plugins are not found. Click me to download” I tried to download plugin 3.3.0.32.pkg (and many others) but nothing works.
I am using Safari 12.0 and MacOS 10.13 High Siera
Do I have to uninstall plugins and when so, which ones
Please advise what to do. I am a bit desperate!

Foscam VMS is barely usable: all video are recorder in this .vms format, that you can’t read on anything else but FoscamVMS… making it useless for any kind of security purpose. Plus, you can’t change the recording path… it’s blocked. As the plugs in will not work anymore with the latest safari, I’m gonna advise everybody, including all my clients, to move from Foscam to another brand. As my boss found out this situation, he decided to remove all foscam cameras we got on site… and back to D-Link system. They’re a little more expensive, but we’ll never have to worry about updates again.

I have the Foscam C1 and ran the installer for the new “plug-in” but it doesn’t seem to work on Safari 12. As I understand it, Safari 12.0 completely eliminates plug-ins and extensions…all for your “security”. It’s so secure we can’t even view our own security cameras! Thanks, Apple!

I can use Foscam VMS, however without the web access I cannot figure out how to access the camera’s configuration to make changes.

Agree with the previous poster; need to just ditch this camera and go with one that has proper support.

Well…. any WiFi with PTZ cameras @ 1080p that looks nice and have proper browser support, all for around 120eur ? ….

this Foscam in conjunction with Apple and Safari is sooo bullshit. It does not work …. Don’t buy the Foscam Shit!

I could find no way to access the original web interface of my Foscam FI9821W 2.1 on MacOS High Sierra or Mojave (Safari was supposed to be the only working browser, but not for me).

The only way I could access the camera at this time is by doing the following *on a Win10 machine* (the firmware upload might work from Mac OS):
– Reset the camera to factory settings (I had a nonstandard username and a long password and it messed with the upgrade tool) by pressing the reset button for 5 seconds
– With the standard username and password (“admin”/””) upgrade the camera firmware and web app to the latest version using the IP Camera Tool
– Use Internet Explorer (yeah, I know) to load the IP camera’s web interface, click the link and install the plugins
– Restart IE and use it to successfully access the web interface

I’m only using this procedure to configure the camera, such as setting usernames, passwords and motion detection settings. After configuring the camera, I have set it up with Synology’s Surveillance Station 8 (it’s much more conveniente, and works fine).

Hi Roberto,
I have a few Foscam models I can try your app with:

  • FI9805W
  • C2
  • FI9828P V2
  • FI9900EP
  • FI9851P

If you’d like, you can send me a redeem code at luca @ luca zorzi . net

Thanks!

My app works with

FI9816P V2
FI9816P V3
FI9828P V2
FI9831P V2
FI9805W
FI9851P
FI9900EP
C2

Dont’t works with

i8904

if you have a Apple computer and a different model of IP Camera send me an email and i send you a promo code for testing.

Hi Roberto,

I have
(1) r4
(1) z2
(2) fi9826

I am ready to try your app as nothing else works well and foscam has become way more trouble than they are worth. If only I knew before I bought them …

Grazie

Not working on Safari 12 and moJave.

I have multiple Foscam cameras,

This particular camera FI9821P V2 is already on the latest 2.21.2.31_p1 firmware

I need the advanced settings which is only available from the browser

I am running Mojave with Safari 12.01. I have tried all the available plugins I can find and though the packages claim they are installed, nothing works. I have looked in the library and there are no internet plugins at all. There is also no place in Safari “website” tab under preferences to “allow plug-ins”. Is there a way to get around this? This has gotten way more than frustrating!

Same for me Pat. I am on Mojave 10.14.2
I have tried all the solutions provided here. The Mojave plugin Luca mirrored, or the newest on Foscams website, it is all not working. I took out fsIPCamReg.bundle from library/internet Plug-Ins and saw that all those installers do not install anything in here. Changing location for the installation on my external disk, it installed those two files

FosIPCCore
FosIPCCoreManager

(no extension, system says they are exectutable unix files) and it created a “usr” folder on that drive and stored those unix files inside it in “local/bin” folder. I tried moving those files into library internet plugin folder, but to no effect. My camera login page still expects a plugin to be installed and does not log in to the camera.

I would be fine with FoscamVMS software, if it would be working properly. It does show the feed and basic controls, but “Setting” brings up an empty black window, so I am still not able to do any settings on the cameras.

The plugins don’t work in Mojave with Safari 12.0.1, I try use the FoscamVMS the app running and detect the cameras, but when try to connect gave timeout error.

I installed in macOS High Sierra and the FoscamVMS works and the Safari plugin 3.3.0.32 too.

At moment look there is not any tool for Mojave

This is for MacOS Mojave, running latest Safari and for camera Foscam R2C. Tried everything and didn’t work until:

Downloaded the latest firmware and plugins from Foscom site:
https://www.foscam.com/downloads/app_software.html

Install plugin.
Using Equipment Search Tool, right-click to Upgrade Firmware to latest. And then restarting Safari.
Voila! Safari plugin works and am able to get to the camera settings finally.

Hope this helps

Just to build on this a little. to access the camera, you have to double click the IP address found by the search tool. The https link will show you a login but it will continue to timeout on you. The link from the search tool will drop the https.

Nice trick but doesn‘t work for FI9805W, FI9831W or FI9828P V2. Safari is still missing the plugin and giving me a timeout. Newest firmware patch (V-2.x.1.120_p4 for FI9805W and FI9831W, V-2.x.1.133_p2 for FI9828P V2) is installed on the cams. Also newest safari and the plugin from the firmware page.

Ok…I hate hate firmware upgrades on FOSCAM. Anyways, I am confused since the page has so many. I have a FOSCAM 9821P V2. 1.5.2.11_2.21.1.143. I have not done an update because I believe I have to plug it in to the router to do the update. Can anyone help. What should I do. I did install the equipment search tool but it asks for the firmware file. I don’t want to brick this.

Works perfect for my foscam cameras.

Do you know if there is any similar plugin for the Foscam NVR 3109H?, it uses a different plugin software

Hi, having the same problem with my FI9828P V2 but I’m using Safari V14 (Catalina). Where oddly enough their web ui is working fine with my FI9900P. Do you think this will work for me ? Thanks, Jeff

Hi Jeff,
unfortunately I am noticing the same thing. In addition to the FI9282P V2, I’m also experiencing the same issue with an older FI9805W. I am almost embarrassed to admit that I have a Windows 7 VM that I spin up whenever I need to change any settings on the camera (with Internet Explorer 🙄).

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