What brands of cameras to look at? Which to avoid? Has anyone had any good/bad experiences with fully hosted (remote) systems, or should they record to a local machine? If local, what kind of connection should be preferred?
You can actually receive a Foscam feed directly from an unmodified VLC if you know the URL of the feed, plus there are tons of third party apps and applications which work with Foscam (e.g. IP Cam Viewer Pro, Blue Iris, etc).
I will say that dollar per dollar Foscam are good value. However if I would recommend them really depends a lot on your needs and expectations. If you want something that "just works" then DropCam might be more your speed. A Foscam is a technical product (as opposed to a "consumer product") that provides you with a lot of flexibility at a good price, it isn't for everyone or every situation.
For example I was talking to a small shopkeeper the other day, and I recommended for them a DropCam, since they needed simplicity and cloud storage. Neither of which are Foscam's cup of tea.
Let me know if you want to talk. mcotton <at> eagleeyenetworks.com