In this paper, an approach for designing robust fault detection filter (RFDF) of networked control systems (NCSs) with unknown inputs is studied. The design aims at implementing the optimal trade-off between robustness of unknown inputs (including the item produced by networked-induced delay) and sensitivity of fault. The key design issue is to introduce an optimal fault detection filter based on NCSs with the control law compensation as the reference residual model of NCSs and to formulate the RFDF design as a model-matching problem. By applying H∞ optimization technique, linear matrix inequality (LMI) approach is given to solve the model-matching problem. The validity of the proposed approach is shown by a numerical example. In this paper, an approach for designing robust fault detection filter (RFDF) of networked control systems (NCSs) with unknown inputs is studied. The design aims at implementing the optimal trade-off between robustness of unknown inputs (including the item produced by networked -induced delay) and sensitivity of fault. The key design issue is to introduce an optimal fault detection filter based on NCSs with the control law compensation as the reference residual model of NCSs and to formulate the RFDF design as a model-matching problem. By applying H∞ optimization technique, linear matrix inequality (LMI) approach is given to solve the model-matching problem. The validity of the proposed approach is shown by a numerical example.