BI best choice with hardwired monitors?

petersw

petersw

n3wb
Dec 26, 2020
12
7
California
I'm looking to set up a new IP security system in our house, and wondering if BI will be the best solution. Some important criteria:

1) We will have one camera for monitoring an elderly relative who lives in our in-law studio apartment. While he lives independently, he does fall on occasion and we need to have a monitor on 24/7 to check in on him. The BI computer would be in a closet at one end of the house, and the monitor would be in the kitchen several rooms away. Currently, we are using a Nest camera and Amazon Fire tablet for monitoring, but the tablet will occasionally turn off (if, for example, the Nest app crashes). We need something that will reliably show the image at all times and not be prone to cutting out. I'm thinking of an HDMI monitor.

2) The benefit of the Nest is the timeline scrubbing feature. It's super easy to scan through the past to see what happened, especially if a fall occurred. This works great on both the web site and the mobile apps.

3) We are also planning to install a camera on our porch, and would like to have an inside monitor by the front door to see who is there before opening the door.

Does anyone have a similar setup or guidance on if this plan makes sense?

Thanks!
 
You can use anything that can run a browser to display any cam or combination of cams using BI's UI3 interface. You can have several of these around your house. While I do not do that, I know that @tech101 and others do. They can be hardwired or WIFI.

It is easy to scrub on BI. You just click on the time line and move it. Or you can set the forward or backward speed up to 256x.
1609026513265.png
 
  • Like
Reactions: sebastiantombs
samplenhold said:
You can use anything that can run a browser to display any cam or combination of cams using BI's UI3 interface. You can have several of these around your house. While I do not do that, I know that @tech101 and others do. They can be hardwired or WIFI.
Click to expand...

Actually, I'm looking for a solution that does not require a browser, but rather a standalone screen. That why I mentioned an HDMI monitor. We just need a screen on 24/7 to monitor the in-law room. Browsers are susceptible to the whims of operating systems, crashing programs, etc.
 
First, a security camera system is not a security alarm. There is no substitute for an actual alarm system.

OK Why not run a BlueIris computer with a HDMI splitter and run HDMI to all of the places you want to monitor it.
I do this with cables running to the TV in the office, den, and bedroom. This allows me to watch all of the cameras
from each of those places. Then I use a Pi s to access the web browser to display it in the shop and barn.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mrwizard2323 and samplenhold
Old Timer said:
First, a security camera system is not a security alarm. There is no substitute for an actual alarm system.

OK Why not run a BlueIris computer with a HDMI splitter and run HDMI to all of the places you want to monitor it.
I do this with cables running to the TV in the office, den, and bedroom. This allows me to watch all of the cameras
from each of those places. Then I use a Pi s to access the web browser to display it in the shop and barn.
Click to expand...

I do the same! Use a 1x8 splitter off of Amazon. I even have a 1x4 splitter being fed by the 1x8 for some monitors on opposite sides of a wall.

1080p 1x8 HDMI Splitter by OREI - 1 Port to 8 HDMI Display Duplicate/Mirror - Powered Splitter Ver 1.3 Certified for Full HD 1080P High Resolution 3D Support (One Input To Two Outputs) - HD-108

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
As an Amazon Associate IPCamTalk earns from qualifying purchases.
  • Like
Reactions: Old Timer and samplenhold
th182 said:
I do the same! Use a 1x8 splitter off of Amazon. I even have a 1x4 splitter being fed by the 1x8 for some monitors on opposite sides of a wall.

1080p 1x8 HDMI Splitter by OREI - 1 Port to 8 HDMI Display Duplicate/Mirror - Powered Splitter Ver 1.3 Certified for Full HD 1080P High Resolution 3D Support (One Input To Two Outputs) - HD-108

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Yes, this is exactly what I was thinking of. I also understand that there are low-voltage monitors that accept HDMI, which can be used to place a monitor by the front door, for example.
 
As an Amazon Associate IPCamTalk earns from qualifying purchases.
Have you thought of using a kiosk mode on a tablet? No wiring required other than a power source, WiFi for the video, and it will always come up full screen as if it's a monitor.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mrwizard2323, eeeeesh and samplenhold
sebastiantombs said:
Have you thought of using a kiosk mode on a tablet? No wiring required other than a power source, WiFi for the video, and it will always come up full screen as if it's a monitor.
Click to expand...
True, but still subject to the outages of an operating system, apps, etc. With a monitor, everything stays on unless the power goes out...
 
Still seems like a long way to go when a simple solution is much easier. There are a number of threads discussing using tablets for monitor screens and I have yet to hear anyone complain that they crash. They also have the advantage of being easily moved since there is no heavy, HDMI, cable to move as well.
 
  • Like
Reactions: samplenhold
petersw said:
True, but still subject to the outages of an operating system, apps, etc. With a monitor, everything stays on unless the power goes out...
Click to expand...

I run BI as a service completely headless. If you use UI3 you can have custom views for each room/area. For example you can have a tablet with just the cameras that cover the front door at the front door, and where there is space you can run a 75" smart TV with all the cameras on it. UI3 also means you can change what you are looking at on any device. To change the views with a HDMI repeater you have to change the view on the BI machine.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: samplenhold, Mike A. and sebastiantombs
As you are aware, the title of your post is "BI best choice with hardwired monitors?"

My answer would be "Yes".

But the more I read, it seems you don't want an IP camera, as that would require an NVR or a PC running VMS like BI. Sounds to me like you want an analog camera piped directly to one or more monitors or an IP cameras connected to an NVR which displays on one or more monitors.

Which brings me right back to this: Why the heck did you ask about BI in this forum section and then go on about not wanting a browser or operating system, etc. and said ".... Browsers are susceptible to the whims of operating systems, crashing programs, etc. ...." Do you know what BI is?
 
TonyR said:
As you are aware, the title of your post is "BI best choice with hardwired monitors?"

My answer would be "Yes".

But the more I read, it seems you don't want an IP camera, as that would require an NVR or a PC running VMS like BI. Sounds to me like you want an analog camera piped directly to one or more monitors or an IP cameras connected to an NVR which displays on one or more monitors.

Which brings me right back to this: Why the heck did you ask about BI in this forum section and then go on about not wanting a browser or operating system, etc. and said ".... Browsers are susceptible to the whims of operating systems, crashing programs, etc. ...." Do you know what BI is?
Click to expand...
LOL!

I suppose I am looking for the best (or worst?) of both worlds. I like the idea of running BI on its own hardware, as I'm very comfortable with setting up and tinkering on the backend. However, I'm also looking for a solution that is family friendly on the front end, meaning no tablets to reboot, stopped programs, etc. Just the ability to look at a screen 24/7 and know that everything is OK.

Honestly, I'd prefer to use a tablet solution for monitoring, as this is much easier to implement. I suppose I need to look through the forums some more and see what other folks have done in this regard.
 
  • Like
Reactions: sebastiantombs and TonyR
  • Like
Reactions: sebastiantombs
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom