BI crazy data usage and Comcast

[ccueto36]

Hi guys,
I'm new to the forums. I have a big concerning issue, I recently bought BI and have been using it for about a month now. I recently received an email notice from Comcast saying I had reached my 1024GB data cap for the month, they will give me 2 courtesy overage waivers, but no more. I analyzed my network traffic and BI is the culprit, averaging 300 Kbps constantly. This is my setup: I have 2 IP PoE cameras, one 4MP and one 1080P, both recording 24/7. I have completely disabled web server so I can't remotely stream, but that didn't fix the data usage issue. Is there some settings I could play around with to fix this? I thought IP cam streaming all happened in a local network environment without affecting ISP data usage caps. Thank you in advance.

 

[CCTV SURVEILLANCE]

I had the same issue a few months back but was because I was remotely storing offsite cameras to my local NVR (where Comcast was installed) so meaning I was downloading this constant video to my NVR. Not sure if you’re in the same boat but downloading offsite cams will add up quickly


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[awsum140]

You've got something else going on. BI does not use the internet for anything, at all, unless and until you enable the web server then login into it from outside your local LAN or you have offsite cameras being monitored by your BI server. I've got nine cameras recording 24/7, regularly access BI from outside my network, both through WiFi and GSM services and have yet to receive any notifications from ComTrash. Time to look, seriously, at what else is going on. Check the camera configs first, through their web interface, especially their internet access. They do not need access to the internet at all so change DNS and default gateway to bogus addresses just for starters not to mention disabling PnP and all that trash as well. Ideally, having them on a different subnet is the way to go.

Also, I'm assuming that you bought BI directly from the BI site and not some third party vendor. You never know what can come along with, otherwise, reputable software.

Incidentally, 300kbps doesn't sound like a camera stream, or multiple camera streams, either. All my cameras are 2mp and typically stream at around 500kpbs each.

 

[aristobrat]

I thought IP cam streaming all happened in a local network environment without affecting ISP data usage caps.

That’s how it normally works.

What tool did you use that showed you BI was using your WAN data?

In BI, you can try clicking on the graph icon, and then looking at the Connections tab. Do you see any WAN IP addresses there?

 

[zlandar]

BI use of your Comcast data cap when you record video locally- basically zero.

I have 6 Hikvision cams, three of which are 4k, two 4 MP, and one 3 MP. I have 10-12 MB/sec of video streaming on my network locally.

The only time BI uses the internet is when I remote view off site or when I download a new update.

 

[ccueto36]

There is no device/IP on the Connections tab of Blue Iris, since I completely disabled the Web Server since I thought it was the culprit. I know that it's Blue Iris because I used both Windows Resource Manager and a traffic analyzer tool called NetBalancer and both show BlueIris as the #1 downlink user ranging from 150Kbps to sometimes even spiking to 700Kbps, NetBalancer says average is about 300Kpbs. Whenever I close BlueIris completely, the traffic usage goes down to normal, so I know it's BI.

 

[awsum140]

Where'd you get your copy of BI?

 

[ccueto36]

Where's you get your copy of BI?

I got it from the official website as a demo and then eventually bought a License for it.

 

[ccueto36]

NetBalancer screenshot attached. Here's my setup: Router with a PoE switch connected to one of the router's Ethernet ports, and the two cameras connected to PoE switch.

 

[awsum140]

Have a look at the "messages" tab in BI. Trust me, BI just doesn't communicate on the internet unless you configure the webserver and use the webserver or run an update of BI. By chance, do you have "auto update" enabled?

 

[fenderman]

NetBalancer screenshot attached. Here's my setup: Router with a PoE switch connected to one of the router's Ethernet ports, and the two cameras connected to PoE switch.

That is local traffic...it is impossible for BI to use wan traffic for local cameras...
Are you using IP cameras or something similar to nest that streams via cloud?
Are the cameras actually local?
Are you using local IP addresses in the video tab?

 

[ccueto36]

That is local traffic...it is impossible for BI to use wan traffic for local cameras...
Are you using IP cameras or something similar to nest that streams via cloud?
Are the cameras actually local?
Are you using local IP addresses in the video tab?

I am using IP cameras that have a cloud live view (no need to port forward local cam IP so I assume it streams to manufacturer Chinese cloud). Since you said the screenshot I sent is only local traffic, I assume that might be the culprit then and not BI. That is going to be difficult to get rid of though, as I don't see any option on the cam web config to disable cloud streaming.

 

[zlandar]

I am using IP cameras that have a cloud live view (no need to port forward local cam IP so I assume it streams to manufacturer Chinese cloud). Since you said the screenshot I sent is only local traffic, I assume that might be the culprit then and not BI. That is going to be difficult to get rid of though, as I don't see any option on the cam web config to disable cloud streaming.

I have an ASUS 68U router that lets me block any device from the internet.

My cams are blocked from accessing the internet.

Check your router.

 

[awsum140]

Cloud cameras are a joke and junk. Ditch them and get some decent cameras. Read the Cliff Notes in the Wiki at the top of the page. Cloud cameras are anything but secure. Leaving all the doors to your house wide open all the time, even when you're not home, is about the same as using cloud stuff. Sure, the advertisements look great but they fail to mention the delays involved, sending to the cloud, sending back from the cloud, plus their own server delays. Add in you're letting an outside party,or anyone else that bothers to look for them, have full access to a semi-intelligent device connected to the internet. You're just asking to be hacked.

 

[bp2008]

Depending on which cameras you have, you may be able to have Blue Iris pull local streams. You would know you are streaming locally if 1) the stream works with the internet disconnected, and 2) the camera address configured in Blue Iris should be a local IP address, e.g. 192.168.1.5.

 

[ccueto36]

Thank you very much everyone for the help. I will find a way to disable the P2P cloud streaming somehow. I appreciate everything.