Blue Iris and a Amcrest NVR

[ts1234]

I am real newbie at this so hopefully the post is in the right place etc...

What I want to do is hook my current Amcrest NVR into my Homeseer HS4 server via Blue Iris. HS4 has a plugin that can interface with Blue Iris. I don't even want video streams on the Blue Iris server (which would run on the same laptop as HS4 in this case) , but what I do want is some basic messaging and control between BI and the NVR that can then be passed to Homeseer via the Blue Iris plugin.

I'm guessing this isn't possible...but specifically...

1) Have the NVR signal motion events to BI
2) Have BI turn on and off motion detect based on a message flow from BI to the NVR - Homeseer can trigger this to BI so that part is already taken care of...

Is this possible?

 

[TonyR]

Welcome to IPCT !

That said, I use BI (Blue Iris) but not HS. This may not be not what you care to hear, but I'll continue:

1) I would not run BI on a laptop.
2) I would dedicate a PC that meets or exceeds min recommendations, perform all optimizations and NOT run any other CPU- or GPU-intensive program...the server would be dedicated to running BI. That would provide the best operation and dependability of BI.

 

[ts1234]

Hey TonyR...thanks!

I agree. I do know that many run nothing but HS and BI on the same box and get away with it, but my hope is to even have my video streams on a separate pair of routers that only connects to my home network at a single point for access to feeds and triggers for automation events.

You have posted a ton of stuff. Any idea if BI has any ability to communicate with an Amcrest NVR. Amcrest actually sells a version of BI with their name on it.

 

[wittaj]

BI has the ability to pull camera streams and triggers from NVRs (probably not all of them but many). I would think that BI needs the video streams to be able to send commands based on triggers, even if ONVIF triggers from the NVR. But you could decide to not record them.

I would not assume that because Amcrest entered into a relationship with BI to have Amcrest logo on the BI that they sell means full ability to do something like that though.

 

[ts1234]

wittaj...thx!

I got threw to Amcrest today and their NVR's don't have any way to communicate with anything but cameras. Sigh...

 

[wittaj]

wittaj...thx!

I got threw to Amcrest today and their NVR's don't have any way to communicate with anything but cameras. Sigh...

I find it hard to believe that Amcrest, which is rebranded Dahua, cannot be brought into BI. Not sure about the one you are looking at, but I have brought an Amcrest NVR into BI. You simply go to add camera in BI and type in the IP address and username and password of the NVR and then on that same screen is an option to select a camera number...

Wouldn't be the first time customer service didn't know something LOL...or they don't want to talk about integration outside of their products for fear someone would try to hold them accountable, so they simply say it isn't possible.

 

[TonyR]

+1^^.
I have used BI with DVRs and NVRs from Amcrest, Night Owl, Zmodo and EverFocus.......I think that particular CS rep at Amcrest is mistaken.

 

[ts1234]

TonyR...thanks!

It may be the way I want to do it.

I don't want video streams hitting the device where BI is running. I want the NVR to do all of that and simply report motion alerts to BI and store video.. The home automation side of thing could then determine how the house reacts to them based on if 1 or both of us were gone.

Homeseer can talk to BI on another computer and if I end up needing one to support BI and a bunch of cameras anyway...I have no need the Amcrest NVR.

What I don't want is the laptop that is supporting the Homeseer server trying to run BI and constant video capture.