Disappointed with Amcrest NVR

[metrangia]

I tried Blue Iris on an old Windows PC and really liked it, but my PC isn’t powerful enough to run multiple cameras on it. Instead of spending money on both a new PC and a POE switch, I decided to buy a purpose-built NVR instead. I bought the Amcrest NV4116E-A2 NVR. It’s got 16 channels, 8 of them POE. I saved a lot of money, including a reduced electric bill.

However, I am really disappointed with both Amcrest’s browser interface on my PC, and their View Pro 2 app on my iPhone. Maybe I just don’t know how to use them, but in my opinion the interfaces of both are clunky, non-intuitive, and buggy. Here are some issues that I experienced when trying to play back videos:

- Inability to select/deselect checkboxes for which camera(s) to view. The boxes are non-responsive. Sometimes if I hit the STOP button I am able to change the cameras, sometimes it won’t let me.

- Unable to select a different motion file from the timeline. It continues to play the same file.

- On the browser, I select one or two files from the File List and click GO. Instead of going anywhere, it resets everything (deselecting the files that I had selected), and doesn’t play anything. Instead, if I click the “play” triangle, it plays the first video of the day, and not the one(s) I chose.

- If I choose a specific file from the File List, one camera plays that video, but the other two cameras play something completely different. Those 2 files have totally different timestamps, so I am watching 3 different events at the same time.

- Sometimes the View Pro 2 app is able to connect to one camera but not another. If I hit the Home button and start over, it works fine again.

- When I go to full screen mode on the iOS app, it plays a video, but I can’t pause or stop it. I see the “play” triangle (which I shouldn’t see if it’s already playing), and tapping it has no effect.

I am about ready to return the NVR. But before I do, has anyone had better success with this NVR and the app? Has anyone found a better app for the iPhone? Is my only choice to go to Blue Iris? I currently have a couple Amcrest cameras, but plan to but more cameras from Andy.

 

[wittaj]

You could try DMSS for the phone and SmartPSS for computer (these are the Dahua versions and Amcrest is Dahua OEM, but I suspect you will suffer from the same issues.

It are the problems like this and more why I left the NVR world and went to BI.

You can buy a used business PC for a lot less than that NVR to run BI...anything 8th gen and newer will work fine - I picked one up for $100.

 

[bigredfish]

Nah, go back to Blue Iris

 

[metrangia]

You can buy a used business PC for a lot less than that NVR to run BI...anything 8th gen and newer will work fine - I picked one up for $100.

Well that's good to know. I was concerned because the cost of a new PC, a POE switch, and BI will be a lot more than what I paid for the NVR itself.

I wasn't sure how much processing power I needed. If an 8th gen i7 CPU and plenty of RAM will do it, I may go that route.

Plus, maybe I will add Home Assistant in the future, using the same PC.

 

[wittaj]

Actually even lower can work, but it is 8th gen and newer than can run Windows 11.

But people run 30 plus cameras on an i7-4th gen just fine. We wouldn't suggest to purchase older than 7th gen unless you get a great deal. A member here got a 4th gen for $25 at a government auction - now that isn't a bad deal LOL.

Another hardware question

I know this has been asked in the past (many times) and apologize for asking again, but I want to make sure that I get this right the 1st time and not make a dumb mistake that will cause me to start over partway down the road. I am researching hardware for the Blue Iris computer that will run...

ipcamtalk.com

 

[metrangia]

Any opinions on using a laptop instead of a desktop/workstation to run BI? I would do this just to save space (no need for monitor/keyboard/mouse).

Is that even possible if I want to use an SSD or NVMe for the OS and BI, and a HDD for the video?

 

[wittaj]

Laptop CPU is made to throttle performance in favor of temperature so it could struggle in some situations.

Just buy a SFF computer and stick it in a corner and remote desktop into it. Most of us don't have keyboards, mouse, monitor, etc hooked to our BI computer.

 

[Revo2Maxx]

To be honest I don't know how you have your system setup but if you look at the picture below, I have an Amcrest IP camera that is 8mp static AI camera that I use multi Tripwires to then tell a non Amcrest PTZ camera to go to a Preset that is in that cameras direction, Then by setting up that non Amcrest camera to record as well for the Amcrest AI event I get my 2 cameras to sync and they will play side by side the event that happen.. I have to admit that using your Amcrest NVR or for me any of my many Amcrest DVR/NVRs and 8 other brand DVR/NVRs it is best to use Edge in IE mode for best user interface.. Now I do have a good few different AI DVR/NVRs and even the A2 that is kind of a Lite Ai for my way of thinking.. I also have Blue Iris and also have the Bi Mobile app. I prefer using my DVR/NVRs for 80% of my watching and recording and really only use Bi for Plate Reader these days.. one of the biggest issues I have with Bi is that with every update I have to update the AI and turn on all the things that I had setup and working. Then I have issues from time to time with CPU being 100% and lagging my computer that it is running on that is i7 10700 16GB ram and a 2070super GPU.. Then I don't know if it is the Update or the AI update that made it start to lag so I just don't use it.. With my Amcrest DVR/NVRs for the most part when an update comes out, It is install and go, back as it was before the update happen.. Sure something might not work right and then gets fixed in next update.. But a Stand Alone DVR/NVR from most companies will cost less yearly to run and store footage with very little effort once things are setup.. Even after an update.. A computer with Bi, There is Windows updates and GPU updates and then Bi and AI if you use and there is just to many people with to many fingers in the pot to make me feel like using it over my DVR/NVRs.. Nope. But others on here, Love Bi and might have better results of less updates.. I like to keep things with the newest Stable Versions and once in a while will just update Bi cause it was there and hate to keep seeing the POP uP lol..

When it comes to playback what needs to be understood is that if you load 1 camera or in my case 8 cameras at 1 time, if you want to change days or change a camera that might have stopped playing because the event is smaller then the rest all other feeds need to stop playback before anything can be changed.. Can't sync more then 4 cameras in my case.. The 16ch might be more I am going to guess it is also only 4 cameras after the 5th one Sync changes to all and it will just play any and all events no mater if one of the cameras first event is 5pm and all others are 12am they will all start and run as listed unless you have it sync checked then it will play first come first played, If you fast forward you need to go back down each mark in all state or it will start over once it goes back to play, So there is a fast forward and a slow button right next to it to slow back down. and if say 1, 2, 3 are all full time recording for first 4 hours and 4 camera is only event is 4.15am and first 3 don't have any other footage until 430 it will play first 3 under sync until 4 then move to the 4 camera play until done or matches the others time and so.. Pro App 2 is a good app for AI but if you are having issues maybe look at the Amcrest View Pro, However keep in mind that most people say newer iOS devices don't play well with the Apps. My older iOS that I don't use for phone any longer the 6s works as it does on my new S24 Ultra..

For me seeing it is an AI NVR I use IVS for most of the channels. So if you have different formats results might be little different.. Personally it is best to use the AI search for the Event to play back the one that is needed rather then playing all days events unless I don't know what event I am looking for. Most times I use my Email or Push events to give me the time and day for the event I am looking for and play them as needed.. I have many cameras and DVR/NVRs so it can be hard at times to keep track unless I fall back on some type of push or email for the road map of recorder, event time, type and so on..

 

[wittaj]

To be honest I don't know how you have your system setup but if you look at the picture below, I have an Amcrest IP camera that is 8mp static AI camera that I use multi Tripwires to then tell a non Amcrest PTZ camera to go to a Preset that is in that cameras direction, Then by setting up that non Amcrest camera to record as well for the Amcrest AI event I get my 2 cameras to sync and they will play side by side the event that happen.. I have to admit that using your Amcrest NVR or for me any of my many Amcrest DVR/NVRs and 8 other brand DVR/NVRs it is best to use Edge in IE mode for best user interface.. Now I do have a good few different AI DVR/NVRs and even the A2 that is kind of a Lite Ai for my way of thinking.. I also have Blue Iris and also have the Bi Mobile app. I prefer using my DVR/NVRs for 80% of my watching and recording and really only use Bi for Plate Reader these days.. one of the biggest issues I have with Bi is that with every update I have to update the AI and turn on all the things that I had setup and working. Then I have issues from time to time with CPU being 100% and lagging my computer that it is running on that is i7 10700 16GB ram and a 2070super GPU.. Then I don't know if it is the Update or the AI update that made it start to lag so I just don't use it.. With my Amcrest DVR/NVRs for the most part when an update comes out, It is install and go, back as it was before the update happen.. Sure something might not work right and then gets fixed in next update.. But a Stand Alone DVR/NVR from most companies will cost less yearly to run and store footage with very little effort once things are setup.. Even after an update.. A computer with Bi, There is Windows updates and GPU updates and then Bi and AI if you use and there is just to many people with to many fingers in the pot to make me feel like using it over my DVR/NVRs.. Nope. But others on here, Love Bi and might have better results of less updates.. I like to keep things with the newest Stable Versions and once in a while will just update Bi cause it was there and hate to keep seeing the POP uP lol..

When it comes to playback what needs to be understood is that if you load 1 camera or in my case 8 cameras at 1 time, if you want to change days or change a camera that might have stopped playing because the event is smaller then the rest all other feeds need to stop playback before anything can be changed.. Can't sync more then 4 cameras in my case.. The 16ch might be more I am going to guess it is also only 4 cameras after the 5th one Sync changes to all and it will just play any and all events no mater if one of the cameras first event is 5pm and all others are 12am they will all start and run as listed unless you have it sync checked then it will play first come first played, If you fast forward you need to go back down each mark in all state or it will start over once it goes back to play, So there is a fast forward and a slow button right next to it to slow back down. and if say 1, 2, 3 are all full time recording for first 4 hours and 4 camera is only event is 4.15am and first 3 don't have any other footage until 430 it will play first 3 under sync until 4 then move to the 4 camera play until done or matches the others time and so.. Pro App 2 is a good app for AI but if you are having issues maybe look at the Amcrest View Pro, However keep in mind that most people say newer iOS devices don't play well with the Apps. My older iOS that I don't use for phone any longer the 6s works as it does on my new S24 Ultra..

For me seeing it is an AI NVR I use IVS for most of the channels. So if you have different formats results might be little different.. Personally it is best to use the AI search for the Event to play back the one that is needed rather then playing all days events unless I don't know what event I am looking for. Most times I use my Email or Push events to give me the time and day for the event I am looking for and play them as needed.. I have many cameras and DVR/NVRs so it can be hard at times to keep track unless I fall back on some type of push or email for the road map of recorder, event time, type and so on..

Do keep in mind that updating BI for every version means you are essentially a beta tester and you will be bound to have problems at some point.

If you want to be a beta tester, that is great as it is needed, but there will be headaches along the way.

Many of us once our system is stable, we leave it alone and we do not update until BI adds something that we want or need. The updates are providing new features and are not addressing security vulnerabilities, so there really isn't any value in updating until something is provided we need...the last update notes that mentioned security was version 5.2.5 - April 9, 2020

A Blue Iris/PC can be a very reliable system and much more robust than an NVR and isn't much bigger than an NVR.

Unless someone is a fool and runs the cameras and NVR on default settings, by the time you dial cameras in for ability to freeze frame, the effort to set up and NVR or BI for alerts and stuff can be comparable.

People wrongfully assume NVRs and are plug-n-play. They are not.

I can actually set BI up faster than an NVR with a lot more capability than an NVR. But then again the default settings for BI are actually decent and a good starting point for most.

Turn off Windows and BI auto updates and have the computer autostart on a shutdown and run BI as a service and you have a more powerful NVR that is still more secure than an NVR that rarely gets updates.

Since the BI computer is being used as a stand-alone device, the device isn't out surfing the Internet so the value of the critical updates are not as critical.

Plus the computer will have virus protection software on it that an NVR doesn't.

BI allows for anonymous update of performance data. People have had it running nonstop for over 2165 days, or almost 6 years... And I suspect that the last time it rebooted was when they manually did it...I was an NVR user before I made the switch and I never had an NVR last 5 years LOL

 

[Revo2Maxx]

Well there are a lot of advancements in the last 5 years in NVRs and while I do turn off Plug-N-Play because I have some cameras that I don't want to just get picked and added into a NVR that I just installed. I like to add them in.. I have a few NVRs that are not plug in play and in fact some of the NVRs that don't play well with others over POE ports of 3rd party cameras I have found things that make that work on the older systems and one some of the newer ones that normally act like won't even use anything besides their own like Alibi I found the cure for that so I can connect my Dahua and Amcrest cameras to POE ports of the NVR.. only down side to the Alibi NVR is they had to change up the Power Up.. Meaning on my Dahua and Amcrest cameras I can use 1 cable to power 2 cameras and this can't be done on the Alibi NVRs without changing the Power wires around.. So sure taking my 4116E-HS NVR and connecting my 8 cameras that I have connected to that Cameras POE ports won't event power up the cameras on the installed ends without adding new ones...

I am an old person with old school rules.. Meaning I used to be DVR for my main security.. While I have 3 8mp AI DVRs in my fleet today with 2 8ch and a older 16ch there is nothing faster then connecting an Analog camera when it comes to setup.. If it wasn't for the camears that I own from yester year 16, and 17 that have features that my newer AI bullet zoom cameras don't even have I am stuck with it until I get the same feature in a Zoom Bullet camera.. Heat and presets.. So far only heat seems to be offered and presets are a must for me in some of the mounted locations.. 5-50mm TVI 2mp with presets..

About being able to setup Bi faster then a NVR? if we start from Box to installed I have to say NVR will win and to be fair DVR AI 8mp beats that... Even with a PC SFF, out of the box, Update to software will take place and will stall the install to a crawl. Then for me, different then your install I am guessing because I have CodeAi Then I made a mistake and didn't update before my last date to do so, So to get the latest Stable Now I have to Pay MORE lol.. Buy DVR/NVR and pay only 1 price and updates are free.. Well you know what the old man saying is, If it isn't broke don't fix it lol.. Most of my Ai DVR/NVRs have had at least 2 if not 3 updates.. Back to what I was saying,, Connecting same type cameras with same user pass and same motion sure fast,, But have many different cameras and many different brands and models, not so easy to also in Bi, Then for me, AI have to Tweek things to make it just right, Not always so easy.. Then while I do have H.265 in 8mp on my Bi others have said they have issues unless it is using H.264 and I will admit in some cameras on NVRs that is the case as well. Yet in my DVRs all channels are H.265 without issues.. So have that also turned off in my NVRs to Auto H.265 because again not all my cameras work well in that format..

Then haven't looked at the Bi app for little while, I just did found that AI isn't responding lol. So even all the Plates that I thought it was doing it wasn't lol.. So hummm It is ok all the Tripwires and things I have setup in my DVRs and NVRs captured enough that I could get plates if I really needed too...

I am not saying that Bi is bad, Just not something as you can see in the Bi app with Failed AI. Plus the Failed update before my last year term was up so now stuck on a older less stable oh well.. Now I have to pay or forced to deal with it as is. Have not tried the Amcrest IP8M-MD180E-AI camera in Bi, Maybe tomorrow if I get time I will add that camera to my Bi and make a Video of the Install and setup. Wonder how it will take the 4 cameras as 1 8mp lol.. Would be interesting video..