Dual NIC setup switch type

kickstart24

Young grasshopper
Dec 23, 2024
31
3
US
I'm looking into setting up my blue iris PC with dual NIC. Does the switch that the IP cameras and blue iris PC connect to need to be a managed switch? Or would unmanaged work?
 
That is the beauty of the dual NIC system - you don't need managed switches. If you have managed switches, then you simply have a VLAN system and not much value of a dual NIC at that point.

All the internet devices go to one switch and all the cameras go to another switch.
 
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That is the beauty of the dual NIC system - you don't need managed switches. If you have managed switches, then you simply have a VLAN system and not much value of a dual NIC at that point.

All the internet devices go to one switch and all the cameras go to another switch.

Thanks. So it looks like I would just setup the IPs manually on the second NIC and the cameras instead of having a DHCP server handing out IP addresses.
 
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Absolutely. In fact, since the cameras will not be on a network with a smart switch or router, there is nothing to hand out DHCP reservations, so you have to manually add them or else all cameras from the same manufacturer will then IP conflict.
 
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Absolutely. In fact, since the cameras will not be on a network with a smart switch or router, there is nothing to hand out DHCP reservations, so you have to manually add them or else all cameras from the same manufacturer will then IP conflict.

Do you need to first plug the camera into a device with the DHCP server so you can get into it to change the IP settings?
 
Do you need to first plug the camera into a device with the DHCP server so you can get into it to change the IP settings?

No you do not. Simply make the computer the same IP subnet of the camera and then log in.

For example, Dahua OEM default is 192.168.1.108 so make your computer 192.168.1.199 and then you can access the camera.
 
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Do you need to first plug the camera into a device with the DHCP server so you can get into it to change the IP settings?
I run 3 ethernet ports. The onboard MOBO port and a dual NIC.

MOBO port is set to the Dahua subnet of 192.168.1.XX. This then connects to a POE switch. When I get a new camera I can just plug it into that switch, navigate to 192.168.1.108, change the IP to desired, and then plug it into the normal camera network switch.
Dual NIC has one port with the camera network subnet and the other port with my normal, internet accessible subnet.

Network Layout.PNG
 
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