Giving up on PC + Blue Iris- should I try an NVR?

[Contadino]

I have spent countless hours trying to get my PC and blue iris to work with my two Dahua cameras. Have had difficulty figuring out how to view when away from home, poor playback on iphone, now I have some sort of ip conflict.

I just want a system that will work without having to be a network engineer.

Would an NVR be better for me? I would like to not use a PC at all. I'm hoping I could plug the NVR into the router and cameras into the NVR. What kind of security would I need for the NVR? Do mobile apps work ok for Android and iOS?
Thanks!

 

[AzN_NiNjA01]

I believe most of users here will tell you that if you want simple access to your cams then there are security risk with your network. If you don't care about security risk then it's very simple to do remote access. Just ask yourself what do you want out of your system. What is the most important part of you setting up the camera, is it to remote view it when not at home or is it to make sure you have footage of what happened. After you have prioritized what is more important. We could make suggestions that would be best for you to consider.

 

[AzN_NiNjA01]

You could simply just install google chrome on your BI computer and setup a new account for this use only, setup google remote desktop on the BI comp and access that pc from anywhere without having to setup ip forwarding and setting up netzero or vpn services.

 

[Contadino]

I have a dual NIC PC that is only used for the camera system.
Assuming I can fix my new IP address conflict, here are the problems I still have:
Playback is jerky on the PC or on Android.
Playback repeats or loops on IOS phone.
I don't know how to set up notifications on the phones.

I am hoping that an NVR would make all that easier.

 

[wittaj]

Nothing in this arena is true plug-n-play if quality and able to IDENTIFY is important.

All cameras need to be dialed in to the field of view. Even the best cameras left on default will result in motion blur and ghosting at night. It is the same process for the dialing in the camera whether you have BI or an NVR.

I have had both and personally find BI easier to setup than an NVR.

If you want true plug-n-play simplicity and do not care about nighttime motion quality, then go with one of the consumer brands - Ring, Arlo, Reolink, Nest, Blink, etc. They are true plug-n-play because those cameras all run on default/auto settings with very little, to no ability to change camera parameters.

Simply download their app and scan the camera QR code and you are up and running.

But their plug-n-play simplicity comes at a cost of nighttime performance and ability to customize stuff, but obviously many do not seem to care about that as those systems are popular and those consumer grade systems are a perfect fit for those that want simplicity and not having to learn how to use an NVR.

 

[AzN_NiNjA01]

Lets make sure you have the network in order,
You should have 2 cams plugged into POE switch, the switch plugs into one port of your dual pc, the other port on your pc goes to the router.
If your router is 192.168.1.1 then set your port for the switch to 192.168.2.1 and have the cams to 192.168.2.2 and 192.168.2.3
explain how you have it setup then it would be easier for us to know why you have the ip problems.

 

[bradner]

I have a dual NIC PC that is only used for the camera system.
Assuming I can fix my new IP address conflict, here are the problems I still have:
Playback is jerky on the PC or on Android.
Playback repeats or loops on IOS phone.
I don't know how to set up notifications on the phones.

I am hoping that an NVR would make all that easier.

I use BI but the couple NVR's I've tinkered with seem more clunky than BI with regards to tweaking triggers... notifications wise, the DMSS app for Dahua seems basic but not too bad. Not sure you'll solve all your concerns with an NVR though. Try connecting your Dahua cams to the DMSS app and try that out first?

 

[Starglow]

I have a Lorex NVR and camera system setup that works fine, but with NVR's you're stuck using whatever software application or phone apps they give you although the cameras can still be tuned. I tried Blue Iris and even bought a mini PC for it, but the trial period is just too short and I ran out of time before I even got to play with it much....so that's that.

 

[TonyR]

Have had difficulty figuring out how to view when away from home, poor playback on iphone, now I have some sort of ip conflict.

Just curious...
What did you do about your issue back in May of this year? You received some suggestions about using Zerotier with Blue Iris....

Remote Access Wizard

The Remote Access Wizard in Blue Iris says to forward a port. Since we're not supposed to do that, how do I get remote access to work? Can someone point me to a thread or wiki or???

ipcamtalk.com

 

[Swampledge]

I have a Lorex NVR and camera system setup that works fine, but with NVR's you're stuck using whatever software application or phone apps they give you although the cameras can still be tuned. I tried Blue Iris and even bought a mini PC for it, but the trial period is just too short and I ran out of time before I even got to play with it much....so that's that.

Please don’t take this as pointing fingers or criticizing you, Starglow. It’s just something that I don’t understand.

I am often puzzled by people who don’t seem to give a second thought to buying an NVR on the assumption that it’s software will do what they want, but are hesitant to purchase a Blue Iris license at a price less than dinner for 3 at an ordinary restaurant. Why don’t they think they should be able to try the food before purchasing it? It’s not like you get to eat that meal again and again, like with a piece of software.

There are many things in life that you gotta buy in order to fully test how they will work in your life. That’s why I’m on my third video doorbell.

 

[tigerwillow1]

I'm of the opinion that an NVR is easier to deal with than BI for non-technical and/or non computer-savvy users. You don't have to be a network engineer with either, but do need to understand about IP addresses and subnets. If that's not reachable, the advice about going to consumer brands and giving up the best image quality and features might be the best. When remote access is added to the equation the tradeoffs get more complicated. The remote access solutions provided by Dahua work but don't strike me as being as good as they should be. Possibly the BI remote access is better, something I'm not able to judge. Since you already have BI I'd advise trying some of the hints that have been put forth. But seriously, without understanding IPs and subnets, even if you get it to work now, there will be someday be a problem that you'll be helpless to debug.

 

[Treatwise]

By the sounds of it an NVR would be fine for you. Just plug the NVR into your router, the cameras into the back of the NVR and you are good to go. Security wise it isn't recommend for the NVR to have internet access, but that's where the networking knowledge is required to VLAN or firewall it off. For remote viewing you can use the P2P solution built into the NVR with a mobile app.

Personally I run a Hikvision NVR with no internet access for continuous recording, and I use the supplied mobile app to scrub / download footage locally. I am working on setting up a mini PC to run alongside it for more sophisticated AI, alerts layer, and act as a VPN.

While I tinker with the PC I have the assurance that 24/7 recording is still active

 

[Contadino]

I've hoping the NVR would take care of the security aspects also. Darn.

 

[H. Swanson]

Personally I run a Hikvision NVR with no internet access for continuous recording, and I use the supplied mobile app to scrub / download footage locally.

Im starting out with an NVR and may advance to what you describe. For right now though, I just want something 24-7 and reliable and an NVR seems like a good path for that.

 

[fenderman]

Im starting out with an NVR and may advance to what you describe. For right now though, I just want something 24-7 and reliable and an NVR seems like a good path for that.

In NVR is no more reliable than a PC...
I suggest everyone start with an NVR that way when they decide it doesn't meet their needs they see how much better it can be with a VMS on a PC

 

[H. Swanson]

In NVR is no more reliable than a PC...
I suggest everyone start with an NVR that way when they decide it doesn't meet their needs they see how much better it can be with a VMS on a PC

I don’t necessarily agree that a PC running Windows is as reliable as a purpose-built NVR, but I suppose it depends on the NVR.

 

[wittaj]

I don’t necessarily agree that a PC running Windows is as reliable as a purpose-built NVR, but I suppose it depends on the NVR.

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.

We can assure you that the computer is still more secure than an NVR that rarely gets updates for known backdoor vulnerabilities.

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

 

[fenderman]

I don’t necessarily agree that a PC running Windows is as reliable as a purpose-built NVR, but I suppose it depends on the NVR.

I have over 20 Blue Iris PCs running windows 24/7. No problem. You can suppose anything you want.
If you think nvrs have no issues search the forum. Nvrs are extremely limited.

 

[H. Swanson]

I have over 20 Blue Iris PCs running windows 24/7. No problem. You can suppose anything you want.
If you think nvrs have no issues search the forum. Nvrs are extremely limited.

No need to be snippy. From what I've learned, I agree that NVRs are more limited. I was just referring to the weaknesses of Windows running reliably for long periods of time without reboot.

 

[fenderman]

No need to be snippy. From what I've learned, I agree that NVRs are more limited. I was just referring to the weaknesses of Windows running reliably for long periods of time without reboot.

Windows has no problem running for long periods of time without a reboot. Sorry you are misinformed....this is typical of linux snobs. Top enterprise VMS that costs several hundred per camera in licensing and other fees run on windows. There are also plenty of vms that run on linux. 3 days experience with an nvr and zero experience running a vms and you are an expert....