Looking to optimize my Blue Iris setup - AI, App, Home Assistant, and Hardware Questions

[m4gnum]

Hi, I’ve been running Blue Iris using mostly default settings for continuous recording, while relying on my Eufy cams for daily alerts. Now I’m shifting my focus more toward a full PoE system and want to get things dialed in better.

I’m using an old Dell OptiPlex 3020 (i5-4590, 8GB RAM, 4TB HDD) and just upgraded to the latest version of Blue Iris since I couldn’t get AI working reliably on the older version. I have a few Dahua and Amcrest cameras (e.g., IPC-B5442T-ASEI, IPC-HFW2831T-ZS), though I haven’t finished setting them all up yet.

I would appreciate if someone could help me with at least a few of my question.

1. Is my current PC good enough to handle several cameras with AI enabled? Or would something like a Google Coral be enough to improve things? The Dell also runs hot and loud, so I’m considering something cooler and quieter.

2. What’s the best way to integrate BI with Home Assistant in 2025? I don’t need live feeds, just a simple way to view recent alerts easily.

3. Im struggling with notifications on Android, they worked at one point but stopped. I do have the BI app installed and notifications enabled.

4. How would you optimize my setup, including AI settings? Do I need to be using substreams?

5. Can I enable camera controls (like zoom/focus)?

6. The video quality in the BI Android app is pretty rough, nowhere near what I see on the PC. Any idea why?

7. I’m missing a lot of AI alerts, maybe 10–20% are detected. I’m seeing a ton of cancelled alerts tagged as "nothing detected" or "occupied."

8. CPU and memory usage spike from ~10% to 100% frequently, usually showing Python process. I think this started after tweaking some AI settings.

9. Lastly, is there a reliable way to keep BI recording during a power outage? I have access to UPS or portable power stations, but the PoE switches are spread out across the house and may not be easy to power at once.

I’ve attached a few screenshots of my current settings in case that helps.





Thanks!

 

[Flintstone61]

1. Answering point 1.
The 3020 Dell is probably the minimum I'd run with NO Code Project. These Elite Desk are nice to work with, HP EliteDesk 800 G5 SFF Intel Core i5-9500 3.0GHz 16GB RAM 256GB SSD DVD-RW | eBay
tool-less design for upgrades etc. I ran 18-19 cams on an i5-8500 ( 6 core chip) in the Elitedesk.
Now you can get the 9th generation for $169 or so on Ebay.
I have bought all my PC's HP's and Dells, (11 of them) from Ebay. spare parts are plentiful. They have shrunk the Optiplex machines down to only accomodate 1- 3.5" drive or No 3.5" drive.
The Elitedesk in this generation has 2 3.5" HDD bays. I am a 2 spinning rust kinda guy. I like the performance of BI splitting my streams across 2 disks. ( although with a small number of cameras its not needed.)
I went whole hog and got a tower in the dell Precision lineup ( 3630 MT) 8th gen i7-8700, because it has 4 Sata ports and 3 drive bays. and supports a full size NVIdia.

https://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c06443940.pdf

 

[Flintstone61]

I see your running a global cam setting of Intel +VPP.
This is hardware decode fron the intel graphics chip. You need it enabled most likely to run Codeproject. But I would elect to try turning off Hardware Acceration in individual cameras that have AI built in.
I would try and migrate all my cams to built in AI style cams and do away with Code Project. I am running Code Project GPU version with an Nvidia 1070ti. I tinker with switching back and forth between using Code Project, and Camera Ai, and BI motion in some locations, and see how things shake out.

 

[Flintstone61]

I would disable Intel +vpp, globally, and switch it on manually only for Codeproject cams. This could free up resources.
Tinker with Substreams on select cameras. Your mileage may vary. Your CPU %age will go down.
But getting a 6 Core chip running 4th generation Ram while being "quiet" is an awesome jump in performance. and uses less power. ( Intel i5 9500 on an Elitedesk)
My Elitedesk was quiet. Liked that. My 3630 Precision is quiet as well.

 

[jaydeel]

3. Im struggling with notifications on Android, they worked at one point but stopped. I do have the BI app installed and notifications enabled.

Migrate to using the Pushover API with 'On alert' Run-a-program Actions, and you won't look back.

 

[jaydeel]

9. Lastly, is there a reliable way to keep BI recording during a power outage? I have access to UPS or portable power stations, but the PoE switches are spread out across the house and may not be easy to power at once.

While not a solution to power outages, configuring your PC's BIOS to auto reboot when it's powered is recommended. And I swear by these MSNSwitches for remotely restarting the server, router, and essential switches.

 

[jaydeel]

5. Can I enable camera controls (like zoom/focus)?

Yes. I believe this is automatic if you've successfully enabled 'PTZ and other controls' for the camera in the Camera settings > video tab > Configure dialog.

However, the focus and zoom controls are not really intended for routine use on fixed (non-PTZ) cameras. Use them to tweak the initial setup of your FOV, then leave them alone. And if you need different settings for day and night, consider using the DahuaSunriseSunset utility, or use camera-specific HTTP commands and Blue Iris schedule actions.

I also find the DahauSunriseSunset utility very handy for resetting the focus/zoom when I've inadvertently touched the Focus/Zoom controls (using the 'Simulate Sunrise' or 'Sunset' buttons).

 

[jaydeel]

6. The video quality in the BI Android app is pretty rough, nowhere near what I see on the PC. Any idea why?

Check the encoder profiles in the Android app > Home tab > Settings (gear icon) dialog.
They are configured in the Blue Iris Settings > Web server tab > Advanced dialog.

 

[m4gnum]

I would disable Intel +vpp, globally, and switch it on manually only for Codeproject cams. This could free up resources.
Tinker with Substreams on select cameras. Your mileage may vary. Your CPU %age will go down.
But getting a 6 Core chip running 4th generation Ram while being "quiet" is an awesome jump in performance. and uses less power. ( Intel i5 9500 on an Elitedesk)
My Elitedesk was quiet. Liked that. My 3630 Precision is quiet as well.

Thank you, I will try to play with these settings.

Migrate to using the Pushover API with 'On alert' Run-a-program Actions, and you won't look back.

I will look into this but it might be some other issue since I am not getting any notifications now. I thought of using Home Assistant for notifications.

While not a solution to power outages, configuring your PC's BIOS to auto reboot when it's powered is recommended. And I swear by these MSNSwitches for remotely restarting the server, router, and essential switches.

I have the auto reboot set up. However I'm in Florida and there might be power outages lasting for days after a hurricane so I want to have some power backup. I thought of going with a mini PC which would use less power, and adding a power station and NAS (or external HDD) but not sure of the performance with these.

Yes. I believe this is automatic if you've successfully enabled 'PTZ and other controls' for the camera in the Camera settings > video tab > Configure dialog.

However, the focus and zoom controls are not really intended for routine use on fixed (non-PTZ) cameras. Use them to tweak the initial setup of your FOV, then leave them alone. And if you need different settings for day and night, consider using the DahuaSunriseSunset utility, or use camera-specific HTTP commands and Blue Iris schedule actions.

I also find the DahauSunriseSunset utility very handy for resetting the focus/zoom when I've inadvertently touched the Focus/Zoom controls (using the 'Simulate Sunrise' or 'Sunset' buttons).

I have PTZ enabled but it doesn't work. I will do some research on these. Thank you.

Check the encoder profiles in the Android app > Home tab > Settings (gear icon) dialog.
They are configured in the Blue Iris Settings > Web server tab > Advanced dialog.

I have it set like this:

 

[m4gnum]

To add, after playing with AI settings, I am getting all alerts however I'm still not getting any notifications and the Python process spikes my CPU to 100% every few seconds.