My system sucks. Is this the root cause?

[jb007gd]

Hi all,

New member here. I have been using Blue Iris and a handful of Avacom indoor and outdoor bullet cameras.
Over the years, I have had the same problem - the video feed framerates from each camera are wildly variable and I experience complete drops in video on a daily basis. I have tried things like:

• Upgrading firmware on cameras
• Moving from Wi-Fi to wired (Ethernet) connections
• switching routers (this was a result of moving from DSL to Cable, but it is a variable that changed)

None of those things produced permanent positive results. Looking on this forum, it appears the general consensus is Avacom makes a lousy product. Again - thanks to this forum I've been looking at purchasing a Dahua camera to replace one of my Avacoms, and see if that makes a difference.

Am I missing any other obvious troubleshooting steps before purchasing new hardware? I don't need frills, so I was looking at this model to start with: http://a.co/9Y6Vu41 (Dahua IPC-HFW1320S 3MP HD Network Mini IR Bullet Security IP Camera 3.6 mm Lens English Version)

Thank you!

 

[Q™]

Most likely the cameras suck, as does the connectivity method (WiFi). Forget bullet configurations for outside; use Dahua Starlight "turret" cameras instead. YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED. I promise @jb007gd. Read the Wiki from start to finish and you'll have a very good experience.

 

[VorlonFrog]

@Q™ speaks the truth. Dahua starlight turrets are the best outdoor camera for your money, period. 4231 fixed-focus or 5231 (I think) vari-focal cameras with exquisite night vision and crystal-clear daytime video. About $100 to $140 depending on shipping choices from @EMPIRETECANDY

 

[jb007gd]

Thanks to you both. I'm reading the wiki and filling my head. Have already reached out to Andy as well.

 

[tangent]

I agree better cameras are needed.

What are the specs of your blue iris machine? Is it dedicated to only recording your cameras?

 

[jb007gd]

I can't remember the specs but it's running Win 10 and it's dedicated to BI. I don't really have any problems with that portion of the system. Even if I try to access the cameras directly I have the same issues with unreliable frame rates and dropping off the network. I used to think I had network related issues so I was messing with every variable I knew of: changing wirekess channels firmware updates on the cameras and routers, eventually I ran Cat 5e cables to each camera, making sure to keep power away from them. Even then the problems persist to this day. So yeah, I guess I got what I paid for. But u reached out to Andy and will pick up a nice 5231 and give it a whirl.

 

[tangent]

I can't remember the specs but it's running Win 10 and it's dedicated to BI. I don't really have any problems with that portion of the system. Even if I try to access the cameras directly I have the same issues with unreliable frame rates and dropping off the network. I used to think I had network related issues so I was messing with every variable I knew of: changing wirekess channels firmware updates on the cameras and routers, eventually I ran Cat 5e cables to each camera, making sure to keep power away from them. Even then the problems persist to this day. So yeah, I guess I got what I paid for. But u reached out to Andy and will pick up a nice 5231 and give it a whirl.

You'll need a PoE switch too. A m a z o n and Microcenter have some that are pretty inexpensive, just make sure it's 802.3af or 802.3at none of the passive shit.

 

[jb007gd]

You'll need a PoE switch too. A m a z o n and Microcenter have some that are pretty inexpensive, just make sure it's 802.3af or 802.3at none of the passive shit.

Good to know, thank you! Is there a favored brand?

 

[jb007gd]

Nevermind, I read the Wiki. Duh.

 

[tangent]

Nevermind, I read the Wiki. Duh.

There are lots of good options, you just need to figure out how many cameras you plan on connecting to it and what your total power consumption will be. PoE switches have 2 power ratings, one is per port and the other is the total power budget for everything connected to the switch. If you plan on getting a power hungry PTZ that generally requires 802.3at or sometimes some other non-standard higher power implementation.

 

[Q™]

...Have already reached out to Andy as well.

Andy is The Man. So much so that I named my cat after him, and my cat is very Qool...

 

[jb007gd]

Welp, my Dahua 5231 is on its way! I look forward to posting a success story in the near future.
Also, coming from someone brand new to the forum - y'all are a very friendly and helpful bunch and I appreciate the warm welcome!

 

[jb007gd]

HOLY COW. I hooked up my new Dahua 5231 and let me tell you, it blows away the old Avacom H5080W I used to have.

First of all, setup was a breeze. I logged in via the web interface and had the IP address changed in seconds. I loved that it was smart enough to log me out and immediately redirect my web browser to the new IP address so I could log right back in. Setting up username/password was a snap. And the zoom and focus? Holy Christmas is that amazing!!! I zoomed in right where I need to be, and the camera auto focused to a crystal clear image. I did set it to automatically reboot once every night. Not sure if that's necessary, but I'm used to cameras having glitches so I selected that option. Still, so far it's just night and day compared to the previous camera. Speaking of night, I'm excited to see what the Starlight sensor can do in darkness. I've got a few lantern-style lights providing light to our backyard at night, and those are in the field of view. Not sure if that will help or hinder; we'll find out tonight.

Mounting the camera was also much easier than my old bullet camera. I had purchased a bracket but didn't need to use it as I was able to mount this under the eve of my garage roof. The single set screw and included tool made adjusting the angle a breeze. I had the app running on my phone so I could get instant feedback while I was up on the ladder.

This is money well spent. I've got an acquaintance who likes to say "buy it nice or buy it twice". I had to buy my cameras twice, but at least I can appreciate the difference between saving a buck and spending a little on a quality item. Big thanks to @EMPIRETECANDY for getting me squared away!

Now the only drawback I've seen so far is the CPU of my Intel Core 2 Blue Iris server is pretty much maxing out now; something that never happened before. Maybe it's because I could never get all three of my cameras to actually function simultaneously before?!? I'm guessing going from 780 to 1024 resolution is probably giving Blue Iris more to chew on too. I'll be sure to read the Wiki because I'm pretty sure there's info there regarding recommended horsepower for the server.

Anyway, it feels great to be "in the club" with decent hardware, finally! I'm looking forward to trusting my cameras will actually be online looking out for us; something I couldn't really do before.

 

[fenderman]

HOLY COW. I hooked up my new Dahua 5231 and let me tell you, it blows away the old Avacom H5080W I used to have.

First of all, setup was a breeze. I logged in via the web interface and had the IP address changed in seconds. I loved that it was smart enough to log me out and immediately redirect my web browser to the new IP address so I could log right back in. Setting up username/password was a snap. And the zoom and focus? Holy Christmas is that amazing!!! I zoomed in right where I need to be, and the camera auto focused to a crystal clear image. I did set it to automatically reboot once every night. Not sure if that's necessary, but I'm used to cameras having glitches so I selected that option. Still, so far it's just night and day compared to the previous camera. Speaking of night, I'm excited to see what the Starlight sensor can do in darkness. I've got a few lantern-style lights providing light to our backyard at night, and those are in the field of view. Not sure if that will help or hinder; we'll find out tonight.

Mounting the camera was also much easier than my old bullet camera. I had purchased a bracket but didn't need to use it as I was able to mount this under the eve of my garage roof. The single set screw and included tool made adjusting the angle a breeze. I had the app running on my phone so I could get instant feedback while I was up on the ladder.

This is money well spent. I've got an acquaintance who likes to say "buy it nice or buy it twice". I had to buy my cameras twice, but at least I can appreciate the difference between saving a buck and spending a little on a quality item. Big thanks to @EMPIRETECANDY for getting me squared away!

Now the only drawback I've seen so far is the CPU of my Intel Core 2 Blue Iris server is pretty much maxing out now; something that never happened before. Maybe it's because I could never get all three of my cameras to actually function simultaneously before?!? I'm guessing going from 780 to 1024 resolution is probably giving Blue Iris more to chew on too. I'll be sure to read the Wiki because I'm pretty sure there's info there regarding recommended horsepower for the server.

Anyway, it feels great to be "in the club" with decent hardware, finally! I'm looking forward to trusting my cameras will actually be online looking out for us; something I couldn't really do before.

For 100 bux you can buy an hp8300 with an i5-3570...for under 2 you can get a modern i5-6500 system (I posted an eBay link yesterday). See wiki .well worth the money and will be much more power efficient paying for itself...

 

[jb007gd]

Thanks! I'll look into the 6500. IIRC there's a way to back up all the Blue Iris settings and restore them on a new PC. I'll just have to figure out if I can transfer the Win 10 license. Not going to hold my breath on that one... Google will be my friend there.

 

[fenderman]

Thanks! I'll look into the 6500. IIRC there's a way to back up all the Blue Iris settings and restore them on a new PC. I'll just have to figure out if I can transfer the Win 10 license. Not going to hold my breath on that one... Google will be my friend there.

You can't and don't have to transfer the license..the 6500 systems will almost always have w10...many of the older systems have been upgraded as well..

 

[jb007gd]

Sorry, I should have been more clear - I looked at the link you posted yesterday and those PCs don't come with an Operating System. But I'm sure there are plenty of other deals out there!

 

[fenderman]

Sorry, I should have been more clear - I looked at the link you posted yesterday and those PCs don't come with an Operating System. But I'm sure there are plenty of other deals out there!

If there's a Windows 10 sticker like that system has you can install Windows 10 using the Microsoft media creation tool and it will activate... they just listed in the auction because they don't reinstall the OS....

 

[EMPIRETECANDY]

HOLY COW. I hooked up my new Dahua 5231 and let me tell you, it blows away the old Avacom H5080W I used to have.

First of all, setup was a breeze. I logged in via the web interface and had the IP address changed in seconds. I loved that it was smart enough to log me out and immediately redirect my web browser to the new IP address so I could log right back in. Setting up username/password was a snap. And the zoom and focus? Holy Christmas is that amazing!!! I zoomed in right where I need to be, and the camera auto focused to a crystal clear image. I did set it to automatically reboot once every night. Not sure if that's necessary, but I'm used to cameras having glitches so I selected that option. Still, so far it's just night and day compared to the previous camera. Speaking of night, I'm excited to see what the Starlight sensor can do in darkness. I've got a few lantern-style lights providing light to our backyard at night, and those are in the field of view. Not sure if that will help or hinder; we'll find out tonight.

Mounting the camera was also much easier than my old bullet camera. I had purchased a bracket but didn't need to use it as I was able to mount this under the eve of my garage roof. The single set screw and included tool made adjusting the angle a breeze. I had the app running on my phone so I could get instant feedback while I was up on the ladder.

This is money well spent. I've got an acquaintance who likes to say "buy it nice or buy it twice". I had to buy my cameras twice, but at least I can appreciate the difference between saving a buck and spending a little on a quality item. Big thanks to @EMPIRETECANDY for getting me squared away!

Now the only drawback I've seen so far is the CPU of my Intel Core 2 Blue Iris server is pretty much maxing out now; something that never happened before. Maybe it's because I could never get all three of my cameras to actually function simultaneously before?!? I'm guessing going from 780 to 1024 resolution is probably giving Blue Iris more to chew on too. I'll be sure to read the Wiki because I'm pretty sure there's info there regarding recommended horsepower for the server.

Anyway, it feels great to be "in the club" with decent hardware, finally! I'm looking forward to trusting my cameras will actually be online looking out for us; something I couldn't really do before.

Sure, Cheap=low quality, this is the same all over the world, lol.