NVR, or software on a PC?

[Shyatic]

So I have been running 2 HikVision cameras using Milestone's software and I like it just fine -- the CPU usage is extremely low and I record everything 24/7 into my PC, which also streams Plex movies and acts as a storage system.

That said -- I am in the process of moving into a new home and I'll again be outfitting it with cameras. Is there any reason to switch from Milestone? I guess some of the features I'd like to see are backup to cloud (or maybe keep 3 days that I rotate on the cloud, continual overwrites or something). For me the cloud drive is just another drive letter, so I would like to be able to archive longer onto my PC, but the immediate data I'd like to store offline.

I used BlueIris a few years back and with a Sandy Bridge i5, the CPU usage was far too high, and Plex was almost unusable. I am not sure why Milestone barely uses anything (on average maybe 5% tops) and Blue Iris used so much. This was my biggest drawback at the time.

Alternatively I'm fine with using an NVR if I have to buy it, but my question remains the same... backups to cloud and archive extended stuff onto the NVR itself.

Quick edit: anything that has a great mobile app that ties into Smart Things or some other home automation (ie HomeKit) would also be preferred!

Appreciate any thoughts!

 

[fenderman]

So I have been running 2 HikVision cameras using Milestone's software and I like it just fine -- the CPU usage is extremely low and I record everything 24/7 into my PC, which also streams Plex movies and acts as a storage system.

That said -- I am in the process of moving into a new home and I'll again be outfitting it with cameras. Is there any reason to switch from Milestone? I guess some of the features I'd like to see are backup to cloud (or maybe keep 3 days that I rotate on the cloud, continual overwrites or something). For me the cloud drive is just another drive letter, so I would like to be able to archive longer onto my PC, but the immediate data I'd like to store offline.

I used BlueIris a few years back and with a Sandy Bridge i5, the CPU usage was far too high, and Plex was almost unusable. I am not sure why Milestone barely uses anything (on average maybe 5% tops) and Blue Iris used so much. This was my biggest drawback at the time.

Alternatively I'm fine with using an NVR if I have to buy it, but my question remains the same... backups to cloud and archive extended stuff onto the NVR itself.

Quick edit: anything that has a great mobile app that ties into Smart Things or some other home automation (ie HomeKit) would also be preferred!

Appreciate any thoughts!

Blue iris has changed over the past few years...also need to properly configure it, using direct to disk and hardware acceleration....
regardless, milestone or BI will blow away any dedicated NVR...most dont have a cloud backup option..that said, cloud backup is useless and a waste of bandwidth, you are way better off backing up to a hidden local disk.