NVR vs dedicated PC

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freddyq

Getting the hang of it
Nov 18, 2016
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Hi all,

I'm looking to make a final decision on whether I use an NVR or dedicated PC for my home security setup. Lots of people on here have mentioned that a PC with BlueIris software provides "much more flexibility" but is there a post on here which clearly outlines the pros and cons of each option?

I currently do not have a PC I could use so I'd have to buy one, same goes for an NVR.

My broadband router, switch and CAT6 cables are all located in a discreet storage area so I was thinking an NVR could be easily accommodated there to keep my setup clean and cables out of visibility. But I just want to make sure I understand the pros and cons before I make the final decision.

Any help would be much appreciated!
 
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Look in the wiki pages. They are to the right of donations at the top of the page. Click the three little bars and it will drop down. Basics are this, nvr is a set it and forget it type setup. Match camera brand with brand of nvr, setup triggers ( motion, line crossing, etc.) and you're done. BI you can use almost any brand/type of camera it doesn't matter. Setup triggers, custom algorithms and a whole bunch more if need be. Depends on how far and deep are you needing to go with your setup. Not everyone needs BI, but a lot of people like it. I have used both and as of now, it's more than what I need so for me, an nvr works fine.
 
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blake said:
Look in the wiki pages. They are to the right of donations at the top of the page. Click the three little bars and it will drop down. Basics are this, nvr is a set it and forget it type setup. Match camera brand with brand of nvr, setup triggers ( motion, line crossing, etc.) and you're done. BI you can use almost any brand/type of camera it doesn't matter. Setup triggers, custom algorithms and a whole bunch more if need be. Depends on how far and deep are you needing to go with your setup. Not everyone needs BI, but a lot of people like it. I have used both and as of now, it's more than what I need so for me, an nvr works fine.
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Thanks. I clicked on the Wiki link at the top of the page and I see this:

upload_2018-8-29_13-25-27.png

I can't see anything about comparing NVR to PC option or am I missing something?

Your explanation makes sense - I definitely lean more towards the "set it and forget it" approach although I will still spend a fair bit of time setting the cameras and NVR properly and tweaking things to get them just right. I just don't want to constantly mess with it after that unless I have good reason to.
 
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The "IP Cam Talk Cliff Notes" link of the Wiki is usually the goto reference guide, but I don't think it says too much about NVR vs Blue Iris.

Try this link for a lot of threads here on the topic:
site://ipcamtalk.com blue iris vs nvr

Once setup, a Blue Iris PC only needs two cables (power + ethernet), which makes it easy to tuck away in a closet/secure location. The PC can be remotely managed from another computer/phone/tablet using Microsoft's free Remote Desktop feature.

The biggest push for Blue Iris for me is that I have cameras from different brands... mostly Dahua, but some Hikvision. When a camera brand doesn't match the NVR brand, the NVR usually can only use the camera's basic motion detection feature, which sucks in a lot of situations. This means a Hikvision NVR can't use a Dahua camera's advanced IVS motion detection, and likewise, a Dahua NVR can't use a Hikvision camera's advanced Smart Events motion detection. That can be a big deal. Blue Iris can do its own motion detection and doesn't have to rely on the camera to do it (although that's an option, if needed).
 
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freddyq said:
Thanks. I clicked on the Wiki link at the top of the page and I see this:

View attachment 32765

I can't see anything about comparing NVR to PC option or am I missing something?

Your explanation makes sense - I definitely lean more towards the "set it and forget it" approach although I will still spend a fair bit of time setting the cameras and NVR properly and tweaking things to get them just right. I just don't want to constantly mess with it after that unless I have good reason to.
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You dont have to constantly mess with blue iris...
There are a bunch of threads that discuss it....I encourage you to buy an NVR then when you throw it against the wall you'll appreciate blue iris...even if you already had a PC you would need to buy another to dedicate to blue iris for 100-300...
 
aristobrat said:
When a camera brand doesn't match the NVR brand, the NVR usually can only use the camera's basic motion detection feature, which sucks in a lot of situaltions. This means a Hikvision NVR can't use a Dahua camera's advanced IVS motion detection, and likewise, a Dahua NVR can't use a Hikvision camera's advanced Smart Events motion detection. That can be a big deal
Click to expand...
This is a useful point for me and definitely adds weight to the PC option. I'm assuming that the "basic" motion detection feature of the camera wouldn't really be good enough to distinguish a person from a moving object like tree blowing in the wind or bird?

So let's say I look deeper at the PC option:
  1. Understand that once setup I only need the PC hooked up to power and ethernet but for the setup process, I only have laptops at home, no screens so unless there's a way to connect the PC to my laptop screen, I'd have to get a screen too...?
  2. Do you get special low power PCs which can be used for this purpose?
  3. Will it need Windows on there or could I install something like Ubuntu or some other free OS on it?
All I can think of for now...
 
1. Monitors are pretty cheap these days. Not sure if you can setup without one.
2. Its worth it to get a PC that uses less watts, but you need to make sure it has enough horsepower for the number of cameras you will have. PC is on 24/7, so electricity cost is a factor, and may be cheaper in long run to spend more on a PC that uses less watts.
3. BI is windows only.
 
freddyq said:
This is a useful point for me and definitely adds weight to the PC option. I'm assuming that the "basic" motion detection feature of the camera wouldn't really be good enough to distinguish a person from a moving object like tree blowing in the wind or bird?

So let's say I look deeper at the PC option:
  1. Understand that once setup I only need the PC hooked up to power and ethernet but for the setup process, I only have laptops at home, no screens so unless there's a way to connect the PC to my laptop screen, I'd have to get a screen too...?
  2. Do you get special low power PCs which can be used for this purpose?
  3. Will it need Windows on there or could I install something like Ubuntu or some other free OS on it?
All I can think of for now...
Click to expand...

You would need to buy or borrow a monitor for initial setup of the PC.
The rest of that is answered in the Wiki.
 
Is eBay the best place to search for the right kind of PC in the UK or is there another website people use/recommend?
 
Having done some searching for PCs it looks like I can get one for the same price as the Dahua NVR so purchase cost is not an issue with the PC option, which I thought it might be. The only other thing on my mind now is power usage of a PC vs NVR. Anyone done any analysis of this or even got rough estimates of the difference?
 
freddyq said:
Having done some searching for PCs it looks like I can get one for the same price as the Dahua NVR so purchase cost is not an issue with the PC option, which I thought it might be. The only other thing on my mind now is power usage of a PC vs NVR. Anyone done any analysis of this or even got rough estimates of the difference?
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on average you are looking at 30-50w
 
I have personally built 2 systems in the past year, one with a Dahua NVR and the other with BI. I dislike the interface on the NVR and really prefer BI when reviewing the recordings. Just my personal preference but if I ever need another build it will be with BI.
 
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This has been a really useful thread. Don't know what I would do without all the guidance!

Out of interest, if I want to get the cameras setup before I've got the PC going, how would I view their live streams to determine their best position and lens settings?
 
My preference is a dedicated PC running BI, with a dedicated monitor, keyboard, and mouse, set up as a workstation so you can sit comfortably to review footage and make adjustments.

But I realize that this is not always practical, or even possible. So the remote desktop mentioned earlier might be handy, letting you work from a laptop or the like from anywhere.

But you will likely want a keyboard, mouse, and monitor connected to the BI PC for initial setup. And monitors are really cheap these days, as are keyboards and mice, so if only for occasional use, it may still be worth it to dedicate a monitor just to that PC, or have a KVM switch setup if desk space is at a premium, and you have another PC workstation.

As for viewing the cameras before you get the BI PC set up: In my experience, most cameras come with built-in firmware that behaves as a web-server so you can log into them using a web browser once they are on your network.

Some also come with software that you can install on a PC to work with and view, record, etc.

And many have free apps that you can use on a phone or tablet.

But I really like BI and the BI app. Once you have that set up, adding more cameras to the system is easy, and being able to view on a phone or tablet is very handy when adjusting camera aim, etc., especially when up on a ladder or in cramped locations.
 
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J Sigmo said:
My preference is a dedicated PC running BI, with a dedicated monitor, keyboard, and mouse, set up as a workstation so you can sit comfortably to review footage and make adjustments.

But I realize that this is not always practical, or even possible. So the remote desktop mentioned earlier might be handy, letting you work from a laptop or the like from anywhere.
Click to expand...

I've pretty much decided I'm going to go down the PC with BI route. Although I wasn't keen on it initially its just got so much more going for it over the NVR option. But yea, I'll probably borrow a keyboard, mouse and screen for setup and then remote onto it for management once everything is setup.

J Sigmo said:
As for viewing the cameras before you get the BI PC set up: In my experience, most cameras come with built-in firmware that behaves as a web-server so you can log into them using a web browser once they are on your network.

Some also come with software that you can install on a PC to work with and view, record, etc.

And many have free apps that you can use on a phone or tablet.
Click to expand...

Useful to know. I've got options but I think I'll just end up getting the PC sorted alongside the cameras now. Will be easier to do it all in one go.
 
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