Should I toss my hikvision setup?

[wittaj]

For those of us that use BI on a dedicated PC, yes we find it better than any NVR on the market. And you should be able to find a decent refurbished for a reasonable price.

There is a big Blue Iris or NVR debate here LOL. Some people love Blue Iris and think NVRs are clunky and hard to use and others think Blue Iris is clunky and hard to use. I have done both and prefer Blue Iris. As with everything YMMV...

 

[Flintstone61]

OK, so a dedicated blue iris PC is better than any NVR on the market?

My issue is that all my equipment is in a custom enclosure with a 19in rack. I can go up to 2U... what's the chances of being able to put a decent priced PC into a 2U space?

They sell rack mount PC “ do it yourself cases” for micro atx boards.
a dell optiplex or Hp elite desk in “SFF” ( small form factor” might be close to 2U

 

[Flintstone61]

Whats the height limit of 2u? My optiplex sat on a rack self. Its case in 4” inches tall.

 

[Hollywoodperth]

2U rack mount height would be 2 x 44.45mm (1.75"), which equals 88.90 mm

 

[Flintstone61]

Amazon.com: iStar D Value D-213-MATX 2U Rackmount Server Chassis (Black): Electronics

 

[Flintstone61]

The main components in the optiplex would fit in a 2U. The 9010 and the 7010 use a standard ATX psu ( lost my internet midpost) 24pin connector. the 9020/7020 and newer use a proprietary 8 or 10 pin connector.

 

[Flintstone61]

I wonder if anybody ever took the SFF optiplex components outta the case. and stuffed it in a rack.

 

[Flintstone61]

Thanks glad its not just me.

So to go back to the original question. Is it better persisting with hik (even if that means a component upgrade or 2) or is there a better alternative to go to and just toss out the hik completely?

You can try running the nvr IP thru Blue iris and change the Camera# in Video tab for each camera# running on the NVR. I have 192.168.1.207 as my amcrest Dvr streaming to BI. Then in Video tab I change the Cam# to 2 to get the second cam to show up on the monitor. so I have 192.168.1.207 Cam1 and 192.168.1.207 Cam2. then I dont have to fool with the Clunky Amcrest interface. I can stay in Blue iris World where I am the most proficient now.

 

[The Automation Guy]

As far as "mounting" in a 19" rack, they also make rack shelves. You can buy a shelf and lay the computer on it instead of trying to find a 19" case and swapping components over. Of course you want to monitor temps a little bit after that to make sure the cooling system can work effectively when turned on it's side, but most of these BI computers aren't pushed hard CPU wise anyway.

Of find a small form-factor desktop and just leave it upright. There are lots of choices that are only 7-10" tall.