Tailscale and Blue Iris help please.

F

fishead

n3wb
Dec 8, 2019
14
7
UK
I'm completely baffled with how to get this to work. I've searched on here and watched lots of video's on Youtube but my 70 year brain just doesn't understand the terminology used in most of them.

I've used a fixed IP for remote use of U13 ever since I got Blue Iris and that I understand but this I don't. I've installed Tailscale on both my Windows 10 PC and my Android phone. I can see both devices in my Tailscale account and they appear to be talking to each other when tested.

Now what do I do? Please in very simple terms could someone please tell me which box I need to tick, which IP address I need to insert where etc; to get this to work. A big ask but pretty pictures would be marvellous.
 
What are you trying to do ?

I use Tailscale for remote viewing because I could not get the remote viewing option to work from the BI5 - I never did figure out why. Tailscale is an alternate connection between devices to eg. see local BI video on a remote device.
 
The next step is to login to TS with your phone using your home WiFi connection or by using your phone's data plan. Make sure that one or the other is on. When TS is up, access a browser on your phone. i.e. little slider on the TS app on the phone.

Then enter in the UI3 URL into the phone's browser. Generally it is 192.168.1.120:81. One can check for the correct URL in Blue Iris using the gear icon on the top left of the screen. Select "Web Server" and locate the line "Local internal (LAN) access" line. Use that URL if the above is not correct for your BI setup.

The 81 is the port number which is needed for access. If different change as needed. Also note that the port number can be changed in the same popup window. There should be a check mark "Enable the HTTP web server on port". Some change the port number while other stay with the default.

If everything is setup correctly, then the browser will display the BI login screen. Enter your login info and connect to UI3.
 
I currently use Port Forwarding to view Blue Iris remotely. I have a fixed IP address from my current internet provider which I purchased for a one off fee of £5. It's simple to use but not the most secure way of remote viewing.

I'm looking at changing my internet provider for a faster and cheaper service but their cost for a fixed IP is £8 per month which is a rip off. Also with the security problems associated with Port Forwarding I think its time I did it in a better more secure way hence the move to Tailscale.

If I understand correctly my phone and PC can now see each other via Tailscale, but I don't understand what to do next.

From the video's I've watched I believe I enter an IP address (as I do now) in my browser on my Phone while the PC and Phone are connected via Tailscale. Is this correct? If so which IP address do I enter? That's the part I just can't work out.
 
You enter the LAN IP address of the BI computer followed by :81 not your fixed WAN IP address
 
fishead said:
I currently use Port Forwarding to view Blue Iris remotely. I have a fixed IP address from my current internet provider which I purchased for a one off fee of £5. It's simple to use but not the most secure way of remote viewing.

I'm looking at changing my internet provider for a faster and cheaper service but their cost for a fixed IP is £8 per month which is a rip off. Also with the security problems associated with Port Forwarding I think its time I did it in a better more secure way hence the move to Tailscale.

If I understand correctly my phone and PC can now see each other via Tailscale, but I don't understand what to do next.

From the video's I've watched I believe I enter an IP address (as I do now) in my browser on my Phone while the PC and Phone are connected via Tailscale. Is this correct? If so which IP address do I enter? That's the part I just can't work out.
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Tailscale in simplest terms puts your remote devices on your LAN network as if they were connected to your home wifi. So to access things on the LAN, you simply use their local address/hostname as if you were home.
 
Thanks for help. I've had to deal with family life of the last few days and only just got back to this.

Unfortunately it doesn't work.

I switched off WiFi to ensure I was using my data connection simulating being away from home. Tried with a 4G and a G signal. Tailscale is showing as connected with both my phone and PC (running Blue Iris) online. I pinged the PC from the phone, about 70ms.

I tried my WAN IP address/connection and it worked. Tried my LAN IP address/connection, nothing. Both using my normal browser.

Any ideas please.
 
I think I have it working but because the phone signal strength where I live is not that good I'll try again tomorrow when I'm out.

What I did was use the PC Tailscale IP address with the Blue Iris Port Number in my browser and not the LAN address listed in Blue Iris (which is what I was doing). I assume this is what you have all telling me but I wasn't understanding it.
 
Yes, you use the BI PC's Tailscale IP address and append the port number. Like:

100.116.183.108:81
 
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Thanks for all the help, finally able to try it today when waiting at the Vets!

With Tailscale connected it was just slightly faster connecting to U13 than using Port Forwarding. I assume that I should only connect Tailscale when I need to use it or it's going to eat my data allowance.
 
Nice that you have it working.

When using with UI3 on the phone, keep the "Quality" level in the range of 480 p or even 360 p if the image is of the needed quality to save cell data. To be on the safe side it is best to keep TS off unless it is needed. Use that procedure on this end. However, there are posts on the net that indicate that a full time connection was not an issue.

In my case, TS is always on at the house as it is run on the router and not on any of the desk top computers including BI. The reason is that BI is totally isolated from the internet and thus can not host TS which requires net connectivity.

In times past TS required a monthly login/use to keep the free account active. Terms have since changed and perhaps that requirement is no longer in force. Check to make sure to be on the safe side.
 
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