Zero Tier remote access to Blue Iris

C

Cooltiger

Getting the hang of it
Jun 28, 2020
53
51
2701 NSW Australia
Any network gurus care to comment on using Zero Tier for remote access. I need to access cameras on a property 40ks from home. Also would like to make Plex accessible

www.zerotier.com

Home - ZeroTier

ZeroTier is the best global networking solution and overlay for IoT infrastructure, SD-WAN, VPN, and remote access.
www.zerotier.com
 
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Cooltiger said:
Any network gurus care to comment on using Zero Tier for remote access. I need to access cameras on a property 40ks from home. Also would like to make Plex accessible

www.zerotier.com

Home - ZeroTier

ZeroTier is the best global networking solution and overlay for IoT infrastructure, SD-WAN, VPN, and remote access.
www.zerotier.com
Click to expand...

I didn't see your comment before posting, but I gave the same information. This is the video that helped me set up ZT1.
 
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Zerotier is a great option if you can't or don't want to run your own VPN server. I used to run Logmein Hamachi which does basically the same thing and has an easier graphical interface, but their free service plan kept getting worse so now I use Zerotier.

Compared to running your own VPN server, It may be slightly less reliable because because Zerotier's own servers will be involved in establishing connections between the devices you put on your Zerotier network. In some cases you might not be able to establish a direct connection between devices so your traffic might need to be proxied through a zerotier server, which will be slow.

It is possible to run your own Zerotier server infrastructure, but this is not as well documented as just running your own OpenVPN or Wireguard server.
 
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I have a laptop running windows 7, in trying to install Zerotier, Windows 7 is no longer supported. What's the best option to install on W7?
 
I'm sure this solution has its place (as the video talks about), but I'd always recommend running your own VPN server before using a service like this. Heck, most consumer grade routers can now run an OpenVPN server. This way you cut the "middle man" out of the equation. Setting up a real VPN is not hard.
 
How is ZT different than say TeamViewer?
 
samplenhold said:
How is ZT different than say TeamViewer?
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TeamViewer allows you to get to the desktop of the connected computer. So you are running applications on the desktop. ZT allows you to connect to the computer, as if you were in the next room, allowing you to use a browser and the UI3 interface, or the BI phone app. Generally the ZT method is quicker as you don't have to start an app on the remote computer. Connect with whatever app you want, and you are done.
 
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using ZT for better part of a year. does a perfect job. An added bonus: setting up ...https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.rdc.androidx...on my phone, everything else is set up to access my BI pc, accessing all my files etc, remotely , by enabling remote desktop on the pc. And, btw, you do not need ZT in order to access PLEX
 
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JeffCharger said:
is Zerotier as secure as using a VPN?
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Good question. From what I can ascertain, I would say yes. Am I 100 percent certain....????? Maybe those who are more technical than myself can chime in. In the meantime, I am sticking to with Zero Tier.
 
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I also have been using ZT for about a year now. Perfect. Always running. Nothing for me to do extra for router setup. The WORST thing about ZT for me-- I now have direct access from home to my WORK COMPUTER through an enterprise grade firewall and router, allowing me to do work as though I was logged in and sitting at my desk. Why did I do that?
 
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ZeroTier, Tail Scale, Cloudflare, etc… all good choices if you don’t want the hassle of running your own VPN server. Ideally, you buy a router that has one built into it already however.
 
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After using BI4 for 4-5 years, I finally installed BI5 yesterday -- didn't want to fix something not broken. However, I'd NEVER been able to successfully figure out how to view my cams on my phone from when outside the home or traveling. With the new BI5 I frustratingly tried port forwarding again but ran across that Cajoling Industries "Blue Iris Secure Remote Access Using ZeroTier" video.

I watched the vid several times and decided I would try it, following step by step as he did it (I then mirrored his actions). It worked PERFECTLY!! I can now see use my iPhone's BI app to see my cameras on cellular. Truly, this was EASY (if VERY clear directions are followed -- although the client web app has changed slightly from the video) -- I'm extremely happy now! :)
 
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DroMike said:
After using BI4 for 4-5 years, I finally installed BI5 yesterday -- didn't want to fix something not broken. However, I'd NEVER been able to successfully figure out how to view my cams on my phone from when outside the home or traveling. With the new BI5 I frustratingly tried port forwarding again but ran across that Cajoling Industries "Blue Iris Secure Remote Access Using ZeroTier" video.

I watched the vid several times and decided I would try it, following step by step as he did it (I then mirrored his actions). It worked PERFECTLY!! I can now see use my iPhone's BI app to see my cameras on cellular. Truly, this was EASY (if VERY clear directions are followed -- although the client web app has changed slightly from the video) -- I'm extremely happy now! :)
Click to expand...
I use it on my Android and iPhone and it was easy to install. The only gripe I have is that if I don't log in on my iPhone to check my cams Zero Tier will shut off and I'll have to turn it back on. With Android is set it and forget it.
 
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Lawnboy1 said:
I use it on my Android and iPhone and it was easy to install. The only gripe I have is that if I don't log in on my iPhone to check my cams Zero Tier will shut off and I'll have to turn it back on. With Android is set it and forget it.
Click to expand...

Might be able to set up a Shortcut automation on the iPhone to load ZeroTier first when you launch BI or whatever you use to view the cams. I've not tried it with ZeroTier but works with various other things. The automations can be kind of flaky as far as working sometimes or not with various things.
 
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