Blue Iris Setup for Motel – Live View Only for Front Desk?

[justinneed]

I'm planning a Blue Iris setup for a small motel, and I’d appreciate some guidance on best practices.

Current Setup:

• All coaxial cabling runs to the front desk where there's a flat screen TV.
• The existing DVR (coaxial system) is connected there — employees can view live feeds, but can’t really access settings without the admin passcode.
• It's mainly used for passive viewing.

What I want to do:

• Replace coax setup with IP cameras using an Ethernet Over Coax (EoC) Extender instead of rewiring (which would be expensive).
• Install a PoE switch and a dedicated PC running Blue Iris.
• Ideally place the Blue Iris PC at the front desk (where DVR currently sits).

Goals:

• Let employees view live feeds at the front desk.
• Prevent them from accessing or changing any admin/Blue Iris settings.
• Possibly use a viewer-only account or run a separate viewer machine.

Questions:

1. Has anyone had good experience using EoC adapters with Blue Iris and IP cams? Worth it vs. full rewire?
2. Is it safe/secure to keep the Blue Iris PC at the front desk and just use a restricted user account for live viewing?
3. Would it be better to hide the main Blue Iris PC somewhere secure (back office/server room), and run a separate low-power mini PC or NUC at the front desk to view the feeds?
4. Can a Blue Iris viewer client or web interface (UI3) achieve this “live-view only” setup reliably, without exposing admin settings?

Any thoughts on the most practical way to achieve a secure, employee-friendly setup are appreciated.


Thanks!

 

[wittaj]

Yep many of us have used those adapters for years.

Best to hide/lock away the PC so it isn't accidently accessed or easily stolen.

Yes just create a live view only account and let them use UI3 on a computer or tablet.

 

[justinneed]

Yep many of us have used those adapters for years.

Best to hide/lock away the PC so it isn't accidently accessed or easily stolen.

Yes just create a live view only account and let them use UI3 on a computer or tablet.

That was my guess. Glad to get confirmation.

Do you recommending hiding/locking away the PoE switch as well or would it be fine sitting in that front desk area? Running 10-12 ethernet cables from the EoC extender where the coaxial cables end at the front desk to the less accessible room would be a bit of a hassle.

 

[Ri22o]

That was my guess. Glad to get confirmation.

Do you recommending hiding/locking away the PoE switch as well or would it be fine sitting in that front desk area? Running 10-12 ethernet cables from the EoC extender where the coaxial cables end at the front desk to the less accessible room would be a bit of a hassle.

Things can always get unplugged, whether advertently or inadvertently...