BI android app, layout options

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potluckman

Young grasshopper
Aug 28, 2014
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I just purchased the BI android amp to use with a android mini PC for viewing only on Lan around home. Does it only let you view either one full screen camera or all your cameras.
I had assumed (yeah I know I should not.)it would have at least some layout options as I only want either two or four cameras shown. Any other suggestions on accomplishing what
i am trying to do. The mini pc is hdmi output and is plugged into a low cost flatscreen for wall mounting. plan on having three total.

Lenny
 
You can do it...Put the cameras you want to view in a group (in the serversoftware)...then when you log into the app you will be able to select that group..or if you want, you can create a new user name that only has access to that group and use that as the login the server.
 
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Thanks Fenderman, as usual you're always very helpful. I will apply my limited gray matter to trying that.

Leonard
 
Sorry Fenderman, gray matter failed. I do not find anything in help contents about camera groups. Are you talking about Profiles maybe.
 
Hey, no, Groups allows you to place specific cameras in, well, a group, for may functions (triggering, viewing etc)..to create a group go to camera properties > general tab > groups > create a new one..
On the rest of the cams you will see the option to select that new group.
Another option you may want to explore..if you just need this for live view and not recording ....ipcamviewer by robert chou...you can pull the stream directly from blue iris (i had to use the blue iris v3 option not the v3 h.264)..interestingly, instead of putting in your cam number, you can add you cameras short name and it will pull the stream.. (make sure you enter the blue iris user name and password and not the cameras)...
 
I tried IP Cam Viewer but had a lot of trouble getting it to connect to my no name chinese cameras. I did find a program for android called Onvifer that uses the Onvif standard to locate cameras and it
worked great and is still free. Problem is it is pretty limited on screen layout and the Android mini pc I am using did not like doing four h.264 cameras at once. Had no luck with their Jpeg method.

On the IP cam viewer, are you saying I can you "web output" that I get when I press the Globe icon. I am currently using it to feed the BI android mobile app that I am trying to get the four images on.
If that will work it would save me from spending $20 bucks not that I mind supporting Ken if I can get this to work. I do like the group idea assuming I am understanding it correctly as I could have one
group to view our multiple drives and a second that subs in a pool view instead of a drive view. That would be nice.

Leonard
 
Yes, can use ip cam viewer to pull a stream directly from blue iris, so the cams you have are irrelevant..This also reduces the load on the cameras as they only have to send one stream to blue iris.
You should only need one license for the blue iris app if you use the same account on both andriod devices. Yes you can view one group on one device and another group on the other...
 
This is getting a little over my head but with BI mobile I had to get the IP address from the server running BI by clicking on Globe. Does that address stay the same if server loses power. Other words is the address set by the router.

Also I found the group settings where you create a group name but how are cameras assigned it the group name. Do you go to each camera and retype in the group name to add that camera and do these groups prevent me from seeing your normal BI screen with all cameras on it or is does this just apply to the web stream.
 
Have played with group some. I can select a camera, go to group, and type in a group name and it add and then ok. When I open group again and type in a second name and hit add it shows both group
names but are both highlighted in blue and I hit ok again. When I exit and cone back only one name is there. Also when I go to another camera there is no option show to join existing group as you described, but I can open by hitting Select and clicking on Driveway and it is added to that cam but how can I then tell it I want that same camera in the Pool group. Course pool is not showing anyway.

Also I opened the android BI mobile app and it did not present any way to select a group, just went to main steam like before. Really sorry to beat this to death Fenderman but am just a homeowner with limited network and computer skills.

Leonard
 
With respect to the ip address...The blue iris server ip address is always going to be the ip address of your computer. You must set your computer to pull the same ip address each time it connects to the router...The simplest way to do this is dhcp reservation (sometimes called static ip) in your router...You tell the router to always assign a specific ip addrses to the mac address of your pc ethernet card...The procedure varies by router. What model do you have?

Groups, once you create the groups, both will be highlighted...You need to deselect one of them (if you dont want that camera in both) by clicking on it, the highlight will go away...
Make sure you are properly saving the groups, if you deselect newly created the group before saving it will not save...So create the group in the camera you want to use it with..or great the group in any camera, save it, then log back in and deselect it..Now that group will be available to any camera.
 
Also, you will not see a camera group on the mobile app until you place at least two cameras into the same group..then it will appear.
 
Thanks Fenderman. I figured out the part on groups and meant to email you to save you time replying but wife brought me lunch in so got delayed. I know how to set a static IP in the computers ethernet
connection, would that work. If not I will have m son do the router over xmas vacation. i can play with it but do you know how BI decides what the display order is in the group. I first thought it was by
camera number but that did not pan out.

Otherwise this looks like it is going to work great. Do you think the Intel I5 server I a running will have a problem with having four mobiles running on stream at one time.

Leonard
 
You can set it via the pc, but that does not guarantee that the router will not assign at ip to some other device (not likely though) or since the router only assigns addresses within its dhcp range then if you choose an address outside the range you will be fine...but you need to log into the router to find the dhcp range...
As far as the order of the cameras...it will display in the order they are displayed on the blue iris server..you can actually see this in realtime..if you have the app open as you move the cameras on the server the group order will change...

As far as running 4 mobile devices you should be fine there is only one way to test...try it...what model i5 are you using, there is a HUGE variation between models and some generations...
How many total megapixels do you have recording? what is the cpu use percentage now?
 
Fenderman:

Is there a time limit or something on a remote connection. I just came back in and the mobile app had closed on the mini pc. Hope that is not normal or this whole approach will be screwed as i need these to always be on.

I have eleven cameras running, some 1080P and most at 1280x720 and BI shows 58% cup usage so think i am ok. My son has a compact windows computer between the modem and our home Lan and I know he has assigned regions from .2.1 through .2.254 to various types of devices so will just have him do it right when he is home from grad school. Sounds like I can set display arrangement for
one group only since you say it goes by main display but not a game changer at all. I am not sure of processor type etc but my son played with BI and allowed for a minimum of 12 1080P cameras which I ended up not having so should be spare.

When I brought up the subject of being able to easily monitor a few cameras on a home tv say like front door and drive a few months ago, that a
lot of other members commented that they wanted the same. A few discussed using a raspberry pie but no programs available. So if you see others wanting to do this you can suggest a android mini Quad core pc with Hdmi output and either the IC cam or BI mobile app software. Anyway Thank you again so mucg Fenderman. I don't know if you work for/with Ken or just donate a lot of time for dummies like me but you are very much appreciated. I would never had got even the basic BI system up and running without your and a few other members help. My only negative comment to Ken
about BI is I wish there was a much more extensive help manual available for non-security/computer geeks as I suspect many customers are just using this for residental use.

Leonard
 
Hey,
As far as the disconnects are you running these things wirelessly? select auto login on the app so that it logs back in after a connection loss...
One way to eliminate this issue to to run ethernet and use hdmi over ethernet...i did that for a relative and its awesome...nice neat wall panels (using 10" led monitors surround by a custom frame) and direct to the tv hdmi input.
If the dhcp its set to 1-254 range you cannot go over that...so just let him do it...(he can do a teamviewer remote session...just not that using teamviewer while blue iris is running will spike cpu significantly so dont be concerned)
I dont work for Ken..my communication with him is limited to a few blue iris issues here and there...we just wanted a place folks can go and discuss all camera/security matters without overzealous mods taking down posts and banning users for their opinion. We know that it can be frustrating at times and are glad to help out.
 
Yes I am using wireless (only because I have to, prefer wired.)because these little PCs only have one usb input and no ethernet input. I am using the usb for a touchpad mouse. Is the auto log setting in
the mobile App somewhere. Joe limited the dhcp to .159 up so that is the range. He will be here in a few days (see him only twice a year as I am in Missouri and he is at Ohio State, 11 hour drive.)and I
will let him clean that part up. Thanks again. Yes us non-computer experts get very frustrated with this stuff and sometimes a helping hand is the only cure.

Lenny
 
if dhcp is limited to 159 then you can use 160 or anything to 254 for your pc...
Do you have ethernet at the locations of the andriod pcs?
The auto login is at the login screen
 
Fenderman:

Advise on using Groups worked great, Thank You. Now another question, how do I delete a group. Have tried highlighting and Right click but nothing. I searched forum and BI help but nothing
there either. Actually I should say how do i delete a camera from an existing group so I can add a different one. Group has four cameras in it and I am just wanting to swap out a camera position.
 
To remove a camera from the group just hit select (next to group) and when the list of groups comes up click on the group you want to remove the camera from, the blue highlighting will be removed and select ok..
To delete an entire group you must remove each camera from the group...then the group will delete itself..
 
Thanks Fenderman, I kind of feel like doing a polish head slap as I now remember noting that when I first set up the groups per your help. Thanks again for reminding me, will add to my BI setup notes.

Leonard
 
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