Has anybody switched from Unifi Protect to Blue Iris? I am a big fan of DIY and I have Unifi gear but their cameras leave a lot to be desired. Has anybody switched from Unifi Protect to Blue Iris? What was your experience like? I am a bit concerned about the mobile experience. I am in the iOS ecosystem and I see the BI app costs $9.99. I am not concerned too much about the cost but I'd like to try before I commit to buying into the BI ecosystem. So before I take the plunge I would like to hear experiences of folks who switched.
Blue Iris vs Unifi Protect
- Thread starter bluebat
- Start date
I would pick up a couple good 5442 Dahua cameras and test them against the Unifi cameras.
Once you find out what a good camera will do, you will see what you have been missing.
store.ipcamtalk.com
Blue Iris has a trial period that works well, you can buy it cheap from this site when you decide.
I debated on the app for a while, but finally bought it, it's worth it.
store.ipcamtalk.com
I started with the BlueIris setup back during version 3 and love features added with ver 5.
I have 3 BlueIris setups just for friends and family.
While installing a Wifi system for a large building built in 1903, I decided to use a UDM pro for
system management. The access points work great, better then expected with the Wifi 6
Once the system was in they wanted cameras, so I tried one of their cameras, it was not good.
I ended up installing a Dahua NVR and cameras to cover the buildings over a 4 square block complex.
A blueIris machine deals with the day to day viewing and recording and the NVR is backup.
I love the Ubiquity AP, their point to point, point to multi point products, but their cameras
are the quality of a ring or wize camera.
Once you find out what a good camera will do, you will see what you have been missing.
Hot Selling IPC-T5442T-ZE 4MP Starlight IR Vari-focal Eyeball Network Camera , free DHL shipping - IP Cam Talk Store
4MP WDR IR Turret Smart Network Camera 2.7mm - 12mm motorized varifocal lens Outdoor Rated - IP67 PoE (802.3af) or DC 12V (±30%)
store.ipcamtalk.com
Blue Iris has a trial period that works well, you can buy it cheap from this site when you decide.
I debated on the app for a while, but finally bought it, it's worth it.
Blue Iris Software - IP Cam Talk Store
Blue Iris is one of the most popular video surveillience recording software solutions on the market. Buy Blue Iris here at a discounted price!
store.ipcamtalk.com
I started with the BlueIris setup back during version 3 and love features added with ver 5.
I have 3 BlueIris setups just for friends and family.
While installing a Wifi system for a large building built in 1903, I decided to use a UDM pro for
system management. The access points work great, better then expected with the Wifi 6
Once the system was in they wanted cameras, so I tried one of their cameras, it was not good.
I ended up installing a Dahua NVR and cameras to cover the buildings over a 4 square block complex.
A blueIris machine deals with the day to day viewing and recording and the NVR is backup.
I love the Ubiquity AP, their point to point, point to multi point products, but their cameras
are the quality of a ring or wize camera.
I would pick up a couple good 5442 Dahua cameras and test them against the Unifi cameras.
Once you find out what a good camera will do, you will see what you have been missing.
Hot Selling IPC-T5442T-ZE 4MP Starlight IR Vari-focal Eyeball Network Camera , free DHL shipping - IP Cam Talk Store
4MP WDR IR Turret Smart Network Camera 2.7mm - 12mm motorized varifocal lens Outdoor Rated - IP67 PoE (802.3af) or DC 12V (±30%)
Yes, that is exactly what I did. I already bought the cameras to test them and am satisfied. They're definitely better quality and priced compared to Unifi ones.
Blue Iris has a trial period that works well, you can buy it cheap from this site when you decide.
I debated on the app for a while, but finally bought it, it's worth it.
Blue Iris Software - IP Cam Talk Store
Blue Iris is one of the most popular video surveillience recording software solutions on the market. Buy Blue Iris here at a discounted price!
I am not very concerned about the desktop experience. I am more concerned about the mobile experience compared to Unifi Protect.
Is the BI purchase a one time cost or is it like a subscription? I apologize if this is a naive question but I haven't looked into the pricing model.
fenderman
Staff member
- Mar 9, 2014
- 36,891
- 21,407
Blue iris is not a subscription. With the purchase price you get one year of updates for the current version. After one year or if there is a new version introduced (on the past it has been about 4 years between versions) you need to renew support for ONLY if you want updates for 35 for one year. 30 if you setup auto renew.
Why dont you simply buy the app for 10 bux and test it with the blue iris demo. You can also use the blue iris webserver (ui3) right from your browser and avoid the app altogether.
Mike A.
Known around here
- May 6, 2017
- 4,199
- 7,066
Haven't used the Protect mobile but the BI app is pretty good. Or you can access your system via mobile browser using UI3.
It's sort of a hybrid. You buy it and you get upgrades for a year. At the end of that year, you can either stick with what you have which will continue to work as is or you can buy a support subscription that gets you upgrades and support for another year (currently, $29.95).
Generally with all of the improvements they've made over the last couple of years it's been worth it for me to do the upgrade. Previously, I did stay with my last version of BI 4 for a long time.
Most use the native viewer called UI3 that is part of BI. The paid BI app is only needed for push notifications or if you have two-way talk cameras. Many here is the pushover app instead of the BI app for push notifications.
thank you all for the clarifications! I am trialing BI on my desktop for now. I will buy the mobile app and check it out.