Is BI right for me?

[rolibr24]

To start it off I am a complete newb to security cameras. I’m only familiar with the system I have at work which are analog cameras.

I’m looking at setting up a IP system on my property to monitor livestock in my out buildings. Because of the distance I’m needing to go, and conduit space for underground im needing to go IP vs analog.

I’m debating on what to do with a NVR. Wether to go with a dedicated NVR or to go with Blue Iris.

From all my research BI is always highly recommend. But my concern is that I have zero computer skills. I’m OK with buying a recommended system and installing BI, but i know I will be having issues if I need to start doing configurations to get everything set up.

With that being said, is Blue Iris for me or am I a candidate for a NVR?

 

[bradner]

NVR to start, maybe when that gets long in the tooth you may decide to go with BI after you get good with the NVR. Exact reason why I got my friend a Dahua NVR and not a BI system.

 

[sebastiantombs]

You can also use dedicated RF links rather than conduit/CAT cable to get a signal in from the out buildings assuming the have power. Each building would need a PoE switch to power the cameras and the link itself. Might save a lot of digging and conduit plus it does save time and is quite reliable unlike WiFi.

Ubiquity Nano Station Loco M5

Amazon.com

TP Link Bridge

Amazon.com

Another comment -

Three rules
Rule #1 - Cameras multiply like rabbits.
Rule #2 - Cameras are more addictive than drugs.
Rule #3 - You never have enough cameras.

 

[TVille]

You don't need great computer skills to setup Blue Iris. You do need patience and dedication to get all of the settings right on all of the cameras, for optimum performance. But, most of that setup is inside each camera's GUI. If all you are looking for is some kind of video coverage, to see if the cows wandered off, an NVR is fine. If you want more flexibility, then BI.

I second @sebastiantombs RF links. I have a detached garage 75' from the house that I needed a camera on. I could have trenched it, but for less than the price of conduit and cable, I got a pair of Nanostations, and they work fine. Heck, one of them is inside the garage, shooting through the wall and signal strength is still 85%. I've never noticed any dropouts from it.

 

[Flintstone61]

you can view your NVR in Blue Iris if you buy the Amcrest or Empire Tech Andy's Dahua NVR's, then you can play with both. start out with NVR. see if it offers you the basics you want.
Esp. if your not feeling computer strong.

 

[Flintstone61]

At one point I had both running at the Property I manage. Actually still have 12 channels of Analog, and 17 Channels of IP. 2 of which are RF link Ubiquiti Nano Loco 2.4 GHZ wireless to a remote garage 400 feet away. 99.999% uptime so far.

 

[bp2008]

I think an NVR will be a lot more plug-and-play, and probably less of a learning curve especially since you are already familiar with an analog DVR which likely has a similar way of doing things.

 

[Holbs]

Toss in one of them DJI drones (I gots the $499 one) or whatever drones work well in 2022. Really cool to cruise around 20'-50' in the air to keep an eye on things around a large property.
I agree with bp2008. NVR is my vote for the plug & play ability, as Blue Iris on a Windows machine does require some network tinkering, especially if something goes amiss...and does have a learning curve.

 

[samplenhold]

One way for you to decide...buy one IP cam. You probably have a Windows PC that you can use. Load the demo version of BI. It is free. Set up that one IP cam and add it to BI. Play around with it. The help file is great and there are several YouTube videos on how to set things up. Plus you can always ask questions here. If you decide that you can use BI, then buy it. Else get an NVR.

For the IP cam to work, you will either have to get a POE switch or a power injector, which run about $25.