Need NVR / Blue Iris setup w/ full duplex audio for Elder Care grandparents.

[Offt]

I am being overloaded w/ trying to figure out systems and options
Help much appreciated - there's a ton going on here and I have no surveillance experience.
*Trying to get home ready to move grandparents back from assisted living which was completely unreliable to their needs. One has dementia and the other that was doing much for her when alone just had a stroke and recovering - this hampered any research I was doing for cameras. Despite stroke still moving them back home - so:

I need minimum 4 and 6 may be ideal cameras. At least 4 (better all if I get 5 or 6) w/ full-duplex audio. 4-5 indoor and maybe if I have 6 one would be outside on lanai.
Request for info and pricing from dahua / hikvision or any other forum suppliers that may be around.

I need flawless reliability to make sure there is full time observation and communication.
I'm also somewhat restrained by costs and ability to keep.
Would like 265/265+ - would like good quality video to have as a record for future any good moments to edit what's important to save. Good night vision image but very long distance not needed.
If 6th camera for outside (or even 5th camera as the outside and no 6th) better outside vision WDR, longer night vision for animals primarily might be nice and two way sound probably not needed for the outside camera)

 

[fenderman]

blue iris does not support h265+. see dahua 1831PIR thread.

 

[VorlonFrog]

Hikvision and Dahua 'cube' cameras (not really cubes, more like small, flat, rectangular boxes) are about $100 each right now. Amcrest PTZ 1080P HD are about $60 apiece. Blue Iris is about $50. Used Dell SFF PC for Blue Iris is about $300 on eBay. That being said, most IP cameras do NOT support full duplex audio. Instead, they use simplex 'push-to-talk' protocol.

 

[Offt]

At the start of looking I was checking out the amcrest and reolink ptz then dismissed them both perhaps amcrest mistakenly.
As a stop gap a couple months ago I purchased Wyze cam 2 and the ptz as well as a zmodo pivot. Apart from the security concerns which I think are way worse than I was hoping - they are being completely unreliable for the most part and thus can not use them.
As (just yesterday) I have also found the need for more cameras of probably 7min and 8 ideally to also cover lanai - right now I'm looking at the LNR828KXB from Costco - evidently from info here the Lorex from Costco is the dahua 1831 but w/out a bunch of features I'm sure would be fun and useful for many things but unsure if I need them to video and audio babysit 96&98yr olds to make sure there are no problems. For $800 for 8 of the cameras and the nvr. The dahua model appears to be $140each so that's a huge difference.
I started looking at the Amcrest again 1080 and 2k - much because wiring the poe in many locations is likely to be extremely difficult so I thought the wifi might get me by until.
I have no experience and not much time or ability to figure out - why I'm posting here ---
There appears to be a way to add two way audio to at least some ip cameras with built in rca. I'm presuming people here know what cameras have that option, which are good, which are cheap and hopefully also good.
There appears to be many cameras w/ mic only and then cameras with the ability to add the external audio though much of that seems like it's mic only.
I could probably get away with two way audio in one bedroom and one living room location so just 2 locations. Perhaps a third on lanai.
Ultimate reliability, security (keeping complete control of feed and storage -one of the main reasons the likes of wyze cam aren't even an option) two way audio at least in primary locations AND price are all most important.

 

[VorlonFrog]

I don’t believe you’ll find full-duplex audio on very many inexpensive cameras. Somebody else please correct me if my understanding is wrong.

 

[Alan Carter]

At the start of looking I was checking out the amcrest and reolink ptz then dismissed them both perhaps amcrest mistakenly.
As a stop gap a couple months ago I purchased Wyze cam 2 and the ptz as well as a zmodo pivot. Apart from the security concerns which I think are way worse than I was hoping - they are being completely unreliable for the most part and thus can not use them.
As (just yesterday) I have also found the need for more cameras of probably 7min and 8 ideally to also cover lanai - right now I'm looking at the LNR828KXB from Costco - evidently from info here the Lorex from Costco is the dahua 1831 but w/out a bunch of features I'm sure would be fun and useful for many things but unsure if I need them to video and audio babysit 96&98yr olds to make sure there are no problems. For $800 for 8 of the cameras and the nvr. The dahua model appears to be $140each so that's a huge difference.
I started looking at the Amcrest again 1080 and 2k - much because wiring the poe in many locations is likely to be extremely difficult so I thought the wifi might get me by until.
I have no experience and not much time or ability to figure out - why I'm posting here ---
There appears to be a way to add two way audio to at least some ip cameras with built in rca. I'm presuming people here know what cameras have that option, which are good, which are cheap and hopefully also good.
There appears to be many cameras w/ mic only and then cameras with the ability to add the external audio though much of that seems like it's mic only.
I could probably get away with two way audio in one bedroom and one living room location so just 2 locations. Perhaps a third on lanai.
Ultimate reliability, security (keeping complete control of feed and storage -one of the main reasons the likes of wyze cam aren't even an option) two way audio at least in primary locations AND price are all most important.

I'm learning too but hope someone can help you out; it's a big responsibility looking after two elderly folk
Cheers

 

[Alan Carter]

At the start of looking I was checking out the amcrest and reolink ptz then dismissed them both perhaps amcrest mistakenly.
As a stop gap a couple months ago I purchased Wyze cam 2 and the ptz as well as a zmodo pivot. Apart from the security concerns which I think are way worse than I was hoping - they are being completely unreliable for the most part and thus can not use them.
As (just yesterday) I have also found the need for more cameras of probably 7min and 8 ideally to also cover lanai - right now I'm looking at the LNR828KXB from Costco - evidently from info here the Lorex from Costco is the dahua 1831 but w/out a bunch of features I'm sure would be fun and useful for many things but unsure if I need them to video and audio babysit 96&98yr olds to make sure there are no problems. For $800 for 8 of the cameras and the nvr. The dahua model appears to be $140each so that's a huge difference.
I started looking at the Amcrest again 1080 and 2k - much because wiring the poe in many locations is likely to be extremely difficult so I thought the wifi might get me by until.
I have no experience and not much time or ability to figure out - why I'm posting here ---
There appears to be a way to add two way audio to at least some ip cameras with built in rca. I'm presuming people here know what cameras have that option, which are good, which are cheap and hopefully also good.
There appears to be many cameras w/ mic only and then cameras with the ability to add the external audio though much of that seems like it's mic only.
I could probably get away with two way audio in one bedroom and one living room location so just 2 locations. Perhaps a third on lanai.
Ultimate reliability, security (keeping complete control of feed and storage -one of the main reasons the likes of wyze cam aren't even an option) two way audio at least in primary locations AND price are all most important.

Reviews aren't that great for the Lorex camera https://www.costco.com/Lorex-4K-Ultra-HD-IP-NVR-System-with-8-Active-Deterrence-Security-Cameras,-130ft-Night-Vision.product.100430432.html

 

[Offt]

Reviews aren't that great for the Lorex camera https://www.costco.com/Lorex-4K-Ultra-HD-IP-NVR-System-with-8-Active-Deterrence-Security-Cameras,-130ft-Night-Vision.product.100430432.html

I see the poor reviews - dinged on night vis - which as inside only I'm not too worried about. One had a problem w/ audio not working - I think that's a one off. Poor resolution for zooming in on a license plate 200 (or 50') which I don't need and presume that's a measure of these not having correct lens for closeups at large distance plus problem with crosstalk from other device remotes - unsure of that one. Motion sensing issues. I'm unsure about that also but presume it will be ok as I'm looking just to know when person enters camera frame in a room. DVR (NVR ) noise - which I am concerned about though when I was in costco a long time ago before needing for elder care I didn't hear much noise from the displays though noisy environment so.... I'm hoping if anything I can put it away in utility storage closet or another closet so it's not distracting.
I am thinking I'm going to pull the trigger with this and with the cat 5 that come with it then later worry about replacing w/ 6 if need arises.

I also didn't realize this like most two-way audio means one way at a time. I think that should be fine because there would only be talking to them for emergency and listening in when worried. I do worry about ease that when viewing or an error - hitting the alarm - would love to be able to permanently delete alarm as I will never use it and it will be very bad to surprise them with alarm - wouldn't think horrible as the fire alarm has triggered a couple of times in the 5 years they have been in there previously. Annoying and startling but not heart stopping .

I have several extra amazon dots and did previously attempt for a little while to setup drop in from my house to theirs It wouldn't find the other house dot - I guess that's because they were all on my account at two different locations - I've created a free amazon account for them and will try assigning a dot and then more to that house on that account and see if I then have success - drop in should alleviate the worry over needing two way communication on cameras.

I had spoken with someone in passing who had a company install cameras for them for elder care - with audio listening but they weren't sure what company the system was from - I asked about the software on their phone and it was Flir cloud so I'm presuming it was a lorex system. They were happy with the software or didn't know better to not be happy - it functioned for them so I'm hoping that the complaints on the software for this and other lorex systems is stuff I can live with.

I am hoping I have no problems but as it's costco I should be able to return if there are major issues and I will be able to use the holes and camera mount locations with a replacement system - of course I am still very interested if there is a better decently priced system that I should be trying instead.
Right now the costco is on sale for $200 off and I have a $25 Costco discount that expires today...........soo I guess I'm fairly decided on this for trying and HOPE for good.

I am unsure if I can replace a camera or two on this system w/ one of the Dahua cube cameras the k46 looks good but I don't want to buy them right now in large quantity then need also a nvr or poe + computer w/ software. Spending way too much time trying to figure out and I just need to get it done.

I presume I can in future replace the nvr with a the poe, computer and software if I really need to unsure if w/o the added features stripped from the dahua version if I would need or want it anyway. I have never tried or even seen any of the computer software like blue iris just seen the multitudes of comments that that is the way to go.

 

[Offt]

Further if you fastforward to 2:07 then 3:10 and 4:08 and watch a little has the same lorex just w/ a little older grouping... same system more cameras included now.
look like it should be fine and does have the ability to search an area for movement - which is one of the things I thought was said to be stripped out of the lorex from the dahua - though perhaps in this case it's the software not the hardware that is giving the ability??? No clue as yet.
I did purchase it earlier today to be shipped - so once I figure it out I'll try to post my thoughts when I have time.
And I do hope I'm going to find it to be usable for my needs as to not need to replace.

I do hope if anyone has further thoughts on the issue, other things to consider - they post.
Thank You

 

[looney2ns]

Study here, Cliff notes.

 

[SouthernYankee]

I would go with multiple HIKVISION cube cameras inside. The may support audio, but not full dulpex ( I do not use audio) . They work wifi but i would recommend not using more than 2 on wifi. Wifi is not reliable, but for a quick temporary setup it will work.