Run BI on server to manage remote cameras

cjm0

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Hello. In my home, I have a racked WIndows Server. In a remote rental property that I own, I plan to install a number of cameras. Can I run BI in my house to manage those remote cameras? Further, if that works, I assume I can then store recordings in the cloud, correct? And, if so, is that data stream going to go directly from the remote property to the cloud, or is it going to flow through BI, on the server in my house, on its way there? Thanks very much.
 

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Yes, Yes, and maybie,
There are several ways to do it.
One way, you can run a copy of BlueIris at the remote property, store some video on the property incase they cut the internet,
then ship the video off to the cloud for storage, you will need a lot of it.
Then you can run a second BlueIris from your house to manage those cameras and the remote BlueIris from the house via a VPN.
You may be able to keep a copy of the video at your house if you have good enough internet. Buying Blue Iris is a drop in the bucket to
a system like that.

That's not a VPN you buy from a company, but one you set up between the remote property and your house.

If we know more about yoursetup, we can help you more.

Read up on Blue Iris, Running a VPN, and how cloud storage works.

Biggest thing is welcome to :welcome: Ip cam talk.
Take time and read around on here there is a ton of information on here for the time of reading it.
 

cjm0

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Thanks for the input and the welcome, Old Timer. On the latter note, I'm afraid I may have you beat...

Foremost, I am trying to avoid having to buy a computing device for the remote property ("Rental"). I have internet set up already, and a router. I mean to add a secure PoE switch, about 8 cameras for now - and hopefully nothing else. Maybe that was already clear but I thought I'd offer more detail in case it's helpful. So far, I * believe * that squares with your input.

As for the risk of loss of connectivity and potential loss of recordings, I wonder whether I can mitigate that significantly via local storage on each camera device. I believe the system, overall, is to act as a major deterrent (i.e., "that guy's got cameras leave him alone"). Needless to say perhaps, I still want actionable content if indeed something happens, but I'm thinking the probability of something happening plummets to near zero with appropriate indicators/signage. That said, I'm not making a case for just setting up some bluff cameras, of course. It's not a high crime neighborhood, but crime has gone up with two mailbox break-ins in a year where, for the prior 20 years there we none.

I will set up VPN access to the Rental, but I've wondered whether, with the right port-forwarding at the Rental, I'd need to be on the VPN in order to run BI remotely.

Hopefully, I have not missed the point. I think the key is my goal as to leveraging existing hardware (in my house) and not having to buy unneeded computing power for the Rental if possible. As further background, I've over 31 years with a major IT consulting firm, but I wasn't always the hands-on guy. So I can be surprisingly knowledgeable and puzzlingly naive, sometimes, at the same time.

Please let me know what you think. Thanks for the help.
 

cjm0

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:) I respect that input. Would you mind pointing me to the USD 120 - 200 option that will do the trick, please? The ever-present risk with me is over-doing it and over-spending, but if I had someone who knows this stuff cold (i.e., I've seen both of you a lot here), I'd be inclined to spend the (less) money and save myself the work. I'm also a bit enamored of my fairly recent but mostly quiet racked device at home since, otherwise, it's just going to get powered down, for now. I'm unwilling to move it, however, as it's a pretty high end device. Thanks.
 

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:) I respect that input. Would you mind pointing me to the USD 120 - 200 option that will do the trick, please? The ever-present risk with me is over-doing it and over-spending, but if I had someone who knows this stuff cold (i.e., I've seen both of you a lot here), I'd be inclined to spend the (less) money and save myself the work. I'm also a bit enamored of my fairly recent but mostly quiet racked device at home since, otherwise, it's just going to get powered down, for now. I'm unwilling to move it, however, as it's a pretty high end device. Thanks.
You havent said anything about your load? number of cameras, resolution, fps..
 

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OK, then I willl still suggest you run a PC at the remote location just for local storage. Using Sd cards on the camera will work in a pinch,
but will use a lot of the CPU time in the camera. Bite the bullet so you are not the guy that spent $xx,xxx on cameras and by cliping this
cable, they got away with a serous chrime, and you missed it. Crooks these days know how to cut the internet just like they cut the
phone line years ago.
I would suggest you run PFsense on both ends for your router and it will do open VPN to easily link the two sites. I have 4 diffrent VPNs
running on mine and via IP filtering it routs to where it needs to go.

Sorry, working as an engineer for a major telecom for 33+ years, and being in business for myself for 15+, I am use to dumbing
it down for people.

Now maybe some more info on what you are trying to do?
 

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:) I respect that input. Would you mind pointing me to the USD 120 - 200 option that will do the trick, please? The ever-present risk with me is over-doing it and over-spending, but if I had someone who knows this stuff cold (i.e., I've seen both of you a lot here), I'd be inclined to spend the (less) money and save myself the work. I'm also a bit enamored of my fairly recent but mostly quiet racked device at home since, otherwise, it's just going to get powered down, for now. I'm unwilling to move it, however, as it's a pretty high end device. Thanks.
Pick up a pc and stuff it with a good size hard drive for the video, I like segate purple.
I am running an old HP pro 400 G5 with I5-9 gen I think it is, with 36 caneras of all sorts of resulutions.
If you read the recomendations for BlueIris, you will find tips that let you save a lot of CPU time.
 

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Can you guide me on what else I might share, please? More on the cameras and layout? Thanks.
How many cameras, what kind, type, use, resolution, and frames per second you think you need?
What kind of internet do you have and speed at both locations?
 

cjm0

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Thanks. Actually, it's 6 cameras, probably all but one bullet style. I can't comment on type, resolution, or fps as I need to get smarter, there. I'd welcome recommendations if the answers are obvious from what I'll say next, otherwise I'll do my homework and post separately for opinions.

5 cameras will be outside: 1 looking across the front yard, across the front ingress; 2 up and down (i.e., east and west) a 45 foot reasonably lit driveway; 1 west across the remaining driveway, parking stalls, and the entrance to a carriage house; 1 looking at the ingress to the rear entry. These will all probably be up 10 feet or more for safety. The 6th will be a dome inside the front vestibule (tiny) where the mailboxes are. The proeprty is an old mansion converted to apartments.

Both locations are fiber to the house/Rental.
 

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Read up on the cameras and what works when. You will find a 4-5Mp camera will actually give you better pictures at
night then your 4K (8Mp) cameras will. Resolution, you don't normally need anything over around 15-20 frames per second.
What you are talking about is fairly straight forward. If you were doing license plate reading, that adds an entire diffrent
view on things. I would have a camera close to the door that is down 6-7' above the ground where you can see under a
ball cap or drawn up hoodie. Otherwise you have no way to id a person.
There are a lot of us that run Dahua cameras on this board, and we can help you set them up to get good shots in
low light to stop the blur and get a decent picture for the police.
Fiber can be cut easier then coax. you need the backup. Fiber does handle VPN traffic great.

Maybe one of the guys that have a copy and paste for new folks on setting up cameras will chime in.

In the mean time, study the Wiki and the Cliff Notes.
 

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I will leave this here.
 

cjm0

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It's really very kind of you both. Thank you for the support. I will plan to take it from here, leveraging the very considerate detail you've provided. I will keep you posted, but it may be about six weeks, before I finally start plugging things together, due to lots of planned projects this summer. I hope to chat again soon.
 
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