Is Blue Iris the best option for me?

[ValentineBosco]

Hello,

I am building a new home and plan to have about 10 4k security cameras.
I was considering Reolink cameras with their NVR, but then I came across Blue Iris and I am trying to decide if this would be a better option, and what equipment I might need.
So I have a few questions:
I understand that the initial setup of Blue Iris is far more involved than just buying an NVR. But would it also require a lot more maintenance? Since it will run on a Windows PC, would it crash more often than a dedicated NVR? Or once set up properly it can run smoothly for years?
What sort of hardware do I need to support 10 4k cameras, and maybe also run HomeAssistant on the same computer?
Can the required hardware fit and have sufficient cooling (and not be too noisy) in a 1U or 2U server enclosure;

Thanks!

[HeneryH]

The windows crashing myth is greatly exaggerated. Doing a clean install of W11 and installing BI is perfectly stable (assuming you don't do upgrades the day they come available )

Initial setup is really not that bad at all but there are a lot of options that grant features necessarily requiring attention. No NVR can do email and SMS alerting without some level of technical tweaking of the settings.

Likewise, setting triggering events for each camera also can't be magically done in an NVR with no effort.

You want AI enable detection? Well, if you expect an NVR to do that for you with no effort then I have a bridge to sell you.

These things should just be accepted as a necessary configuration. Once done, my system has been running for years without any effort.

On the hardware.... you could on something like a moderately new hp or dell ebay micro/mini.

[HeneryH]

Maybe someone has the link to the user database that shows systems with the CPU and memory and how many pixels/sec they are processing and can share it here.

[IAmATeaf]

As a min I would look at a system with an i5-8500, what you get beyond that will depend on how much you want to spend.

I run W10 and I’ve never had the OS crash although a few years ago I did used to have regular crashes of BI which sort of magically sorted itself out after a few updates.

As BI has many options this in turn means that it can be that much more complex to setup and configure but basic configuration for motion detection is quite simple and straightforward.

[IAmATeaf]

Something else I forgot to add is make sure whatever PC you get it has enough connections and space for the number of HDDs you think you might need.

My HP desktop has space for 2 full size HDDs which for me is enough which to me was an important factor when choosing the PC and form factor.

[TimG]

Maybe someone has the link to the user database that shows systems with the CPU and memory and how many pixels/sec they are processing and can share it here.

What This one ?

My view: If you want a box that just records stuff and you don't like Windows, then a NVR may be a good bet. If you do like Windows, and want the latest whatever comes out next year party trick, then BI5 is your tool on a powerful PC - you won't be able to upgrade your NVR but you will be able to upgrade a Windows PC. BI5 works with many different cameras, but an NVR will be set up to work best with its own cameras although it may well run a few others too.

SFF cases or mini PC's mean you can't squeeze another hard drive in the box

[analogscott]

Nice thing about using a computer is that it's flexible. You can simply add hard drives to expand space.

Windows doesn't crash much but it can happen. I would delay your updates or stop them outright. https://www.grc.com/incontrol.htm
If the computer is dedicated to BlueIris, then updates are not as important. If its regularly used by users going through the internet, then updates become much more important.

I've worked with a few NVR and have built many BlueIris systems. BlueIris has many more options to customize how it functions.

If you're building a house, now is the perfect time to embed CAT6 lines everywhere. You could route lines directly to the corners and under eaves, if there isn't a roof yet. Routing lines while building will make it much easier to get camera lines all over. Plus the end result will look much cleaner.

Cat6 can run almost anything, networking, cameras, audio, video, etc....

[HeneryH]

I saw a funny youtube video tutorial from a dude showing how easy it was to run lines in the attic. He was lying down in a nice clean attic and drilling some holes, etc.

I was like LoL.... where is all the dusty blown-in insultation getting stuck to every inch of your sweat covered stinky body??? So realistic.

Running cat-6 in a new build would be a DREAM.

[HeneryH]

What This one ?

Yeah, you can see some 40 camera builds (calculate your desired MP/Sec to get more accurate) and what people are using...

[TimG]

While you are running Cat6 cables, run spares too. You will thank yourself in the future.