Does anyone have experience replacing the OpenEye Apex software with Blue Iris

[Himakinecity63]

I inherited an existing OpenEye system (running an 12 TB OE-MA-Gen2 recorder and 10 4MP OE-C3212D4-S dome cameras) and want to be able to run it locally without paying the OpenEye licensing fee through an installer/third-party. Does anyone have experience replacing the OpenEye Apex software with Blue Iris and/or know which recorder would support both Blue Iris and comparability with the existing 10 cameras?

[TimG]

I don't, but if they are IP caneras you have a good chance. You can run BI5 in free demo mode to try it too. I"ve had a look online and I can see they can use POE but it doesn't mention ONVIF or RTSP feeds.

I think they are selling ease of use and simplicity by using their ecosystem. If you can get an image into BI5 you may still struggle to get PTZ working.

BI5 needs a reasonably powerful Windows PC, and of course you need to keep Windows running well. What it gives you then is the ability to mix and match your cameras to suit your needs. You don't need an annual support plan unless a new version does something you want.

Overall: Give it a try with the demo.

OK, a further look for "OpenEye canera with other NVR" looks promising. If you copy the IP addresses for your cameras, you will be able to try them in the BI5 demo. It's the main download from the Blue Iris website. It will run in demo mode without a key for quite a few days. You should be able to try this with the existing OpenEye NVR powered up.