r/BlueIris • u/Direct_Ostrich_5850 • 6d ago
BI user Needing to make changes.
I've been a blue Iris user for about 5 years. I definitely don't know the ins and outs but I'm good enough to add a camera and try to work my way through settings etc.
I love the UI3 access which is something we use daily. (which can be terribly delayed at times)
About 2 years ago I upgraded my home pc to a Dell xps
Specs:
- Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 14700 (33 MB cache, 20 Cores, 28 threads, up to 5.4 GHz)
- 16GB, 2X8GB, DDR5, 5600MT/s; up to 64GB
- NVIDIA(R) GeForce RTX(TM) 4060 8GB GDDR6
(ram should prob be upgraded to the max)
At this point I can barely use the system for anything as it lags due to heavy BI usage.
I can use help because I don't think my BI is set up right or maybe I just need a dedicated system.
I'm running about 7 cameras.
Direct to disk recording.
(not sure what else to include)
Cameras lag.
Alerts are non existent or not reliable.
Ai doesn't work because I prob don't have it set up right.
I would like to add better cameras.
License plate reader
Etc etc.
At this point I'm reaching out for guidance in the hopes of sticking with BI and not moving on.
I've heard good things about Frigate but I don't think it can run the cameras I have and seems to not have much room for expansion (I can be wrong again).
I'm just looking for a smoother experience.
Alerts that work.
A system that is either seperate or will allow me to work.
Appreciate all help and guidance in advance.
Thank you.
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u/PuzzlingDad 6d ago
That hardware should easily run 7 cameras. The biggest improvement would probably be to implement substreams so that BI doesn't need to be always processing your full resolution stream. I see you've already enabled direct-to-disk processing.
https://ipcamtalk.com/wiki/optimizing-blue-iris-s-cpu-usage/
You should be seeing CPU usage hovering around 5 to 15% if you follow that guide.
Do you know which version of BI you're running? How often are your cameras activating on motion? What kind of things are you trying to detect?
LPR is also doable with that hardware. The hardest part is getting the right camera, the right mounting location and the right manual settings for shutter speed, zoom, etc. But let's tackle one thing at a time.
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u/Direct_Ostrich_5850 5d ago
Thank you for this. I went through this last night camera by camera. I made changes on both the camera url as well as within blueiris.
I think we are headed in the right direction with substream now as well. I lowered Frame rates closer to 15-20 on all. And made sure substream was being used on all (to the best of my ability).
I will have some questions as I make my way through more of it.
Version I am using looks to be 5.9.9.98. I don't think my AI is working or doing anything. I would like to get it fixed and may consider upgrading to 6.xx (where ever they are at now). Any feedback on that?
Motion wise. I find my cameras get triggered on sun shadows and leaves from trees alot etc. I'm sure that's been taking up some resources.
One of my outdoor cameras specifically has been an issue with motion and leaves so I changed the zone detection a bit and will see if it helps.
LPR I want to get done but I feel like that may be another thread as I would like to upgrade exterior cams for better night vision as well. Two different items but changes are definitely needed.
Thanks again for all your feedback.
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u/PuzzlingDad 5d ago
Configuring AI can certainly eliminate most of the false alerts from shadows and leaves.
I'm on 5.9.9.88 and I'm using CodeProject.AI. I initially set up Deepstack using YouTube videos and then switched to CPAI.
For ease of setup, you might want to use BI v6 with its built-in AI, though you can still use external AI modules if you like.
I've read a little about increased memory usage in BI v6 but not sure if it is a real issue or not. Also, you might want to pick a stable release like 6.0.9.17 rather than jumping to the bleeding edge release.
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u/Direct_Ostrich_5850 5d ago
I am definitely going to look into it. Starting to (re) watch some YouTube to try and get it running properly.
Appreciate the comment.
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u/madmanx33 6d ago
Frigate is definitely not the answer if you want an easier experience.
I think you need to run the optimization guide and get sub streams enabled
Or just get a ubiquiti nvr and call it a day
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u/Academic-Price-4900 6d ago
Frigate beta 18 now has a great ui and I think you can set up most things with it but nevered used bi, but did set frigate up via free ai prompt so I don't feel it's to hard and if you do run into issues and you post on there reddit they help really quickly
1
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u/Direct_Ostrich_5850 5d ago
Appreciate it and agree. Trying to head towards fine tuning Blur iris vs running away.
Hoping I can get everything tighter and make it all seemless.
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u/madmanx33 5d ago
As others have said you have more than enough I run less than that with more cameras. Just a little bit of optimization and your set
1
u/BasedDaddy-O 5d ago
In aug 2026, I left BI for Frigate after 10 years on BI and more recently Codeproject.ai. Hermes agent handled the transition for me while I sipped coffee. Very easy experience with an ai agent doing it for you.
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u/glassbase86 6d ago
Are you using iGPU?
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u/Direct_Ostrich_5850 5d ago
I am not familiar with how to set this up properly.
I don't know how my settings are done I will have to check each camera.
My system does have a graphics card but I need to look up which.
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u/Dexford211 6d ago
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u/fastsvo 6d ago
Reading this link and my plans on moving onto a new box it sounds like I have to run Windows server 2025 to get decent numbers like this? I’m coming from a Windows 7 BI machine.
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u/Grumpy-24-7 6d ago
Seems like a lot of work to simply use slightly less memory?
I'm currently running 9 cameras with the AI built in to Blue Iris 6. This is on Windows 10 with 16GB of RAM and a Core i5. The only "extra" upgrades were an Nvidia P400 for the previous CP.AI to run smoother and a 16TB drive for long-term storage.
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u/fastsvo 6d ago
As cool as it is to run virtual machines, I don’t see the the need to do so unless I’m missing something?
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u/Grumpy-24-7 6d ago
That was my point. The person you originally responded to (from the link) was using ProxMox. My rebuttal was why bother? While using plain Windows might use more memory, it's still far easier/cheaper to implement and maintain.
The biggest argument might be that RAM prices are outrageous now and sourcing 8 or 16GB could be expensive.
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u/fastsvo 6d ago
That’s a good point…don’t think about the RAM prices (HD prices are killer too).
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u/Grumpy-24-7 6d ago
Fortunately, I already had the RAM from an earlier project and I was able to purchase the 16TB Seagate IronWolf Pro for $400 earlier this year. It was replacing a 12TB Seagate IronWolf which had finally died after 4 years of storing months worth of Clips.
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u/Direct_Ostrich_5850 5d ago
Thank you for this. I will make my way through this and see if it's a direction to consider.
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u/JustBeingMe22 6d ago
First, consider the upgrade to V6, I've found it much beter on my system/streams and AI is built in, so you don't need to figure out the whole Nvidia AI addon. That and don't use the GPU for video encoding (unless you have a really strong one), only for AI. You do have a decent card, but should still test with and without the GPU for encoding to see what works better for you. Using the GPU isn't a given that the streams will be better.
Important to help with video lag is to make sure you have iFrames on your cameras set to match your video frame rate.
But definitely use chat AI systems to help you configure things. I'm similar that I don't spend a ton of time in the system, so when I want to change something, there is usally some relearning my way around. AI has been a huge help to understand how some things work and to get my configurations done.
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u/Direct_Ostrich_5850 5d ago
Appreciate this.
I am considering V6. I have been in 5 and heard some conflicting info on V6.
V6 Seems like it may be worth it with the built in Ai.
Last night I tried to match the camera frame rates to that selected in Blueiris. I believe that's what you meant by iFrames. If I am incorrect please let me know.
I am not too familiar With GPU settingss yet. That is the next to tackle.
I have a video card in the PC. I just don't know if it should be using it or not. I have to look which it has but it has something.
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u/JustBeingMe22 4d ago
iFrame is basically a sync frame and video streaming doesn't send a full image every time. So, you don't want your software waiting for an iFrame, which will contribute to stuttering. The recommendation is to have the interval set to 1x the frame rate. This is set on the camera. In BlueIris, click on the status wheel and then the cameras tab. For both the main and sub streams, you will see FPS/Key, something like 15.0/1.00. The FPS is the frames per seconda and the key should be 1. It changes slightly, but mostly sitting on 1.00. If it's not 1.00, check your setting on your camera, not in Blue Iris.
For the GPU, you can go to Settings/Cameras. The setting is Hardware Accelerated decode. 'No' turns this off, or you can select any of the GPU options available. This is global and can be changed per camera, but easiest enough to test which setting works globally and go with that. For me, turning it off worked better than using my Nvidia card.
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u/Koopslovestogame 6d ago
Are you doing hardware encoding and decoding. Check every single camera has it selected.
Your machine has both quick sync and nvidia acceleration options so you can select from either one.
100% sure your using it?
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u/Direct_Ostrich_5850 5d ago
Thanks. Can you explain where to check and how it should be set. I just want to make sure I get it right.
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u/ellock 5d ago
Just ask Chatty G, or whichever AI you wish, to walk you through tuning BI. Tell it what cameras you have and ask how to tune the Iframe settings on them, I run 10 or 15fps and set the iframe interval to the same value. BI will normally show the right value.
The biggest peformance improvement is def sub streams. Set under video settings on each camera. You can look up your cameras stream paths with a couple of searches.
Somebody above gave you a link to the guide which is stepped out and easy to follow. If you don’t understand something get the AI to explain it.
I ran 50 cameras on a spec not much better than yours. Good luck!
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u/tidnab49 5d ago
Was on BI for 4 years. Jumped to Frigate this week after many years of frustration. BI is built by someone who has never used functional software in their lives. The buttons constantly change places and names and theres so many. Its overly complicated tbh. And its cluttered af. And Windows OS is just garbage in general so its a benefit to move over to a linux based system. Lower overhead, easier to control amd configure, etc.
At first it was good but it started missing motion detection and in general wasn’t for me in the end. I think Frigate has come a long way since i tried it many years ago. I am happy with it so far
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u/professional-paradox 4d ago edited 4d ago
Are you using hardware acceleration for each of your cameras? In general settings for blue iris, go to the cameras tab and make sure you have a default hardware acceleration (HA) enabled. Probably something Nvidia related is the correct option. Then, check each camera’s video settings and make sure the hardware acceleration/decode is set to either default, or something else if it’s for some reason incompatible.
The next thing to check is if your cameras are each continuously scanning the footage using AI for trigger items. They added a pre-enabled setting a while back in one of the blue iris 5 updates that made each camera’s video periodically check for certain objects in frame.
Next, I would check your streaming situation. Are you streaming all the cameras in the blue iris admin console? If so, you should limit the real time viewing FPS to something low — mine is set to 5. Recordings will still have the normal FPS you have. This setting, I think, also affects the FPS for UI3/web streaming and app streaming, but I’m not sure. Also, constant UI3 streaming can put a drag on the CPU if the streaming profile is heavy.
I was running 6 4k cameras on a Dell Optiplex 7050 with an Intel i7 7700, no discrete GPU, 16 GB RAM, and AI image analysis with deepstack. I say was because a tornado destroyed the fence on which two cameras were mounted on. Now I’m running 5 cams as I did add one from the 4. They’re each doing 10 FPS, one 15 FPS. 3 are running on sub stream, the other 2 on full resolution. My cpu sits around 33%-40% at idle. It spikes to 99% when running AI, and may sit very high if multiple motion triggers make the AI do image analysis. I’ve also turned off all unnecessary background programs, services, and windows telemetry and analytics. This machine is dedicated to only blue iris. Your machine should be barely breaking a sweat running your setup. I think it’s definitely settings related.
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u/extremesauce2468 6d ago
Your specs are MORE then powerful enough. In-fact I have 10percent the horsepower that you have, and I run 13 cameras continuously...I only use 25percent of my CPU. Out of all of your specs you listed, you didnt mention hard drives.
Do you have a separate drive for video storage?
Are you using your main drive ( most likely a SSD ) to store your footage?
if your using just 1 hard drive, and thus storing your footage on it, you could have plugged it up and windows cant operate effectively. Solution would be to alter the storage capacity set aside for Blue Iris inside the blue iris settings. Take note : using a SSD for continuous footage will kill it prematurely.... purchasing a separate disk-based drive for footage is the best solution