You can connect your compatible Amazon Echo, Echo Show, Fire TV, or Fire Tablet to your Ring device and use Alexa voice commands to do the following (and more):

*Ring Alarm and all Ring Alarm accessories require a subscription for digital notifications, in-app features, digital arming/disarming, and integration with other Ring, Echo, and third party products. Subscription sold separately. View ring.com/protect-plans for pricing and details.

See which Alexa-enabled devices are compatible with Ring

.

Connect your Ring device to your Alexa-enabled device

First, you’ll need to download the Alexa app on your mobile device or tablet. Get the Alexa app from the Apple App Store (iOS devices), or the Google Play Store (Android devices).

You may also need to update your mobile device’s operating system.

If you already have the Ring app you’ll need to ensure you have the latest version. 

Next, follow these steps to add Ring as a Skill in the Alexa app:

Note: If your Ring devices do not appear after you tap Discover Devices, you can say, “Alexa, discover my devices,” or tap the Devices icon at the bottom right corner of the Alexa app.

Connecting Amazon Alexa-Enabled Devices with Ring Devices

Read More : Ring Alarm Setup Guides and Manuals

Activate chime notifications on your Alexa-enabled device

Once you’ve connected your Ring doorbell to your Alexa-enabled device, you can set up chime notifications to get an alert on your Echo or Fire TV device when someone presses your doorbell.

Follow these steps to get Chime Notifications:

Note: Make sure each Alexa device you enable for Chime Notifications has Communication and Announcements enabled and the Do Not Disturb feature turned off in the Alexa app.

.

Activate Ring Intercom notifications on your Alexa-enabled device

Once you’ve connected your Ring Intercom to your Alexa-enabled device, you can set up Ring Intercom notifications to get an alert on your Echo or Fire TV device when someone buzzes your Ring Intercom.

.

Answer the door or Ring Intercom with Alexa

After you’ve connected your Ring doorbell or Ring Intercom to your Alexa-enabled device, you can answer the door and speak to your visitors through your Echo or Fire TV device.

To speak to your visitor, you can say:

.

Configure unlock by voice for your Ring Intercom

Follow the steps to enable unlock by voice and create a voice code

.

Unlock your building entrance using Alexa with Ring Intercom

To unlock the building door using Alexa, say Alexa, unlock [Ring Intercom Name]. Alexa will then ask you for your voice code to complete the action.

.

.

Get Live View from your Ring camera with Alexa

If you have an Echo Show, Fire TV, or Fire Tablet, you can use Alexa commands to view the live video stream from your Ring doorbell or security camera.

To get a live view from your Ring camera, you can say:

To stop the live video feed, you can say:

Note: “Front Door” is an example and may differ from the location labels that you assigned to your device(s) during setup. Other examples – backyard, side door, garage, etc.

Read Next  :Reolink NVR Setup Guide

Arm and disarm your modes

You can ask your Alexa-enabled device to change the mode to disarmed or armed* for your Ring devices, including cameras and Ring Alarm.

*Ring Alarm and all Ring Alarm accessories require a subscription for digital notifications, in-app features, digital arming/disarming, and integration with other Ring, Echo, and third party products. Subscription sold separately. View ring.com/protect-plans for pricing and details.

Click here to learn how to arm and disarm your Ring devices with Alexa.

To learn more about Ring Modes, click here. 

.

 Control which Alexa devices can access Live View on your Ring devices

Once you’ve connected your Ring device(s) to Alexa, you can change which Alexa devices have access to Live View at any time in the Ring app.

Note
If you enabled the Ring Skill on an Amazon/Alexa account that is not linked to your Ring account, the Alexa devices will not be listed here. If you wish to remove access to your Ring account for those Alexa devices, you can do so from the associated Amazon/Alexa account.

.

Ring and Alexa troubleshooting tips

.

Downloading and Updating the Ring App

Learn how to download the Ring app and update your mobile device’s version of the Ring app. 

Downloading the Ring app for your mobile device

The Ring app is available for phones and tablets in the Apple and Google Play stores.

You can also visit ring.com/app to directly download the Ring app on your mobile phone.

Learn how to create a Ring account

Updating the Ring app on your mobile phone

For the latest features and fixes, make sure to update the Ring app to the latest version. To get started, choose your mobile device’s operating system below:

Troubleshooting your Ring app update

If you’re having trouble getting the latest version of the Ring app, here are a few things to try. 

Make sure your mobile device is on wifi.
If you have poor cellular signal, your mobile device may be pausing your update until it’s on wifi. Try connecting to a wifi network.

Make sure your mobile device has enough storage.
For apps to update, most mobile devices require 3-5 GB (gigabytes) of space. Try backing up your photos and videos to the cloud, or uninstalling apps you don’t use.

Confirm your mobile device is compatible to update.
If you have iOS 13 (or lower) or Android 8 (or lower), your mobile device’s operating system may be unable to use the Ring app. Since the release of these operating system versions, we’ve made significant security updates to help protect your Ring account. 
Learn more about Compatible Mobile Devices

Restart your mobile device.
Sometimes phones and tablets just need to be restarted. After restart, attempt to update the Ring app again in your settings or app store.

Uninstall and reinstall the Ring app. 
If you uninstall the Ring app on your mobile device then reinstall the Ring app from your app store, you will download the latest version. Don’t worry, you won’t lose access to your Ring videos, settings, and Event History.

Note
If your mobile device is operating on iOS 13 (or lower) or Android 8 (or lower), you may not be able to reinstall the Ring app.

Arming, Disarming, and Setting Modes on your Ring Alarm

Arming, Disarming, and Setting Modes on your Ring Alarm

Security modes

These three modes on your Ring Alarm will protect your home in different ways. You can switch between them depending on your needs.¹

Disarmed Mode

In this mode, no sensors in your home will be monitored and no alerts will be sent to the monitoring station. Your Alarm system will still be powered on and functioning.

Use this mode when you’re at home and want the freedom to easily go in and out of your house. Fire and CO sensors (if they are attached to the system) will still be monitored.²

Home Mode

In this mode, only your perimeter sensors (doors and windows) will be monitored. Use this when you’d like to move freely inside your home. You can control which sensors are monitored in Home Mode by setting them in your Ring app:

Away Mode

In this mode, all your sensors are monitored and an alert is issued if any of them are triggered. Use Away Mode to secure your home when you’re leaving it and will be out. You can control which sensors will be monitored in Away Mode by setting them in your Ring app:

¹ Ring Alarm and all Ring Alarm accessories require a subscription for digital notifications, in-app features, digital arming/disarming, and integration with other Ring, Echo, and third party products. Subscription sold separately. View ring.com/protect-plans for pricing and details.

² A compatible Ring Protect subscription is required to enroll in the Ring Alarm professional monitoring service. Professional monitoring service is available only within the U.S. (all 50 states, but not U.S. territories) and in Canada (excluding Quebec). Ring does not own its own professional monitoring center. Smoke and carbon monoxide monitoring is not available for a business or commercially zoned address. See Ring alarm licenses at: ring.com/licenses. Additional permit or false alarm fees may apply depending on your local jurisdiction. Additional charges may apply in areas that require permits or guard response service for alarm verification.

Arming your system

To arm your system using the Ring app¹

To arm your system using the Alarm Keypad

When you’ve changed your mode, your Alarm system begins a countdown. This is an Exit Delay, and it gives you time to leave your home before the system arms itself.

You can set an Exit Delay of 0 to 180 seconds:

¹ Ring Alarm and all Ring Alarm accessories require a subscription for digital notifications, in-app features, digital arming/disarming, and integration with other Ring, Echo, and third party products. Subscription sold separately. View ring.com/protect-plans for pricing and details.

Disarming your system

To disarm your system using the Ring app¹

To disarm your system using the Keypad

When you enter your home, your Alarm system begins a countdown. This is an Entry Delay, and it gives you time to disarm the system before it goes off.

You can set an Entry Delay of 0 to 180 seconds:

¹ Ring Alarm and all Ring Alarm accessories require a subscription for digital notifications, in-app features, digital arming/disarming, and integration with other Ring, Echo, and third party products. Subscription sold separately. View ring.com/protect-plans for pricing and details.

Panic alarm

This feature lets you send a panic alarm to the monitoring station anytime. To turn it on, press and hold the ✓ and X buttons on the Keypad simultaneously for 3 seconds.

The Keypad will then send an instant alarm signal to the hub, the Keypad LED Ring will quickly blink red three times, and the speaker will play the panic alarm sound.

.

<p>The post Ring Devices Amazon Alexa Connecting Guide first appeared on NVR IPCAMERA SECURITY.</p>

Lorex Camera Troubleshooting

How should you go about troubleshooting the Lorex camera? Be methodical about it. Experiment and see which of the possible reasons is causing your cam to act up. Most issues can be solved in a DIY fashion, thankfully.

See More Articles

• How To Resetting Passwords on Lorex IP Cameras
• How to Lorex devices firmware updates
• Lorex Client Software and Mobile Apps All Model

When troubleshooting the Lorex camera, you should be methodical about it. Experiment and see which of the possible reasons is causing your cam to have issues with its video feed, app connection, and other features. Most issues can be solved in a DIY fashion, thankfully.

Without further ado, let’s discuss lorex camera troubleshooting. Let’s find ways to make sure your surveillance devices are always up and running when all is said and done

My camera is showing itself as offline on my NVR. How to Fix!

The DVR/NVR system assists in making it easier to keep tabs of the live feed and the status of the cams. If your connected Lorex cam is displayed as “offline” on your NVR, it might be because of an issue with the NVR’s internal settings or it might instead be a cable connection issue.

You can fix this by restoring your NVR to factory settings if it’s called for.

Fixing an Offline Lorex Camera with a Direct Connection

Check the port connections if your offline cam is connected directly to the back of the NVR. To do this, switch ports of an offline camera with an online camera.

If the offline cam displays itself as online when plugged into another port and the online cam becomes offline on the other port then it’s a port issue. This indicates that your NVR port settings should be restored to default or factory settings.

• LHV/LNR Series DVR/NVR: To restore this NVR model, right-click “Live View” to get to the “Quick Menu”, click the “Main Menu”, click the Setting Icon, click “Setting” then “Default”, and check the menus you wish to restore to default settings.

Click “Apply” to save changes then click “OK” to exit the menu.

• ECO Series DVR/NVR: To restore this NVR model, right-click on “Live View” to access the “Quick Menu”. Click the Main Menu icon (a house) the click “Advanced”. Click the “Maintain” tab and then go to “Load Default”.

Select the menus you wish to restore to factory settings or click “All” to restore the entire system. Click “Apply” then “OK” on the Warning Window. Click “OK” to return to the menu and “Exit” to return to the previous menu. Reboot the DVR for the changes to take effect.

• LNR200/LNR300 Series NVR: To restore this NVR model, right-click “Live View” then click “Menu”. Afterwards, click “Maintenance”, “Default”, and then “OK” to auto-reboot the NVR and restore the device to its factory settings.
• LHA/LNK Series DVR/NVR: To restore this NVR model, go to the Taskbar and click, the Main Menu icon (a house). From there, click the “Advanced”, “Maintenance” option, and the “Maintenance” tab. On the tab, click “Load Default”.

Select the menus you wish to restore to factory settings. Click “Save” to confirm then restart your NVR for changes to apply.

If this doesn’t fix your offline camera this might mean hardware failure. Contact Technical Support for assistance and potential replacement if the cam is under warranty.

Fixing an Offline Lorex Camera with a PoE Switch Connection

If your offline cam is connected to a Power over Ethernet (PoE) switch (that’s also linked to your router) then you might need to reconnect the cam to your NVR.

• Reconnect and Disconnect: To reconnect your camera on an LHV/LNR Series NVR, disconnect then reconnect the cam to the switch. Make sure the switch is linked to the same router as your NVR.
• Menu Navigation: Now right-click “Live View” to get the “Quick Menu”. Now click “Device Search”. Login the NVR with your login info. The default username and password is in your user manual.
• Device Search: After clicking Device Search, your NVR will search the network it’s connected to for any IP cameras. It’ll then display them on the top half of the Remote Device window.
• Select Camera: Select the camera you wish to reconnect to on the window then click “Add”. Enter the password of the cam (also in your user manual). The cam appears on the window’s lower half.
• Green Status: After a few moments, the status should turn green. This indicates the cam has been successfully added to the NVR.

How do you restore an IP camera to default settings?

Make sure the cam is connected to your NVR through the Ethernet cable. Press and hold the reset button located at the base or back of the camera. While holding this button, disconnect and reconnect the Ethernet cable.

This should make your cam go back to factory settings and restart for good measure. The camera should start operating normally after the restart. However, because it’s back to factory settings, you’ll need to reconfigure the system and put in your custom settings from before.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some frequently asked questions about Lorex cams.

Why is my Lorex camera not working?

Usually, it’s because your cam has lost power or has power supply issues. It might have a loose or faulty video cable or the power adapter might be disconnected. To fix this, check the point of contacts for your camera, recorder, and monitor or TV.

Why is my Lorex camera offline?

If on your NVR the connected camera is shown as offline, it could be an issue with the cable connection or the NVR’s internal settings themselves. If your offline Lorex cam is connected directly to the back of the NVR check the ports and the cables for damage and potential replacement.

How do I get my Lorex camera back online?

The easiest solution to get your Lorex cam back online (aside from power-cycling your router or modem) is by reconnecting the device to your Lorex home app. Launch the app, go to “Settings”, “Wireless Network”, and then follow the on-screen connection guide to get your cam working.

Why are my Lorex cameras not working?

Loss of power is the most common reason why security cameras go black. It happens when power adapter is disconnected and cable that connect the camera to the recorder and monitor becomes loose and faulty. To fix the issue, we recommend that you check any point of contact on your camera, recorder, and monitor.

How do I reset my Lorex camera?

To reset the IP camera to default settings:

1. Ensure that the camera is connected to the NVR via an Ethernet cable.
2. Press and hold the Reset button on the back or base of the camera.
3. While still holding the Reset button, disconnect and reconnect the Ethernet cable.
4. The camera will reset to defaults and then restart.

Why is my Lorex camera offline?

If a connected camera is showing as Offline on your NVR, it could be related to an issue with the internal settings of your NVR or a cable connection problem. If the offline camera is connected directly to the back of your NVR, check the port connections.

How do I get my Lorex camera back online?

Reconnect your device to the Lorex Home app.

Once you have powered on your device and restarted your router, you can reconnect your device to the Lorex Home app. To reconnect to the Lorex Home app, launch the Lorex Home app > tap Settings > Wireless Network > then follow your device’s on-screen connection guide.

What causes security cameras to stop working?

Why does video loss happen in security cameras or systems? Most of the time, the issue of video loss on CCTV security cameras, DVR or NVR, is caused by several factors: network issues, bad power supply, cabling problems, defective hardware, bugs on the camera’s software, IP address conflicts, bad configurations, etc.

Why are my security cameras not working?

Reboot the security camera

Reboot the device. Rebooting your security camera will release its cache to flush, re-calibrate the settings, and revise connections. Directly unplug the security camera from its power supply then wait for a few seconds before plugging it again. This will reboot it.

Where is the reset button on my security camera?

How to Reset Your Security Camera

How do I reset my security camera?

How to reset IP Camera to factory defaults

1. Keep the device powered on for at least 30 seconds to complete its normal startup.
2. Find something like a pin to press the Reset button on the camera and hold it for 15 seconds to restore the settings to factory defaults.

How do I reset my camera?

After the power cable plugged keep holding the reset button . The red PowerLED light will flash on for 3 second first, turn off for about 15 seconds, flash on for another second and turn off again. This procedure takes around 20seconds and camera will power up. Release the reset button.

Why does my security camera Say no signal?

One of the most common problems when a camera is not displaying video is a bad cable or BNC connection. Using a test monitor, you can temporarily eliminate the power and video cable that your camera is using.

How do I reset my Lorex PTZ camera?

To restore the camera to default settings:

Press and hold the reset button below the camera module for at least 10 seconds. While still holding the reset button, disconnect and reconnect the Ethernet cable. Hold the button for 15 seconds before releasing.

How do I connect my Lorex security camera to Wi-Fi?

How To Set Up Lorex Wi-Fi Connected Wireless Home or Baby …

Why do security cameras go black?

Some users experience CCTV camera black screen or video going black at night, it’s likely that the camera lacks infrared night vision, or the IR night vision camera doesn’t have an IR cut filter or a faulty IR sensor, or you simply forget to turn the IR on. Quick Fixes: Check camera settings to make sure the IR is on.

What happens if you unplug a security camera?

When your house, the cameras won’t record. When you are away from the home, the cameras record. They’ll still be “working” but not recording.

Do security cameras go bad?

Once your security camera system is in place, the cameras typically fade into the background quite quickly. After a few weeks, you might not even notice they’re there. That’s not an issue on its own, but it does mean that you need to be intentional about keeping an eye out for wear and tear on the cameras.

How long does a security camera last?

In general, most security camera footage is kept for 30 to 90 days (1 to 3 months the most).

Why is my security camera flickering?

CCTV Cameras can Flicker due to Lighting or Electrical issues. Some lightbulbs can operate at a frequency that will cause the camera viewing it to flicker. The frequency of power being sent to the camera can be incompatible and also cause flickering. Insufficient power is another possible cause.

How do I reset my Lorex NVR?

How to Reset Factory Default Settings to your Security Video Recorder

How do I reset my NVR to factory settings?

To factory reset the device, hold the reset button down and unplug the NVR from power. Once power is removed from the unit, continue holding the factory reset switch for 4 – 5 seconds, continue holding the reset switch and plug the power supply back into the unit. You should hear a beep if not that is alright.

How do I reset my Cove outdoor camera?

If you are resetting your Cove Indoor Camera (the smaller camera with a black base), use a small paper clip or something narrow to press the button in the reset hole. The reset hole is located on the back of the camera in the top left corner next to one of the screw holes. It will have the words “Reset” next to it.

Does a factory reset delete everything?

Factory resets aren’t perfect. They don’t delete everything on the computer. The data will still exist on the hard drive. Such is the nature of hard drives that this type of erasure doesn’t mean getting rid of the data written to them, it just means the data can no longer be accessed by your system.

What happens if I reset my camera?

The Reset Default or Camera Settings function only resets the shooting settings of the camera to their default settings.

Ultimately

Most Internet issues root from the router itself requiring a reset or a power-cycle. Most issues involving the features of the cam root from power supply or insufficient power. It also involves a lot of default settings resets.

Troubleshooting is a lot easier to accomplish than you’d think. You just need to read the instructions carefully and zero-in on the cause of the problem. This way, your Lorex smart camera should be able to seamlessly stream video and ensure the safeness of your home.

How to Reset Lorex Camera?

How do you reset the Lorex cam? Does it involve pinhole or pushbutton reset button? How long are you supposed to push the reset button? Can you use your app to do the reset?

The decades-old Lorex brand is a well-established company in the security technology industry. It offers topnotch, professional, and consumer-grade security systems for commerce and residences as well as homes, apartments, and offices.

How to Reset Lorex Camera

Some Lorex IP Cameras include a reset button found on the device itself. You can do manual reset with the button in order to restore the cam to default or factory settings (i.e., the settings it has fresh off its box). In order to reset your Lorex Cam to factory or default settings, do the following.

• Make sure the cam is connected care of Ethernet cable to the NVR.
• Press and hold the reset button by your finger on the base or back of the camera. It varies from model to model.
  • You might have to take off the housing in order to access this reset button as well.
  • Scan through your cam’s user manual in order to find out the specific location of the reset button on your model of Lorex camera.
  • You can also avail of documentation and downloads for your device on the Lorex website.
• While still holding and pressing the reset button, disconnect the Ethernet cable then reconnect it soon after. Don’t let go of the button for 15 seconds afterwards.
• Release the button and check if the camera resets to defaults and restarts. The restart process will take a couple of minutes to complete.

The camera should work normally after the reset and restart. However, you’ll need to input your customization settings and reconfigure everything when all is said and done. If the reset isn’t successful, retrace your steps and attempt it again.

What Does the Lorex Camera Brand Bring to the Table?

The Lorex cam brand offers some quality products, such as its Ultra HD 4K 8-Channel Security System. It includes various high-end video cameras that connect with each other. It’s also a proper example of the best that the Lorex brand offers.

No Mandatory Monthly Fees and Optional Cloud Service

There’s a lot to like about the camera line. For instance, you don’t need monthly fees for it to work. You don’t have to worry about long-term contracts or fees that require cancellation in case you wish to switch to another provider.

The only costs linked to this package deal were the initial cost of the equipment and a fee for premium cloud storage (optional). It’s not like other products that emphasize cloud storage fees as a requirement for their products to work decently.

High Video Quality

You have 4K video quality, which means even a single frame screenshot reveals quite a lot in terms of what’s happening before the camera. You’re likelier to recognize faces, prevent blurs and obfuscation, and identify what you’re looking at in high-quality footage.

It’s no antiquated bank security camera with fuzzy footage. Everything is as clear as day and akin to real-time footage you’d see in a live-feed of a sports event like the Super Bowl.

People/Vehicular Detection

It’s also quite the advanced camera network or system due to its vehicle and people detection. More to the point, it has advanced motion detectors that alert you when there’s movement on your party by people or vehicles.

This prevents false alarms involving small animals or moving branches. The A.I. of the system detects only people and vehicles instead of pets or wildlife such as raccoons and squirrels.

Because you’re monitoring everything via smartphone, tablet, or some other mobile device, this feature eliminates unnecessary (and annoying) push notifications.

The Installation Process

The installation process of the Lorex camera system can get involved and complex, like in the case of its reset process. There’s no option for professional installation help from Lorex. You might have to hire a general third-party handyman to do it for you.

This is especially disadvantageous to any user that doesn’t have any technical expertise or DIY know-how when it comes to installing equipment.

Monitoring Limits

The system requires you to monitor things on your own through the Lorex app. This is mostly fine, but other systems feature 24/7 monitoring for consumer-grade or even industrial-grade use.  You have to call for help in the event of an emergency yourself.

It’s not like other systems that call emergency services like the police, an ambulance, or the fire department for you. It’s not necessarily a deal-breaker for most, but for those looking for 24/7 CCTV monitoring might get disappointed.

The Specifications of the Lorex Camera 4K Ultra HD

The Lorex Ultra HD 4K 8-Channel Security System allows you to avoid monthly fees completely with a fully functional camera system that doesn’t require the cloud storage in order to work. This is because it boasts of local storage through a hard drive.

To wit, it comes with the following specifications:

• Local storage through hard drive.
• 18 LED infrared sensors for night vision.
• Its recording type is motion-activated recording.
• It offers 10 gigabytes of free cloud storage as well.
  • The free plan extra features include 3 RapidCaps per month.
• Optional expanded cloud storage subscription for all-access mobile video.
  • The Lorex Cloud Premium monthly plan only costs about $4.
  • The Lorex Cloud Premium yearly plan only costs $35.

Don’t Forget to Keep This in Mind

If you wish to reset your IP camera to default settings, you need it to be connected to your NVR through its Ethernet cable. You should then press and hold the reset button found at the base or back of the cam. Afterwards, connect and disconnect the Ethernet cable while still holding the button.

From there, wait 15 seconds more before releasing the reset button. This allows the device to return to factory settings then restarting when push comes to shove. The specifics of resetting the cam have been made this complex to prevent accidental resets when you don’t need to do a reset.

References:

1. “IP Cameras: Restoring default settings“, LorexTechnology.com Help, Retrieved February 28, 2022

How to Connect Lorex Camera to Phone?

How do you connect your Lorex Cam to your smartphone? Through the smartphone app of Lorex, of course. Keep on reading to find out the rest of the details and the steps needed to accomplish this task.

The makers of Lorex Cameras are continuously evolving and adding new products in their lineup. They’re not a stagnant brand at all. They’re all about beefing up their tech to compete in the competitive security cam market.

They even have an Ultra 4K camera system included in their lineup of Wi-Fi or IP surveillance camera solutions that outdo 2K or 1080p offerings.

How to Connect Lorex Camera to Phone

Here’s what you should do to connect your Lorex Camera with the Lorex Home App. Once app connection is established, you’ll be able to control your Lorex camera with your phone.

• Open the app known as Lorex Home first.
• Go to the “Devices” screen and Tap the icon labeled “Add Device”. This will add your Lorex Camera to the app and thusly to your smartphone.
• Scan the QR code on your Lorex Wi-Fi cam using your smartphone as well.
  • If your phone can’t scan the code, tap the option, “Manually Enter Device ID”.
  • Make sure the LED is flashing green and you hear the camera startup chime.
• Let your Lorex Home App establish a Wi-Fi connection via your camera.
• Now you’ll be given a prompt to enter a secure password for the device. Set a strong password.
• Choose the Wi-Fi network from the list of available networks on the area then enter the Wi-Fi password to make that connection.
• Once more, make sure that you hear a camera chime and the LED has become a solid green. After this happens, tap “Next”.
• Make a name or label for your Lorex cam/device by selecting a list of predefined names. You can also enter a custom name on the indicated text box if you wish.
• Tap “Complete” to finish the process.

You’ve now successfully connected your Lorex Wi-Fi cam to your phone via the Lorex Home application. Congratulations.

Why Should You Make the Switch to Lorex Security Cams?

Lorex faces stiff competition against Ring, Blink, Nest, Arlo, ADT, and Wyze as well as hundreds of other “lesser” known security cam companies such as Reolink, Yi, AmCrest, Swann, SimpliSafe, Danale, Foscam, Geeni, HikVision, and Hive.

However, Lorex has several aces up their sleeves, including their crowning achievement of an Ultra HD 4K camera system that outdoes even bank CCTVs and their fuzzy videotape recordings. Their cams also showcase video displays from day to night as well as platform integration, audio features, and more.

How to Connect Lorex Camera to Phone?

More about the Lorex Brand and Its 4K Offerings

You can find tons of beefed-up security system options with Lorex on its homepage. You might even feel overwhelmed by the options. Instead of offering smart devices, they’ve really zeroed-in on security cam tech.

You can shoot 2K or 4K with the Lorex brand. It even offers wireless outdoor cameras to boot. However, its head-turner of a product remains its Lorex Ultra HD 4K 8-Channel Security System.

To wit, the whole package offers the following:

• 1 Mouse
• 1 HDMI Cable
• 4 Mounting Kits
• 1 Security Decal
• 1 Ethernet Cable
• 1 1-TB Hard Drive
• 5 Power Adapters
• 1 Quick Start Guide
• 4 60-Foot BNC Cables
• 4 Ultra HD 4K Cameras

All that’s missing is 3 French hens, 2 turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree! It will really feel like Christmas when you unbox this monster of a package deal.

Why Ultra HD Makes Perfect Sense for Security

Because Lorex is faced with so many home security systems in the market, it naturally pushed the technology to 4K video quality. However, some might question whether this was a wise decision or not. Isn’t 1080p Full HD enough to reveal face details or plate numbers?

Isn’t 4K video overkill? The present industry standard for Nest and ADT is 1080p. The highest quality video for smart security cams is actually 4K but many consumers question if it’s required.

By our estimation it does help in long-distance shots and capturing detailed footage of intruders when the motion detection is triggered, especially for the Lorex 4K Ultra HD 8-Channel Security System.

The Pros and Cons of the Lorex Security Cam Brand

It was reported back in 2018 that the global smart home security market was valued at $2.14 billion. It was expected to grow up to $4.37 billion this year in 2022, and even the pandemic shouldn’t slow down its growth. If anything, it might’ve pushed more people to invest in smart cam security!

Aside from the 4K Ultra HD 8-Channel Security System, Lorex has a hose of cameras in its arsenal. These products pack some serious security power in their own right, but they have some drawbacks you should watch out for too.

Pros:

• No contracts and monthly fees.
• The app experience is buttery smooth.
• Local storage via 1TB hard disk and the like.
• Its color night vision offers long-range coverage.
• Free cloud storage and optional expanded cloud storage.
• There are lots of equipment and building options aplenty.
• All models offer HD video quality in 720p and 1080p (up to 4K in some of them).

Cons:

• Cheap Lorex packaging.
• Limited customer service hours.
• It’s hard to navigate the Lorex website.
• Dealing with occasional false alarms and notifications.
• Some might feel like Ultra 4K HD quality footage is overkill for surveillance.

Ultimately, Lorex cameras are worth a look even over the ever-popular Ring or Arlo cams because of the company’s sheer focus on these devices. They’ve found a way to make Ultra 4K security footage possible and relatively cost-effective for its quality. That’s no simple feat to accomplish!

Never Forget the Following

To connect your phone to your Lorex Wi-Fi cam, 4K cam, or wireless cam, you need it to connect to the Lorex Home mobile app. This shouldn’t be a problem since all Lorex products use mobile devices in order to operate them, with your smartphone or tablet doubling as their remote controls.

You’ll need to add the device to the app, scan a QR code or manually enter the device ID, setup a password for your account, connect to your home Wi-Fi, and name your device to separate it from the other devices integrated with the application.

How to Connect Lorex Camera to Wi-Fi?

Lorex cams are powerful cameras with reliable technology and no monthly fees. With that said, how do you connect the Lorex Cam to your Home Wi-Fi exactly?

Lorex cams might not have the name recognition achieved by Ring cams from Amazon and Nest cams from Google. However, they have many other things going for them, such as staying in power. The famous Canadian brand that’s making their splash stateside has been around for quite a while.

Regardless, let’s learn to connect the Lorex camera to wifi down below. We’ll also discuss Ethernet connections to NVR, restoring the camera to factory settings, and the things that make Lorex products stand out.

How to Connect Lorex Camera to Wi-Fi

Here’s how you can go about connecting or changing the Wi-Fi provider of your Lorex Camera. This process works whether you’re setting up your Lorex cam for the first time, right out of its box, or if you’re switching from one Wi-Fi connection to another.

• Activate the camera hotspot by pressing the reset button once.
• Open the Lorex Home App. Go to “Device Settings” by tapping onto it.
• Scroll down the menu then select “Wireless Network”. Tap “Next” afterward.
• Tap “Join” once you get a prompt to join the Wi-Fi network.
• Wait for your device to connect to the Device Hotspot.

Restore Your Lorex Camera to Factory Settings

In order to reset your camera to default or factory settings like it’s fresh off of the box it came with then you should do the following:

• Look for the reset button. Depending on the camera, it could be located at the base or back of the camera.
• Press and hold this reset button for 10 to 15 seconds or until you hear the chime indicating that the camera has undergone the reset process.
• Look below the lens for the flashing green light. This indicates whether the cam has fully reset and restored factory defaults or not.

Why Does the Lorex Camera Say It’s Offline?

You might need to simply reset or power cycle your router (turn it on and off) until the connection returns. If it’s an issue with the camera itself then that’s what the reset function is for. Go ahead and reset the camera to see if that puts your cam back online.

If your connected Lorex Cam claims you’re offline on your NVR, it could be an Internet connectivity issue, internal settings of your NVR, or an Ethernet cable connection problem.

If your offline camera has a direct connection to the back of the NVR, check the ports for damage or a loose connection. Or you can restore your NVR to default settings in order to see if that fixes the issue.

Things That Make the Lorex Camera Stand Out

The best of the best of the cream of the crop of Lorex Camera products—Lorex Ultra HD 4K 8-Channel Security System—has a lot going for it.

It’s able to take on rivals like Amazon’s Ring Cams or Google’s Nest Cams because of features like its exceptional video quality up to 4K, commercial-grade quality and construction, and several custom recording options.

Furthermore, Lorex Wireless camera batteries last for 4 months of regular use. While this might sound short compared to other devices that have batteries that last 6 months, those devices tend to get to the 6-month figure by putting their cams on the lowest settings.

What More Can Be Said of 4K Quality?

Writing about how good a camera’s audio and video doesn’t do it justice. Instead of just using your imagination, look for good video reviews on the Lorex camera, particularly their best offerings like the Lorex Ultra HD 4K 8-Channel Security System or the Lorex Wireless Camera.

Their best cameras offer Ultra HD 4K or better than the standard 720p HD or 1080p Full HD of other camera brands like Amazon Ring or Google Nest. They showcase a detailed video display worthy of a Super Bowl livestream or the latest Marvel superhero movie.

In security and surveillance terms, everything becomes more detailed. The faces of would-be burglars or package thieves will be revealed or the license plate number of their escape vehicle would be exposed.

Lorex Camera Customer Service

You can get to the Lorex Cam customer service from Monday to Saturday from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. You have to wait if you get problems with your system outside of those hours. Thankfully, its website has an FAQ, help desk, and support for common issues and glitches.

The reset button option, by the way, covers most connection and account access issues even though it can get quite annoying having to reconfigure your cam or set of cameras every time.

The Global Home Security Market

According to recent reports, the global home smart security market has gotten a value of $2.14 billion in 2018 and is estimated to grow to $4.37 billion by 2022 (this year).

The demand for Wi-Fi or IP cams has only grown during pandemic times even though no reports are forthcoming exactly because we’re dealing with Covid-19. People want to feel safe and secure even when they’re stuck at home during lockdown.

As lockdowns get lifted and everyone starts going back to their offices, they also want to keep an eye on their empty houses with the ease of a mobile app.

Even When Faced with Stiff Competition

Even when faced with stiff competition from Ring, Blink, Nest, Arlo, and Wyze, Lorex finds a way to outdo them in more ways than one (particularly in terms of offering 4K Ultra HD cameras versus their 1080p or 720p offerings).

They might have name recognition, the backing of industry giants like Google and Amazon, and a large market share. However, more and more people are becoming more aware of consumer-grade Wi-Fi cameras and using smart devices for security and surveillance purposes.

Never Forget

Never forget that to connect your Lorex Camera to your Wi-Fi, you need to press the reset button once (don’t press and hold, just press it) to activate the hotspot of the camera. Open the Lorex Home app, tap “Device Settings”, scroll down, tap “Wireless Network”, and tap “Next”.

When you get the prompt to join the Wi-Fi network, tap the “Join” option and then wait for your device to connect to the “Device Hotspot”. You’re now all good.

<p>The post Lorex Camera Troubleshooting first appeared on NVR IPCAMERA SECURITY.</p>

How To Connect a Hikvision Camera to an Amcrest NVR Using ONVIF

Before connecting your camera to the NVR using ONVIF, it is recommended to ensure that the camera is set back to its original factory default settings. This will ensure that no errors or setting conflicts occur during setup. The default IP for the camera should be 192.168.1.94. Please make sure the computer, camera, and NVR are on the same network during setup. The Hikvision SADP tool may be used during setup.

For more information on how to connect a Hikvision camera to an Amcret NVR using ONVIF, please refer to the information provided below.

Read Next : How to Upgrade NVR Firmware for Amcrest

Step 1: Open the Hikvision SADP tool, select the camera, and activate it.

After the camera has been activated, optional security questions can be applied if necessary.

Step 2: Once the camera has been activated, select the camera from the interface and click Enable DHCP and enter an applicable TCP port number into the Port field (in this case, we are using a default port number of 37777). Enter the password of the camera into the Administrator Password field and click Modify.

Click the Refresh button, you will notice the network information for the camera has been updated in the SADP tool.

Step 3: Open a web browser and enter the IP address for your camera in the browser then click Enter. Log into the interface and click on Configuration. Access the Network menu and click on Advanced Settings and access the Integration Protocol menu. Click on the Enable Hikvision-CGI option and from the Hikvision-CGI Authentication dropdown menu, select digest/basic. Click on the Enable ONVIF option and click Save.

Step 4: Click Add and create an account with ONVIF mode. Click Save.

Step 5: Navigate to System>>Security. In the Authentication menu, set the RTSP Authentication and WEB Authentication to digest/basic and click Save.

Step 6: Navigate to System>>Maintenance and click Reboot to use ONVIF mode.

Note: Allow the camera to finish rebooting before adding it to the NVR

Step 7: Log into your Amcrest NVR in a web browser. For more information on how to access the web UI for your Amcrest NVR, click here

Step 8: Under the Management section click on Camera.

Step 9: In the Remote Device menu, click on Manual Add. Click on the dropdown menu in the Manufacturer field and select Onvif. Enter the IP address of the camera into the IP Address field. Enter the password for the camera into the Password field and click Connect. Click Save.

Step 10: Select the device in the Remote Device menu and click Refresh. The status of the device will change from red to green indicating the camera has been properly registered to the NVR using ONVIF.

Read More : How To Install Amcrest Surveillance Pro PC MAC

How To Connect a Reolink Camera to an Amcrest NVR Using ONVIF

Before connecting your camera to the NVR using ONVIF, it is recommended to ensure that the camera is set back to its original factory default settings. This will ensure that no errors or setting conflicts occur during setup. Please make sure the computer, camera, and NVR are on the same network during setup. The Reolink App/Client may be used during setup.

For more information on how to connect a Reolink camera to an Amcret NVR using ONVIF, please refer to the information provided below.

Step 1: Open the Reolink App/Client, select the camera and follow the prompts to activate it. This will register the camera to your network.

Step 2: Log into your Amcrest NVR in a web browser. For more information on how to access the web UI for your Amcrest NVR, click here

Step 3: Under the Management section click on Camera.

Step 4: In the Remote Device menu, click Device Search. Select the camera from the interface and click Add.

The status of the camera will be red as the password for the camera is not properly registered in the NVR.

Step 5: Click the Edit icon (pencil) and enter the password for your Reolink camera. Click Save.

Step 6: Select the device in the Remote Device menu and click Refresh. The status of the camera will change from red to green indicating the camera has been properly registered to the NVR using ONVIF.

How to Access an Amcrest NVR in a Web Browser Using Internet Explorer Mode on Microsoft Edge

<p>The post How To Connect a Amcrest NVR Using ONVIF first appeared on NVR IPCAMERA SECURITY.</p>

Amazing Features, Top 2 Picks, Setup Steps & Hottest FAQs

Blue Iris Cameras is a smart tool used by a lot of people to access and control their security cameras. In this complete guide, you’ll get deep insights into Blue Iris software, the recommended Blue Iris compatible cameras, step-by-step setup guides, and troubleshooting.

If you have other questions about Blue Iris supported cameras, leave them in the comment below.

Table of Contents

• Blue Iris Cameras: Features & Compatible Cameras
• Blue Iris Compatible Camera Top Picks
• Set up Blue Iris Cameras: Step-by-Step Guide
• Troubleshooting for Blue Iris Cameras
• Frequently Asked Questions about Blue Iris
• Conclusion

Load more :

• Blue Iris IP Camera Software Setup Guide
• Troubleshooting Physical Cameras in 3 steps

Blue Iris: Software Features, Compatible Cameras, and Pricing

In order to help you get as many details as possible on Blue Iris webcam security cameras, we will break down this topic into 4 parts and every part will contain the points you want to learn about.

1. Meaning

2. Compatible cameras

3. Pricing

1. What is Blue Iris software

Blue Iris, or BI for short, is a popular video security and webcam software that enables people to remotely access and control their security cameras on personal computers, iPhones, or Android smartphones.

Blue Iris has many configurable options, including remote live view, playback, PTZ control, motion detection, audio recording, E-mail alerts, and many other functions.

With Blue Iris compatible cameras, you can keep tabs on your home and business, watch your kids & pets, and monitor your valuables via this professional software.

The advantages of Blue Iris mainly include:

• You can control multiple security cameras & systems simultaneously from various brands on Blue Iris.
• As an open platform, Blue Iris welcomes all companies and organizations.
• Blue Iris captures videos in various formats, including standard MP4, AVI, advanced DVR, and Windows Media.

Keep in mind that not every security camera is completely compatible with Blue Iris, you need to check the compatibility details or ask the security camera manufacturer before making a purchase.

2. Blue Iris compatible cameras

Most security camera types in the market are compatible with Blue Iris, including webcams, analog cords, and network IP cameras.

According to the test done by the Blue Iris team, there are thousands of tested security cameras that are compliant with Blue Iris, so it’s hard to give a full list.

But there are some clues for you to know whether your camera is compatible with Blue Iris. If your camera belongs to any of the following ones, it can work with Blue Iris. If not, you can contact the camera manufacturer to find the answer.

• Any camera that supports JPEG images
• Any camera that supports MJPEG streaming
• Any camera that supports MPEG4 over RTSP streaming
• Any camera that supports ONVIF protocol

Here are several popular Blue Iris compatible camera brands:

• Reolink (except its battery security cameras, add-on cameras, E1, and Lumus)
• Amcrest
• Hikvision
• Dahua

Sometimes not all the functions of a compatible camera can be used on Blue Iris. So you need to check the details of Blue Iris compatibility from the security camera brand.

Reolink team has tested the compatibility of their cameras with Blue Iris. The result is that Reolink security cameras can “communicate” with Blue Iris in almost every way. In other words, you can make full use of Reolink cameras on Blue Iris software.

3. Blue Iris license & tech support fees

You’ll need to pay for the license and tech support when using Blue Iris software, which is licensed per PC for a lifetime.

Before purchasing the Blue Iris license, you can get a free 15-day trial. After that, you’ll need to pay for the usage of Blue Iris.

There are two versions of the Blue Iris license for you to choose from:

• The LE version only supports a single camera at a price of $34.95.
• The Full version supports multiple security cameras (up to 64 cameras), at a price of $69.95.

If you want to manage multiple security cameras at one time or plan to expand more cameras in the future, the full version would be a much more cost-saving option in the long run.

Also, you’ll need to pay for the tech support of Blue Iris. You’ll get 1-year basis support plan for free. When your basic support plan expires, you’ll need to upgrade it to an Extended Plan ($29.95/year) or a Priority Plan ($59.95/year).

Blue Iris Support Plan Details & Prices

Support Plans & Features	Basic	Extended	Priority
Current Version Updates	Yes	Yes	Yes
Major Version Upgrade Protection	—	Yes	Yes
Email Support	Yes	Yes	Yes
Prioritized Email Support	—	Yes	Yes
Highest Priority Email Support	—	—	Yes
Phone Support (Limited & By Appointment)	—	—	Yes
Remote Desktop Support (Limited & By Appointment)	—	—	Yes
Price	Free	$29.95	$59.95
Duration	1 Year	1 Year	1 Year

Note : The information in the chart above is quoted from Blue Iris official website.

For people who don’t want to pay so much for using Blue Iris software, the customized software of the security camera manufacturer (such as Reolink App) would also be a good choice.

You can use the software without any charges and get free tech support. More importantly, there is no need to worry about the compatibility of your cameras and the software at all.

Best Cameras for Blue Iris Recommendations

We pick two popular Blue Iris compatible cameras, including a PoE and a wireless type, for your reference. Both of these two security cameras are highly praised by professional tech reviewers and customers.

This camera features 4K 8MP ultra HD, enabling you to see details in the picture clearly. 5X optical zoom lets you check anything you like freely. Besides, RLC-811A can detect any person & vehicle and send instant alerts to your phone.

You can make use of almost all the functions of RLC-811A on Blue Iris software. Once you enter the IP address/port, Blue Iris can instantly pick up the camera.

This PoE camera can save you from messy hassles and bring solid security to your home. With rich features, it’s at a reasonable price. If you want a 4K PoE camera for Blue Iris, give it a try.

For those who are looking for a PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) camera for Blue Iris, E1 Outdoor can be a great choice.

This wireless outdoor security camera is packed full of features and at a nice price. It offers you 5MP high resolution at 2560 x 1920 pixels, person/vehicle detection for accurate alerts, and color & clear night vision with 12 IR LEDs and 4 extra spotlights.

More importantly, it has the amazing PTZ function. You can view nearly everything with 355° pan & 50° tilt, and check details closely with 3X optical zoom. This camera can also track the moving person/car automatically.

This PTZ security camera is fully compatible with Blue Iris, which has a PTZ/Control dialog for you to customize settings. If you want to know more, here is a thorough guide to BI’s PTZ/Control for your reference.

Blue Iris Camera Setup: Step-by-Step Guide & Videos

Some people may have trouble adding a new security camera to Blue Iris. You can follow this step-by-step guide on adding IP cameras to Blue Iris and control your cameras like a breeze.

Here we’ll take the compatible OEM cameras as an example, and the steps apply to other types of cameras that are compatible with Blue Iris.

Step 1. Initialize the camera settings

1). Add the camera to Reolink Client. You can add it by entering UID or IP/Domain address. Also, it will show you devices in the same LAN and you can click the “+” button to add it.

2). Set up User Name (the default user name is admin) & Password. Click Login.

3). If you’re going to use ONVIF or RTSP later on Blue Iris, you need to set the port first on Reolink Client.

Click Device Settings -> Network Settings -> Advanced. Find Port Settings and click Set Up. Enable RTSP and ONVIF, and then click Save.

Step 2. Add Reolink cameras to Blue Iris.

This step is done on Blue Iris software, so you should launch Blue Iris on your PC or Mac first.

1). Click the “+” button at the top right, or right-click and select Add new camera.

2). Input the camera name and choose Network IP as the connection type. Check Enable audio and Enable motion detector in the Options menu. Click OK to continue.

3). Input the IP address, the correct User Name, and Password. Click the Find/inspect… button to search the camera in LAN.

In the current window, you are gonna need to do several setup steps:

• Set Make to Reolink and choose the corresponding model.
• Change the Discovery/.. ort into 8000. (If you ever change RTSP or ONVIF port number, you should input the current value.)
• Click OK to finish adding the camera to Blue Iris.

If the connection fails (there is a striped video signal), you can change the Make option to Generic/ONVIF and the Model will automatically change to RTSP H.264. Still, make sure the ONVIF port is 8000 (default number) or the current value if you ever changed it.

Here is a video to show you how to add Reolink cameras (exclude some cameras) to Blue Iris from the beginning to the end.

4). Configure PTZ security camera on Blue Iris.

If you use Reolink PTZ security cameras, such as RLC-823A or E1 Outdoor, you can enable the PTZ function on Blue Iris by clicking the PTZ/Control tab and checking Enable Pan/Tilt/Zoom and other controls (focus. Brightness, etc.).

Don’t forget to set Network IP. Click OK to save settings.

Bonus tip: You can follow this step-by-step guide to call PTZ IP camera preset on Blue Iris.

If you have any questions about adding Blue Iris cameras, you can leave them in the comment below.

Blue Iris Cameras Troubleshooting

Some of you, especially the beginners, may encounter various problems while using Blue Iris software. So we list the issues you care about most and offer the solutions that can help you use Blue Iris cameras better.

Blue Iris cameras recording issues

Here are some of the most typical recording issues that may happen to you when using Blue Iris.

– Issue 1. Blue Iris won’t record videos, both motion-triggered and continuous videos.
You can try the following methods.

• Upgrade your Blue Iris to the latest version.
• Make sure you’ve enabled the motion detection or 24/7 recordings on Blue Iris.
• Turn on direct-to-disc recording.

– Issue 2. Blue Iris not creating new recordings for hours? What settings do I need to fix?

If you expect each motion-triggered video recording to be stored separately, please follow the below simple steps:

On the camera properties, please click Record tab, and then uncheck Combine or cut video each.

– Issue 3. How to record 24/7 with Blue Iris?

You can make your security camera record 24/7 on Blue Iris with the following steps.

• Right-click the camera.
• On the camera properties, click Record tab.
• Select Continuous under Video.

How to set up motion detection and video recording on Blue Iris?

After you’ve added your camera to Blue Iris, you can follow the instructions below to set up motion detection.

Step 1. Click the camera icon  at the top/left of the Blue Iris window, and then click the Motion/Trigger tab.

Step 2. Check the required boxes, including Enable under Motion sensor, Object detection, Use zones and hot spot, High definition, Cancel shadows and Trigger using cameras’ digital input or motion, and then click OK.

Step 3. Click the Record tab, and then check the required boxes including Video, JPEG snapshot each & Create Alert list images when triggered, and then click OK.

Now you can get motion detection recordings with the Blue Iris.

Blue Iris requirements and setup questions

According to Blue Iris’ team, the minimum requirements for your computer are:

• A dual-core or equivalent 2 GHz processor or better
• More than 2 GB RAM
• At least Microsoft XP SP3 or newer version, such as Window 7 & 10, or a server OS
• 1 or more cameras with DirectShow drivers

If you use multiple Blue Iris security cameras, such as 12, 16, 30, or even a maximum of 64 cameras, you need a much more robust computer. Recommendations include:

• Intel core i7 with QuickSync for hardware decoding
• More than 8 GB RAM
• Microsoft Windows 8.1 or 10, 64 bit
• NVIDIA graphics adapter for efficient screen display
• 7200+ RPM drives and/or SSD drive

In order to minimize your computer CPU consumption, you may set up the video frame rate to 15-20 fps.

NVR system V.S. Blue Iris + PC, which is better?

If you only need 2 or 3 IP cameras to run 24/7, and/or happen to have an extra computer, you can opt for Blue Iris + PC option.

Your computer storage space can handle several IP cameras recording continuously.

But if you want 4 or more cameras, a dedicated NVR would be the way to go.

Typically, the cameras and NVRs from the same brands can work seamlessly. All the videos will be stored on the hard disk of the NVR for your later playback.

If the storage space of the NVR is running out, it would automatically overwrite the oldest video footage, so you don’t need to delete the videos manually.

You can check more details on NVR vs PC for security camera video storage.

Frequently Asked Questions about Blue Iris

Here are some questions often asked by Blue Iris users. Now you can find the answers quickly.

How many cameras can Blue Iris support?

As mentioned above, Blue Iris can support multiple (up to 64) cameras with the full version license.

But don’t forget that Blue Iris LE version license only supports 1 camera. So if you want to manage multiple cameras, you’d better have a full version of Blue Iris.

How to solve Blue Iris CPU usage problem?

When you use Blue Iris to control your surveillance cameras, BI’s motion detection and transcoding would consume much CPU power of your computer.

You can try the below 5 useful tips to minimize the CPU consumption caused by Blue Iris.

1. Turn on Direct-to-disc recording. It records the cam streaming without re-encoding. However, it has downsides. Blue Iris won’t be able to add its own overlays (time and camera name).

2. Turn the video frame rate down to 15-20 fps.

3. Reduce pre-event capture to 40 frames.

4. Turn down the sensitivity level of the motion-triggered setting.

5. Shorten the pre-recorded time in motion detection setting.

What if Blue Iris camera has no signal?

If you encounter security camera signal loss when using Blue Iris, you may try the below solutions to troubleshoot the issue.

• Update Blue Iris to the latest version.
• Lower the camera’s frame rate.
• Reboot your security cameras & Blue Iris software.

How to rearrange cameras on Blue Iris?

If you cannot change your security camera layout on Blue Iris, you may follow the below 2 simple steps to fix it.

1. Right click the blank space in the Blue Iris window.

2. Uncheck drag lock.

Now you can change the security camera group layout on Blue Iris.

Which cameras does Blue Iris support?

Most cameras in the market are compatible with Blue Iris, including Webcams, Network IP cameras, and others. The most popular security camera brands include Reolink, Amcrest, Hikvision, Dahua, etc.

But remember not all of the functions of the compatible cameras can be used on Blue Iris. So you’d better confirm the compatibility issues with the manufacturer.

Does Blue Iris connect to a WiFi camera?

Yes, Blue Iris works with most network IP cameras, including WiFi cameras, PoE cameras, or USB IP cameras. You need to set up the WiFi camera first with the software of the manufacturer. After you’ve initially set it up, you can add the WiFi camera to Blue Iris quite easily.

For more details on adding cameras to Blue Iris, click here >>

Conclusion

Blue Iris is one of the best professional software for security camera recording and monitoring. The best part of it is that it allows you to manage and control different models of various brands. Apart from that, the rich features of Blue Iris are another reason why so many homeowners love it.

If you have any problems with Blue Iris software or Blue Iris compatible cameras, feel free to discuss them in the comment below!

As one of the most popular and best 4K PoE cameras, RLC-811A can work seamlessly with Blue Iris software.

<p>The post Blue Iris Cameras 2022 Complete Guide first appeared on NVR IPCAMERA SECURITY.</p>

Blue Iris is extremely powerful and customizable. It will let you capture motion recordings, snapshots, and you can even send Deepstack Blue Iris images to Telegram to keep a history of all objected-detected events in place.

This is a very thorough guide, but I’m going to break it down in a step-by-step for beginners. Even if you’ve never use Blue Iris, Deepstack, or any other local NVR security camera software, you can get this up and running quickly and easily.

Let’s get started!

Prerequisites:

Before you get started, you will need the following items:

• A Windows 10 or Server 2019 computer, preferably an Intel Core i7 with QuickSync (I’m using an AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 2700)
• A couple security cameras setup on your network (I’m using an indoor Amcrest IPM2 and an outdoor Amcrest IP5M turret)
• A copy of the Blue Iris software (lifetime $69.00 cost)

Once you have those 3 items setup and ready to go, you can begin the Blue Iris installation process below.

Step 1: Download and Install Blue Iris

The first step is to purchase a copy of Blue Iris. Once purchased, you can download the full version.

Double-click the blueiris.exe to start the installation.

It will prompt to install any missing prerequisites. Click Next.

Agree to the ToS to install the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable.

Once complete, it’ll bring you back to the Welcome screen. Click Next again and accept the Blue Iris terms and conditions.

Install Blue Iris in the default folder. Then click Install.

Installation only takes a few seconds. Check the Launch Blue Iris 5 box and then click Finish.

A product activation box will popup. If you are using the 15-day free trial, you can just click Demo. Otherwise, enter a product activation code you received after purchasing by clicking Next.

Note: If you don’t want to setup Deepstack for object detection (which is free and open source), you can skip Step 2 and go directly to Step 3. If you do want to install Deepstack, follow Step 2.

Step 2: Install Deepstack

Navigate to this URL: https://docs.deepstack.cc/windows/

Click the Download CPU Link for Windows. There is also a Download link for Nvidea GPU’s, if you’d like to offload the AI detection on your graphics card instead.

Once downloaded, double-click the .exe to run it.

Install Deepstack with all defaults. Click Finish once complete. To launch Deepstack, open Powershell from the Window Start menu.

deepstack --VISION-DETECTION True --PORT 80

Step 3: Launch Blue Iris

Search your computer or server for Blue Iris from the Windows Start button. You can launch either Blue Iris Admin or Blue Iris.

On the top left corner, click the gear to enter the Global settings screen.

For the rest of step 3, I’m going to refer to each section as “tabs”.

About Tab

In the About tab, give your system a name (i.e. – Blue Iris)

In the Software Support and Updates section, it should default to “no automatic updates” by default. If not, you’ll want to turn automatic updates off.

Clips and Archiving tab

For this section, we’ll need to create a few Windows folders where we want the Blue Iris clips and recording footage to be stored. Ideally you’ll want to choose a harddrive with a decent amount of storage.

I’m using my S:\ drive as the target, which is a 690gb SSD array.

Create a new parent folder on your target drive called “BlueIris” (i.e. S:\BlueIris).

Click into your BlueIris folder and create 4 new folders:

• db
• New
• Stored
• Alerts

Next, we need to map the 4 new folders to the “Folders” section in Blue Iris.

“New” Folder

Click the New folder in Blue Iris. Change the path to the path of your “New” Windows folder. Set a limit, uncheck limit clip age, and set to delete. This is basically going to continually record and store footage until your 300gb is reached and then delete the oldest clips. If you have a large NAS or external drive, you could also click the Move to Folder option and archive them there instead of deleting.

Note: The more cameras you have and the higher resolution they are, the more storage space you’ll need.

“Stored” Folder

Since I have my clips set to delete once it hits the 300gb limit, I’m not really going to be using the Stored folder, so I’m setting it to 20gb, unchecking Limit Clip Age, and setting it to Delete. Down the road I may use this folder for exported clips.

“Alerts” Folder

The “Alerts” folder is where all pictures will be stored (including the Deepstack analyzed snapshots).

I set the limit size to 1gb, checked the box to limit the age to 7 days, and set it to Delete.

“db” folder

You will also need to set the path for the Blue Iris database(db).

IMPORTANT: Your “New” and “db” folders should be on a fast, local storage drive (like an internal SSD), but the Stored folder can be on anything you want. The warning in the above screenshot reminds you of that as well.

Users tab

The Blue Iris users tab is is where you can create and limit access. For example, you can non-admin users, limit access to camera groups, set access times, restrict logins on your local network or configure login schedules.

I recommend leaving these as default for now. You can always come back and adjust these later. For now, just create a new user with a secure password, grant it Administrator access, and restrict access to LAN only (since I’m only ever going to access my cameras on my local network or across my WireGuard VPN). If you do plan on accessing your cameras from a remote network, you’ll need to open a firewall port and uncheck the LAN Only box.

After your new admin user has been created, disable the local_console user.

Web Server tab

To access Blue Iris, you can either open it from the desktop app or from a web browser. I primarily use the Blue Iris Admin desktop app to manage or adjust Blue Iris settings and the web server to view my cameras.

Blue Iris will autofill your server’s network information, including IP address and port. This will allow you to log into Blue Iris from an IP address like 192.168.68.137:81 from any browser on your network. Super handy for accessing from your phone. (I recommend going to this URL on your phone, then click your browser settings > Send to Home Screen. This will give you a shortcut on your phone for quick access)

You can leave everything as default here and just delete the remote access URL and uncheck “refresh external IP. Remote Access can configured later on and would be used for sending snapshots as phone push notifications, but I won’t be going over that in this guide.

Startup tab

The only thing you need to change in this tab is checking the box for “Run As A Windows Service”. This will allow Blue Iris to automatically start up after your computer starts and should reduce system resources.

After checking the box, a popup will prompt you for your username and password:

Cameras tab

Ideally, a 6th generation Intel processor or better is recommend. This allows you to use the QuickSync feature to decode footage more efficiently than raw processing. My AMD CPU is more than powerful enough for my two cameras but I still set this option anyways.

For most users, you’ll want to choose Intel + VPP.

AI tab

Check the Use Deepstack server on IP/port option. If you installed Deepstack, then make sure to check the box Auto start/stop with Blue Iris also.

If you didn’t start Deepstack earlier with the Powershell command, click Start Now (Mine shows Stop Now because it’s already running).

I leave everything else with their default settings.

Other Tabs

You’ll probably notice a bunch of other tabs in Blue Iris as well. Those are a little more advanced than I want to go over in this basic installation guide, but in future I will be setting up the Digital IO and IoT tab to configure with my MQTT broker in Home Assistant. That will be a separate guide and I’ll edit this post once I have that setup.

Adding Cameras to Blue Iris

Now comes the fun part: Adding your cameras to Blue Iris local NVR!

As I said earlier, I’m using two Amcrest cameras.

Launch the Blue Iris Admin desktop app if it’s not already open. Right-click the large black box to add a new camera. I’m using the name “drivewaycam” for both the full name and short name.

For the type, choose Network IP.

For the Options, choose Enable Motion Detector and Direct to disc recording. If you’d like your footage to capture audio, you can check the Enable Audio box if you’d like.

After clicking OK, you’ll be brought to a camera configuration screen. This setup will vary slightly depending on your camera manufacturer.

The easiest way to setup the initial configuration is by entering your cameras’ IP address, user, and password in the http:// field.

Then click Find/Inspect. This will autofill the stream profiles for you. (Note: For Reolink and Hikvision cameras, you have to log into the camera and enable the ONVIF option. See The Hook Up’s video for more info on it.)

Under the Advanced section, the only thing I changed is checking the box for Decoder Compatibility Mode.

If you are using an Amcrest like I am, then Amcrest has also put together a handy wiki page I referenced here. Once you click OK, you’ll be brought to the camera customization page, where you can configure things like triggers and alerts.

Video Tab

Here are my settings for the Video tab.

Set your framerate equal to the FPS in your camera (You can view the current FPS logging into your camera using it’s IP address in a web browser).

Then, uncheck Display overlays live and set your Hardware Decode to default.

Audio Tab

If you enabled Audio in the previous step, just make sure to check the box in this tab to enable it. If not, disable it.

Trigger tab

On the main page of the Trigger tab, set yours to match mine.

Click Configure next to Motion Sensor checkbox. Set your options just I like did. Since we are using Deepstack for object detection, you can uncheck object detection on this screen.

Under the When Triggered section, click Artificial Intelligence. For this part, I’m just telling Deepstack to look for “person” with a confidence level of 60%. Deepstack will be analyzing 3 images to determine whether or not it’s a person. There’s a ton of objects you could detect, such as car, truck, boat, bicycle, dog, etc. A full list of detectable objects can be found here. If detecting multiple objects, separate them with a comma and no spaces.

Make sure the Fire “On Alert” box is checked as well as the “Auto-flag confirmed alerts“. I also turned off Burn Label.

Record tab

We are going to configure this tab to use Continuous Recording + Alerts, splitting video into 1 hour files. I am also using a Pre-trigger buffer to record 5 seconds prior to motion being detected. This means Blue Iris will continually record footage until the “New” folder reaches it’s limit (configured to 300gb in the “New” tab section above)

Alerts tab

The only thing you need to change in this tab (for now) is setting the Fire when: to This camera is triggered. You can leave everything else as default.

Remaining tabs

The Webcast, Schedule, PTZ/Control, Watchdog, and Post tabs can be left alone for now.

Your camera is now setup!

Click OK. You should now see the Live Feed of your first camera in Blue Iris.

Testing Object Detection

Now, it’s time to test your Blue Iris + Deepstack NVR. To test, simply walk in front of your camera for a few seconds.

On the left tab, click the dropdown for “Alerts”. I have 5 alerts displayed so far which correspond to the 5 times I walked in front of my camera and Deepstack has detected that I am a “person”.

Basic Blue Iris Usage

Like I said earlier, Blue Iris is now recording 24/7. Once your limit has been reached, it will start to overwrite the old footage. If you’d like to see all recorded footage, change the dropdown to New. Then, double-click a segment to view it. They will be broken up into 1-hour segments as specified in camera settings > Record tab.

At the bottom, you’ll see a flag at the point in time when “person” object was detected:

However, since we are using Deepstack, we’ve configured these events to go into the Alerts folder so we don’t have to manually search through hours of video. So, you can also just switch to the Alerts dropdown, double-click a recording, and view just that clip.

I think it’s also important to explain how Deepstack works in the Alerts folder. If you sit and watch the “Alerts” dropdown, you’ll see it occasionally add an image and then delete it. This is because Deepstack has determined that the image processed isn’t a person. You will still see all images in your S:\BlueIris\Alerts folder. If you want to view just the images Deepstack has detected as a person, you’ll have to view those from within Blue Iris, not your Windows “Alerts” folder.

Remember: We set a 1gb limit on the Alerts folder, so once it hits 1gb, it’ll start deleting the older images.

Motion Rectangles

If you would would like to see motion rectangles around your motion detections and jpeg’s, here’s what you’d change:

Right click a camera > Camera Settings > Trigger tab. Check motion sensor and click Configure. Under Advanced, check Object detection and make sure to highlight “Show object rectangles”.

To see live motion squares on playback, double-click a recorded clip. Right click > Overlays > Add Motion Overlays.

Troubleshooting Deepstack/Blue Iris Detections

During initial setup, Deepstack might not detect the object correctly.

You might get false positives (i.e. – snapshots taken of things other than person, or nothing at all), or it may not trigger person detection. I recommend editing your AI confidence level by clicking the gear on your camera > Trigger tab > Artificial Intelligence:

Then, edit your confidence level here:

Adding Additional Cameras to Blue Iris

At this point, you may be dreading adding extra cameras. However, this is actually super easy. You can basically “copy” the existing settings from your first camera and apply it to any new ones! Really the only things you’ll need to change is the IP address of the extra cameras.

Right-click the black space next to your existing camera. Then click Add New Camera.

Give it a name and choose Copy from Another Camera:

Backup and Export Blue Iris Configuration

Now that you’ve got things setup and working, I highly recommend exporting your Blue Iris configuration. Just on the offchance your computer crashes or you need to reinstall Blue Iris at some point, it would be very useful to not have to setup this up from scratch again.

I recommend backing up to a different drive than where you installed Blue Iris or your recordings, such as a flash drive up uploading to Google Drive.

Click the gear at the very top of Blue Iris Admin. On the General tab, click Export.

Wrapping Up

Hopefully this tutorial helps you setup Blue Iris 5 and Deepstack quickly and easily! I wanted to give a shoutout to The Hook Up’s Youtube video which is where I got a lot of my inspiration and insight on how to set this up properly, so definitely check out his video as well.

I was hoping to setup a local NVR solution using Frigate in Home Assistant, but unfortunately every time I add cameras to my Home Assistant configuration.yaml, my zwave and zigbee networks stop responding correctly. I’m still not sure why. I even setup a 2nd HA instance, connected it to a different switch port, and didn’t use a zwave/zigbee dongle on the 2nd instance.

I’m not even upset that Frigate didn’t end up working for me, as Blue Iris is extremely customizable and works perfectly in my environment.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below and I’d be happy to help you out if I can!

<p>The post Blue Iris IP Camera Software Setup Guide first appeared on NVR IPCAMERA SECURITY.</p>

The following steps describe how to upgrade firmware for Reolink cameras/WiFi NVRs via Reolink WiFi NVR.

Note: Please make sure that you have already downloaded the firmware (choose the correct model and version according to your devices) from Reolink Download Center before upgrading.

Step 1. Unzip the firmware file (.pak file) on your PC and transfer it to a USB, then insert the USB to the NVR USB port.

Step 2. Log in to your Reolink WiFi NVR on an NVR monitor, then go to Device Settings -> System –> Maintenance page.

Step 3. Choose the correct firmware file and start to upgrade.

• If you only want to upgrade the firmware for the NVR, you may click the Upgrade From Local and select the correct firmware file, then tap on Upgrade button.
• If you need to upgrade the firmware for cameras which are connected to the WiFi NVR, please choose Upgrade IPC From USB, then select the correct firmware for each channel and click on Upgrade button to start upgrading.

You may also upgrade firmware for Reolink Cameras/WiFi NVRs by using other methods. Check details in:

How to Upgrade Firmware via Reolink Client (New Client)

You may follow the steps below to upgrade firmware for Reolink cameras/NVRs on Reolink new Client.

Note: Please make sure that you have already downloaded the firmware (choose the correct model and version according to your devices) from Reolink Download Center and unzipped the .pak file before upgrading.

Step 1. Launch Reolink Client and log in to your cameras/NVRs, then go to Device Settings –> System -> Maintenance page.

Step 2. Click on the Upgrade button next to Firmware Upgrade, then tap on Browse to select the correct firmware file and click Upgrade to start.

How to Upgrade Firmware via Web Browsers

Here we’ll guide you to upgrade firmware for Reolink cameras/NVRs via a web browser.

Note: Please make sure that you have already downloaded the firmware (choose the correct model and version according to your devices) from Reolink Download Center and unzipped the .pak file before upgrading.

Step 1. Launch Reolink Client in a web browser and log in to your cameras/NVRs, then go to Device Settings -> System -> Maintenance page.

<p>The post How to Upgrade Firmware via WiFi NVR first appeared on NVR IPCAMERA SECURITY.</p>

Applies to: All PoE IP cameras.

Load More : Add IP Camera to POE Switch

Step 1. Separate all the parts of waterproof lid.

Step 2. Thread the Ethernet cable through the waterproof lid.

Step 3. Push the Rubber ring(Part 3) to the main body(Part 2).

Step 4. Install the white rubber band (Part 1) to RJ45 connector.

Step 5. Plug the ethernet cable into RJ45 connector.

Step 6. Combine all parts. Done！

Reolink provides a waterproof lid for Reolink PoE IP cameras inside the product box. You may follow the steps below to install the waterproof lid to protect the joint of your camera and the Ethernet cable.

Here is a video for your reference:

Step 1. Prepare an Ethernet cable without Ethernet crystal head.

Step 2. Thread the Ethernet cable through the waterproof lid.

Step 3. Install the Ethernet crystal head (RJ45) to the Ethernet cable with a crimping tool.

Step 4. Plug the Ethernet crystal head into the network socket of the Reolink PoE IP camera and then close the waterproof lid.

<p>The post How to Install the Waterproof Lid first appeared on NVR IPCAMERA SECURITY.</p>

If you forgot your NVR password, you may refer to the following two methods to reset your password.

Method 1. Answer the Security Question

Step 3: Click the Answer box to answer the Security questions and click the Go to Reset to factory reset the NVR. 

Method 2. Reset the Password by Pressing the Reset Button

Step 1. Reboot your device and make sure you can see the live-view on the monitor screen.

Note: Please stay on live view page through the whole process. Please make sure that the NVR system is on live view page instead of the logging page while pressing the button
Press the USB mouse and make sure that all icons are hidden and the NVR is in live view on the monitor.

Step 2. Remove the outer casing of the NVR using the screwdriver.

Step 3. Press the Reset button for 10 seconds until you hear the buzzing “bee”.

The Reset button of 8-Channel NVR:

The Reset button of 16-Channel NVR:

Step 4. After the Setup Wizard pops out, create a new password and follow the Setup Wizard to complete the setup.

Method 3. Reset the Password via Super Password

If you forget the password of Reolink NVR, you may create a super password via Super Password application, then use it to reset your NVR password and set a new password.

Here we will guide you to reset the password of your PoE NVR by using the super password in the following steps.

Note: To get the Super Password application package, you can download it from the link below: https://s3.amazonaws.com/reolink-storage/website/download/SuperPassword.exe. If you fail to download it, you can contact support.

Step 1: Connect the NVR to a monitor by HDMI cable. (If there is no display, please connect it to a VGA monitor and change the pixel to 1920*1080.)

Step 2: Login in the NVR and click Forgot Password button.

Then you will get this page:

Step 3: Open Super Password application installed on the computer, then input the random code.

Step 4: Click Create Super Password to create a super password.

Step 5: Go back to the System Login interface on the monitor of NVR. Input the generated super password, then click the OK button.

Note: When you finished the steps above, the password of your NVR will be successfully reset and the old password will be removed.

Step 6: Create a new password for logging in.

Step 7: Start to set up configurations on the Setup Wizard interface.

Step 8: Click Finish button when you set up all the configurations.

Done! You have successfully reset the password of your NVR. Now you can make login with the new password.

How to Change User Password via the Client (New Client)

The following steps describe how to set up Manage User via new Reolink Client. You can also set up Manage User via Reolink App.

Step 1. Launch Reolink Client and log in to your device.

Step 2. Click Device Settings –>System ->User Management, then select the user and click the Change Password button.

Step 3. Type in the old password (If no password, please leave the password box blank) and set a new password, then click Save.

How to Enable/Disable Password via Reolink WiFi NVR

This article shows you how to enable/disable password via Reolink WiFi NVR.

Step 1. Log in Reolink WiFi NVR with your cameras.

Step 2. Go to the menu page, and click wizard.

Step 3. Click to enable the password that you’ve set.

You don’t need to choose it If you want to disable the password.

<p>The post Reolink NVR IPCAM how to reset password methods first appeared on NVR IPCAMERA SECURITY.</p>

Step 2. Click the “+” icon, select UID, then fill in the blanks with the UID of NVR.

Step 3. Please create device password that you want then click Next.

Step 4. Creat device name then click Finish.

How to Initial Set up for Reolink Go/Go PT via Reolink APP

Note: Before you start, please click or scan the QR code to download and install the latest version of Reolink App, power on your camera and place it near your router.

Step 1. Install a SIM card to the SIM card slot.

Step 2. Make sure the camera is power on. For GO PT, turn on the power switch.

Step 3. Wait for about 30 seconds until the status light becomes solid blue and hear “network connection succeed”.

If you couldn’t hear this voice prompt, please refer to the instruction to reset GO/ reset GO PT

Step 4. Tap on the icon  in the top right corner to start the initial setup.

Step 5. Scan the QR code on the back of the camera. If the phone doesn’t respond, please tap Enter and then manually type in the UID (16-digits characters under the QR code of the camera).

Step 6.  Enter the Device initialization page and create camera name and password.

How to Initially Set up PoE NVR with Monitor Connected (New UI)

You may follow this guide for proper cabling and initial setup of your PoE NVR with a monitor connected.

Here is a diagram that will help you learn each option on the PoE NVR.

Now, please refer to the following steps to set up your NVR.

Step 1. Connect the NVR to a Monitor or TV via the VGA or HDMI cable.

Step 2. Connect the camera’s RJ45 network socket to any POE Camera port on the NVR using the Ethernet cables provided.

Step 3. Connect an Ethernet cable from the LAN port of the NVR to LAN port of your router.

Step 4. Connect the mouse to the USB port.

Step 5. Connect the Power Adapter. Please use the supplied power adapter. For POE NVR device, it is 48 volts.

Step 6. And then you will see the below splash screen. System booting up might take a few seconds.

Step 7. Follow the Setup Wizard to set your NVR, click Next to continue and at the last step, click Finish to save all the settings.

Wizard Setup

1. Set up language, Resolution, Time Zone, Date Format, Time Format, System time
2. Create your password, Enable/disable screen Auto-lock.
3. Set up password security question.
4. Set up device name. HDD Management (Init)
5. Network Configuration (DHCP by default)
6. Email Configuration (Gmail is suggested to use the sender one)

<p>The post How to Setup Reolink NVR All Models first appeared on NVR IPCAMERA SECURITY.</p>

Synthesis of reset methods to recover the passwords of recorders, cameras. Hope everyone supports. If you have new reset methods or other carriers please email me to help me keep up to date with new methods and firms. Thank you.

CCTV Super Password

Download : Click Android

<p>The post CCTV Super Password New Version All Brand first appeared on NVR IPCAMERA SECURITY.</p>