Blue Iris

Hello,

I have a problem with BI lastest version.

Normally, for exemple, I have a camera with the ip address 192.168.0.1, set by my dhcp server.
Sometimes the dhcp server reboots and the camera take a random address like 192.168.0.99.

And BI change automatically the ip in the camera settings to .99.
But when the dhcp server came back and set the correct address to .1, BI don’t change again the address in the settings and the camera appear offline forever.

How can i prevent BI to change the address in any circumstances ?

Thanks.

I’d recommend either setting up DHCP reservations which will ensure that the cam always gets the same IP or setting a static IP on your cams.

Just make sure that your DHCP server configuration excludes the IP addresses or range so that it can’t try and allocate an IP that you’ve set as a static.

To prevent BI from changing IP addresses there is an option but I can’t remember exactly what it’s called so I’ll post back when I find out.

Why do you not have the camera itself set to a static ip?

I have 20 cameras and 300+ IOT devices.
It's easier for me to manage all of them in one place, my dhcp server.

If you know what option can help me, i would be grateful.

I'm old school so I set up static IP's on each camera, but, as said above you can use address reservation in your router to make sure devices always get the same IP address after a reboot. Again, as said above, you need to check your present DHCP range and make sure you don't reserve an IP from that range.

For example, looking at your router settings, the DHCP range/window could be something like 192.168.0.5 to 192.168.0.50

If setting static IP addresses in the cameras, you would use 192.168.0.51 and above. Keep a list so you know where your static IP's are (I write them on my slate with a piece of chalk). Or you could make router address reservations as well (belt and braces) as a record (and reboot the router).

If setting address reservations in the router (but not making the cameras have a static IP), then you would just set up the cameras in the router from 192.168.0.51 and above. Then reboot the router.

I note that by using static IP addresses, my cameras are able to work on their own LAN with a second NIC and no router. Take that Flintstone

jeremypsl wrote:I have 20 cameras and 300+ IOT devices.
It's easier for me to manage all of them in one place, my dhcp server.

If you know what option can help me, i would be grateful.

But you’re not managing them if their IP addresses are changing?

If you want everything in DHCP setup reservations in DHCP, not exactly that hard to do?

Forgot, the option highlighted should be enabled to stop BI from setting/resetting IP based on the device MAC

That needs to be enabled if using address reservations for cameras on a LAN behind a wireless bridge or Blue Iris can (and eventually will) arbitrarily change the IP address in the camera's BI settings -- usually to that of the AP preceding (or of) the bridge itself since the MAC addresses of the cameras are not visible to the router/dhcp server side of the device and thereby not honored during dhcp discover.

Any such camera will then obviously not become visible in BI (though is actually online otherwise) until the IP address entry in its BI configuration is corrected to match the MAC binding in the reservation. The same could hold true for 'static' address assignments within a given range that are similarly reserved, but simply as a pool of non-bound addresses with no associated MAC address. BI doesn't care. Those cameras should have reservations in order to create the MAC binding which theoretically would eliminate the same problem of random changes to the addresses in their BI configuration.

When enabled, Blue Iris will recognize that the IP address binding exists on the dhcp side and leave well enough alone not trying to "Fix" what isn't actually broken. Ironic, isn't it? LOL

Also when enabled, a MAC address column will appear in the cameras status window for reference/convenience (or annoyance depending on your point of view).

This is all based on my own experience and observation with the main takeaway being that individual device MAC addresses are known to not be visible behind a wireless bridge and certain types of APs in certain modes -- typically bridge mode -- and BI needs a workaround to NOT arbitrarily change the camera IP address in the camera's BI settings under such circumstances. Nothing changes between the router/dhcp server/bridge/camera arrangement which is working perfectly fine otherwise. The only thing affected is the camera IP address setting in BI.

I think..., pretty sure..., maybe? LOL

@Pogo, you are right it needs to be enabled to stop BI from interfering.

I’ve updated my original post.

Pretty sure I got the tip referenced above from either you or Tim in the first place.

The circumstances are rare for this to be a common issue, but when it happens it can drive you nuts unless you detect the common thread among JUST the cameras behind a bridge being affected and also know (or discover) that while their actual IP addresses are still intact and functioning outside of the BI ecosystem, their MAC addresses are invisible to the rest of the network and are simply referenced to the MAC address of the preceding bridge or AP. The typical scenario for this to happen is after a network or power disruption.