Piecing together a BI build.. could use some help/comments..

[SandmanXX]

The only way I could get BI to be seen on my android is setup openvpn on the router and get the openvpn app for android. Lots of logging in, not sure i like that.

You clearly know your stuff as you are building the pc, but I think you are overcomplicating things with BI5. If BI5 is running on your LAN, then:

1. Your mobile phone will be able to view BI5 via UI3 using http://your BI5 IP:81/ui3.htm if it is on your home wifi on the same LAN.
2. Any pc on the same LAN can do the same.
3. A smart tv should be able to do the same. I use dumb tv's and 4k Firesticks with the Silk browser and UI3.
4. The android device could use the official BI app using the LAN IP address.

If it isn't that simple, then you may have a complicated network which is blocking it somehow !

I do use OpenVPN, but that is only for remote BI5 viewing with my mobile phone; nothing to do with home use - this is because I didn't want to poke holes in the router firewall. I also use "Splashtop" to remotely log in to my BI5 server for maintenance, and of course you can use a second (paid for) BI5 licence to view and control BI5 from another pc. UI3 is normally good enough.

Take a deep breath !

Exactly, Tim. My android phone, (remote), only way that I know to view that is with the openvpn setup. I haven't tried anything at all on the TVs yet, that's coming.
I'm reading posts here and learning too, taking advice where I can understand it, and keep on keepin' on!
I'll keep trying things and listening to you guys until I get real comfortable with working with what I have.
Thanks!

[TimG]

I have assumed that your BI5 pc has a static IP address for http://your BI5 IP:81/ui3.htm to continue to work locally

[HeneryH]

Just an observation, you don't have to assign a static address to your BI machine on your home router if the router resolved the machine name. On my Asus Merlin based machine I can use http://<machine_name> or http://<machine_name>.local.

[YrbkMgr]

I don't use the app, but that shouldn't matter. I configured my BI server as well as my cameras to be outside of the DHCP pool in my router and set static IP's for each camera as well as the server. You don't have to do that, but it's a good idea from a best practices standpoint. I also do not allow internet access on mine.

In the example below, I would enter the address:

Code: Select all

http://192.168.1.145:81/ui3.htm

in any browser on the LAN. For remote access, it's the same thing only different.

BI Web Server Tab 2.JPG (70.85 KiB) Viewed 9786 times

That will allow viewing of the UI3 interface on any device as TimG said, just like the example I posted earlier in the thread. Let us know if you can repeat that.