Salvaging Old Version of Blue Iris After Vivint's Security Equipment Failure

The experience we had with Vivint security equipment was nothing short of disastrous. Despite our repeated efforts to get them to fix and replace the broken leased equipment, they refused, leaving us with dead cameras and a destroyed roof. The solar panels also started malfunctioning, resulting in double billing from PG&E since we were no longer generating any power. To make matters worse, Vivint kept us locked into a contract that had lost 2/3rds of its original functionality.

In an attempt to salvage something from the situation, I decided to try and keep my Blue Iris software running. However, when I received a prompt to update, I clicked OK, unaware that it would take me beyond my support expiration date. The update broke the software, leaving me searching for a solution.

That's when I stumbled upon an old version of Blue Iris that I could still use. But as I delved deeper into the issue, I realized that there was no intelligent mechanism in place to prevent unlicensed versions from being applied. It seemed like a shady practice designed to drive people to update their subscription.

For those who are not familiar with Blue Iris, it's a security camera software that can support up to 64 cameras at a price of $69.95 for the full version. The LE version, on the other hand, only supports a single camera and costs $34.95. What's more surprising is that Vivint 'retired' their security equipment after just one year, leaving many users without functioning software.

Fortunately, it's possible to roll back to the last version of Blue Iris prior to the end of your support. This can be done by downloading an older version from a publicly accessible collection of previous installers.

In retrospect, my dealings with Vivint have been nothing but a cash grab. They locked us into a 5-year contract for security and 20 years for solar, leaving us feeling trapped and frustrated. It's unfortunate that their practices prioritize profits over customer satisfaction.

For those who are experiencing similar issues with Blue Iris or Vivint,

Blue iris download old version