Is this my new favorite smart home camera?

I have tried a lot of different cameras and I continue to enjoy using my Ubiquiti system more than other options, but it's not perfect and not for everyone. Let me explain what this system is, why I love it, and if it's right for you.

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CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro
00:49 What is Unifi Protect?
01:31 Getting a Unifi Console
03:15 Selecting Unifi Cameras
04:55 My setup
05:48 Why do I love Ubiquiti Unifi Protect?
09:16 Running Ethernet cables in your home
11:06 What I don't do

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- C Table from TJ Maxx

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[AJGiliberti]

Great video but couldn’t disagree more about scrypted or the UniFi himebridge plugin. There are no HomeKit cameras that really meet my needs like UniFi does and I already had UniFi for my home network. I use homebridge to add the cameras to a single place and then can use them in my home automation (ie when it’s dark out and they detetect motion turn on a light and have it auto turn off after a few minutes of inactivity) there is a lot of value there and I still use the UniFi app and features.

[TheJoaolyraaraujo]

I love the Unifi protect. Just works. Great app.

[Twitchstick]

Great video. I actually started using a different security system just because Ubiquiti cameras are expensive for what you actually get. With that being said, when I had Ubiquiti, I used Scrypted to have a kind of backup for events. So if someone was to steal my NVR/UDM Pro, the events that led up to this are stored on HKSV. I never used apple homekit to view my cameras exclusively. But it was nice to have it integrated into my smart home. I have ATV and mini home pods that are used as doorbells.

[jakobholzner]

Did you have Night Shift enabled at 08:18 it looks really yellowish?

[lancespencer]

Great video Eric - thanks, as always for the helpful content. You’ve inspired me to give UniFi cameras a spin with my
UDMPro. Seems like a lot of folks have found Scripted to be extremely beneficial and allowed them to have the best of both worlds: POE cameras and HomeKit advantages. If you ever decide to go that route, I’d be very interested in seeing how you do/did it!

[GamerRadar]

My InWall AP is the best thing ever, I fully plan on throwing 2 more in the walls throughout the home to allow me to hard wire my streaming devices while also having small Access Points.

[DanZimmerli]

Regarding Scrypted. I respectfully disagree. Scrypted is drop dead easy to configure for unifi protect using the unifi protect plugin for Scrypted. Once you enter your credentials into the plugin and what the IP is of your UDMPro, it magically pulls in the cameras and then it’s a simple matter of enabling HomeKit for those cameras in Scrypted, scan the QR code to add it into your Apple Home and you’re good. The Unifi protect cameras will pass through their motion detection events to trigger HKSV recording. I do agree that the Unifi Protect storage is the primary. The Apple Home part is a nice convenience thing and backup copy of the clips. Great video overall.

[islandsnow]

I love my udm pro and unifi protect system. Just hate that sometimes it’s very hard to buy their stuff. It’s always out of stock. That’s why I gave up on the g4 doorbell

Only thing I wish was home kit compatibility or even matter in the future

[imyour_hucklebearer]

Hello sir, do you have a list or video of the tools you’ve bought for Ethernet cable routing?

[TheJoaolyraaraujo]

I use scrypted just to have face recognition from ther doorbell and made the HomePods announce who’s is at the door

[NeoAnthony]

I have a UDM pro with 9 cameras, and have loved it ever since I installed it. UI is so easy to manage, and their support is great.

I am looking to upgrade to a UNVR Pro to offload the processing from the UDM Pro.

Also, with HOOBS I add the cameras to my HomeKit environment so it is awesome!

[inderveerjohal]

Great video! I do have a question about scripted though 😂… I like the thought of the Unify network and camera system and I definitely want a PoE system for our renovation project but I also want cameras that work in HomeKit as we watch all our content on Apple TVs and the pop up feature when someone rings the doorbell is so convenient for us. I’m happy for the recordings and getting access to to them when need to be through the Ubiquity app but for those notifications etc will scripted work for us? I’m less bothered about HomeKit secure video as I want everything kept local ideally… TIA

[ronscopes]

Why don’t you prefer or mention the UDM-SE rather than the UDM-Pro?

[saulgoodman]

How well does this work with Apple TV getting the tv to pop the live camera picture?

[Platoface]

Because they work. They not perfect but it’s close as you can get as you have said. I have around $8k in UniFi hardware and everything runs fast and reliable. 13 cameras including the PTZ.

[FastRedPonyCar]

I've used several brand cameras in my home and for the money, I think that for most users, Eufy have the best solution. 2K cameras with local SD card storage or RSTP to a NAS solution or server and of course, cloud storage if you like. The AI detection is good and notifications are fast and very customizable.

I've installed several unifi security systems and currently work for an AV company who specialize in IC Realtime systems. The cameras we sell most clients range in price from $400 to $900 each although some have bought the high end motorized ones for over $6000 each....

That compared to a unifi protect system with G4 bullets, the Unifi is a steal, easier to setup and has better AI tech.

I don't think that either instant camera is worth what they charge but if you want to get into the unifi protect ecosystem, you don't really have any cheaper options.. and the G4 instant video quality is very good and dual band wifi is nice to have also.

The ace up the sleeve of the unifi vs commercial solutions is that it can do the other stuff too like run networks, video doorbell, access control, VoIP, etc and even something like a cloud key Gen2 can run a full small office wifi and camera setup. I've installed a lot of those and businesses like dentists and other small medical practices were easy sells and we never had problems out of those systems and they never got bogged down or over-utilized hardware problems.

[ronscopes]

Is there an iPhone app to see videos while away from home ?

[jonmichellegz]

Hi Eric, looking into purchasing UniFi Camera system. If I am away from home, am I able to access the alerts and video feed while on the road? Does it come with an APP for Android and IPhone to be able to accomplish this?

[RR]

Wouldn't Scrypted makes sense the second you have a reolink or other much cheaper cameras with better quality 4k?
I also saw a way to bridge reolink via a server to show up as a Protect, which might be when better... Point is, Unifi is too expensive not to consider mixed environnements for home users.

[rodioleary]

Another great video Eric. I was reading recently that Homebridge now works with Unify and even supports connecting Protect into HKSV. Have you tried this?