Unifi Cameras / Protect Review
![Post Post](./styles/indigodomo/imageset/icon_post_target.gif)
As some of you know, I've had a few posts/discussions with various folks over various security camera options over the last few months - Blue Iris, Ubiquiti, standalone NVR, Arlo, Nest, etc. After enough internal debate and over thinking and rethinking, I finally just bit the bullet and went with the Ubiquiti solution. I know several of you were also debating and curious, so I wanted to let you guys know my thoughts and review.
The Reason/Decision
So I made my decision based on a few factors, knowing that nothing was perfect and, in fact, nothing "best" for everyone and everyone's situation. Here were my important points -- first, no cloud reliance for recording (okay if it enhances the service, but must work without). Second, it just needs to freaking work well -- I am sick and tired of chasing down issues in cheap (@$*#!$%#. Third, I want it seamless and easy to use as my previous (and still somewhat in use) system is the furthest thing from it. Lastly, the WAF is huge because the security cameras are basically her favorite thing in HA and they haven't been working well.
Existing / Previous Solution
The new system was to replace an aging DVR/NVR system that served a handful of legacy analog cameras and a handful of IP cameras. At one point there were 16 active I believe, but several analog cameras had degraded to the point that I just shut them down as they were lagniappe anyway. The IP cameras were all standard 1080p HikVision or similar cameras, all POE. The NVR was the standard Chinese based software that all of them have - it is awful and the mobile app is maybe worse. Then you have to use their thick client on OS X which is even worse still. The only good thing is that it recorded forever (2 HDs in there, but had room for 4).
New Setup - Ubiquiti's Unifi Protect
I decided on Unifi Protect for a few reasons -- first off, I love their networking equipment. @DaveL actually owes me over a thousand dollars because he "made" me go down that route. But I thank him for it rather than fault him (still want my money, though!) Networking equipment has been solid and the controller software really is some of the best/easiest to setup for the complexity allowed. I figured if they put the same emphasis on the Video/Protect then it would be a good thing.
Second, example pictures from people here were really good... and of course watched many YouTube reviews and comparisons. Image sensors look good, I had no doubt on the camera and build quality.
Third, the mobile app looks easy enough to use and the wife would be happy with it.
Equipment
I purchased a Unifi CloudKey Gen 2 Plus... this has the controller and NVR software embedded and has a rack mount accessory.... which is overpriced but well built and looks nice. Could have gone the build-your-own route, but the CloudKey G2 is low powered, compact and, well, just works. Incidentally, I turned off the controller as I have one running on my network already and wanted this dedicated to security.
Camera-wise, I bought a G4 Pro (4k), a G3 Micro, and have a G3 Pro coming Monday.
Initial Setup
Hands down the easiest setup ever for an NVR and cameras. Was up and running in like 5 minutes after install, which itself took maybe 5-10 minutes per camera (which includes the taking down of old camera...). VERY impressed with this part of the process. They nailed it.
Software Review
The Protect software overall is good... camera setup and configuration is super easy, including motion zones, RTSP feed, etc. The only thing really missing was that I had to login to the cameras directly to enable an anonymous snapshot. But even that was easy as the Protect software can support a single security model (only 1 password needed for the cameras themselves).
Positives - setup and config super easy, the live view configuration is awesome and works in all browsers (yay!), notifications and motion are easy to setup. Mobile app is easy and intuitive and fast.
Negatives - No digital zoom on the web, but you can on mobile. That is stupid as you don't always have a monitor that shows the full camera resolution (for 4K cameras especially). Motion sensitivity is easy to set but seems hard to get fine tuned... I haven't settled on a value that I am totally happy with for some zones.
Hardware (Camera) Review
The cameras are great! The 4K (G4) replaced a decent HikVision 1080p camera. The far-field details are (obviously) clearer and much appreciated. I honestly expected a bit more but I think that is more the hype of 4K. I can make out WAY more fine details at the mailbox (maybe 80-90' away) than before. The HDR is good w/ shadows as there are a bunch around there in the late afternoon with a bright horizon. Keeps more shadow details than my old which would almost black that out. Has a 3X optical zoom but no panning so I don't really use it -- on tests it was good quality though. The FOV is wider (at full zoom out) than my old which was nicer. My only complaint thus far with this camera is the night vision -- the distance is great, the clarity is great, but the IR puts a pretty big spotlight in the image which, within that area, blows out the subject with brightness even at 30'. I think I can adjust that and may.
The G3 Micro is used in one spot where I need a small camera w/ large FOV. It is showing the porch at the side of the house and gets a better view than my previous Foscam. Quality is great, but we are talking a viewing distance under 15' at the furthest point. It is using WiFi even though I have it powered using POE. Which is weird, but I knew this coming in. The nice thing is that the camera attaches to its base magnetically so adjustments or taking down to clean lens is easy. Very small and light so in specific instances might make sense.
I have not had my hands on the G3 Pro, but should Monday. I have another 4K camera to install too but needed to compare the G3 Pro and G4 in the same spot to decide which to put where.
The biggest downside is the cost -- these are way more expensive than a similarly spec-ed HikVision or even more so a few of the others. I do believe the image sensor is better in these, but probably not the same increase as per the cost increase. Note that this is a huge factor if you have many cameras like I do... which means you might be upgrading one or two per month instead of all at once, at least in my case.
Conclusion
DEFINITELY the best camera system I have personally had experience with... but also the most expensive. I have no regrets at all in choosing this system.... save in the wallet which means I am running both the new system and the older one while I make the transition slowly. Is it worth the extra cost? Hard to say... if ease of use and a solid system are you main goals, I would say yes. If cost is a factor, or you really want to tinker the heck out of things, maybe you should avoid this and go with a Blue Iris or Security Spy or the like.
Adam
The Reason/Decision
So I made my decision based on a few factors, knowing that nothing was perfect and, in fact, nothing "best" for everyone and everyone's situation. Here were my important points -- first, no cloud reliance for recording (okay if it enhances the service, but must work without). Second, it just needs to freaking work well -- I am sick and tired of chasing down issues in cheap (@$*#!$%#. Third, I want it seamless and easy to use as my previous (and still somewhat in use) system is the furthest thing from it. Lastly, the WAF is huge because the security cameras are basically her favorite thing in HA and they haven't been working well.
Existing / Previous Solution
The new system was to replace an aging DVR/NVR system that served a handful of legacy analog cameras and a handful of IP cameras. At one point there were 16 active I believe, but several analog cameras had degraded to the point that I just shut them down as they were lagniappe anyway. The IP cameras were all standard 1080p HikVision or similar cameras, all POE. The NVR was the standard Chinese based software that all of them have - it is awful and the mobile app is maybe worse. Then you have to use their thick client on OS X which is even worse still. The only good thing is that it recorded forever (2 HDs in there, but had room for 4).
New Setup - Ubiquiti's Unifi Protect
I decided on Unifi Protect for a few reasons -- first off, I love their networking equipment. @DaveL actually owes me over a thousand dollars because he "made" me go down that route. But I thank him for it rather than fault him (still want my money, though!) Networking equipment has been solid and the controller software really is some of the best/easiest to setup for the complexity allowed. I figured if they put the same emphasis on the Video/Protect then it would be a good thing.
Second, example pictures from people here were really good... and of course watched many YouTube reviews and comparisons. Image sensors look good, I had no doubt on the camera and build quality.
Third, the mobile app looks easy enough to use and the wife would be happy with it.
Equipment
I purchased a Unifi CloudKey Gen 2 Plus... this has the controller and NVR software embedded and has a rack mount accessory.... which is overpriced but well built and looks nice. Could have gone the build-your-own route, but the CloudKey G2 is low powered, compact and, well, just works. Incidentally, I turned off the controller as I have one running on my network already and wanted this dedicated to security.
Camera-wise, I bought a G4 Pro (4k), a G3 Micro, and have a G3 Pro coming Monday.
Initial Setup
Hands down the easiest setup ever for an NVR and cameras. Was up and running in like 5 minutes after install, which itself took maybe 5-10 minutes per camera (which includes the taking down of old camera...). VERY impressed with this part of the process. They nailed it.
Software Review
The Protect software overall is good... camera setup and configuration is super easy, including motion zones, RTSP feed, etc. The only thing really missing was that I had to login to the cameras directly to enable an anonymous snapshot. But even that was easy as the Protect software can support a single security model (only 1 password needed for the cameras themselves).
Positives - setup and config super easy, the live view configuration is awesome and works in all browsers (yay!), notifications and motion are easy to setup. Mobile app is easy and intuitive and fast.
Negatives - No digital zoom on the web, but you can on mobile. That is stupid as you don't always have a monitor that shows the full camera resolution (for 4K cameras especially). Motion sensitivity is easy to set but seems hard to get fine tuned... I haven't settled on a value that I am totally happy with for some zones.
Hardware (Camera) Review
The cameras are great! The 4K (G4) replaced a decent HikVision 1080p camera. The far-field details are (obviously) clearer and much appreciated. I honestly expected a bit more but I think that is more the hype of 4K. I can make out WAY more fine details at the mailbox (maybe 80-90' away) than before. The HDR is good w/ shadows as there are a bunch around there in the late afternoon with a bright horizon. Keeps more shadow details than my old which would almost black that out. Has a 3X optical zoom but no panning so I don't really use it -- on tests it was good quality though. The FOV is wider (at full zoom out) than my old which was nicer. My only complaint thus far with this camera is the night vision -- the distance is great, the clarity is great, but the IR puts a pretty big spotlight in the image which, within that area, blows out the subject with brightness even at 30'. I think I can adjust that and may.
The G3 Micro is used in one spot where I need a small camera w/ large FOV. It is showing the porch at the side of the house and gets a better view than my previous Foscam. Quality is great, but we are talking a viewing distance under 15' at the furthest point. It is using WiFi even though I have it powered using POE. Which is weird, but I knew this coming in. The nice thing is that the camera attaches to its base magnetically so adjustments or taking down to clean lens is easy. Very small and light so in specific instances might make sense.
I have not had my hands on the G3 Pro, but should Monday. I have another 4K camera to install too but needed to compare the G3 Pro and G4 in the same spot to decide which to put where.
The biggest downside is the cost -- these are way more expensive than a similarly spec-ed HikVision or even more so a few of the others. I do believe the image sensor is better in these, but probably not the same increase as per the cost increase. Note that this is a huge factor if you have many cameras like I do... which means you might be upgrading one or two per month instead of all at once, at least in my case.
Conclusion
DEFINITELY the best camera system I have personally had experience with... but also the most expensive. I have no regrets at all in choosing this system.... save in the wallet which means I am running both the new system and the older one while I make the transition slowly. Is it worth the extra cost? Hard to say... if ease of use and a solid system are you main goals, I would say yes. If cost is a factor, or you really want to tinker the heck out of things, maybe you should avoid this and go with a Blue Iris or Security Spy or the like.
Adam