I've been looking at cameras from ubiquiti but I'm new to camera tech and have found it hard to find out "do they want me to use their service / subscription?" and etc.
Not OP, but i've recently set up 5 cameras, 2 more on the way. My system is Ubiquiti with the following hardware:
- UDM Pro
- 24 Port PoE Switch
- 3 G3 Instant (Wifi based Camera)
- 1 G4 Pro (4k Cam, optical zoom, etc)
- 2 G3 Flex (cheaper/simpler option to the G4 Pro for less important areas)
- 1 G3 Doorbell
- 2 Wifi 6 Lite AP
I've been mostly happy with it so far. My only complaint is that there seems to be a semi-common issue with scrubbing timeline history. Downloading the clip works fine, but the websocket driven UI seems to lock up - i suspect it is a UI Software issue.
Aside from their software i've been very happy. Also the cameras, i believe, serve standard RTSPS so if i get fed up with Ubiquiti software i might switch to something standard. Though i'll probably try changing the hard drive (something faster perhaps) or even a dedicated NVR in an effort to make the history scrubbing work better.
Seems like a minor issue that could probably be resolved easily if it was FOSS :/
They're listed all the time - the Flex and Instants i bought very recently. I just ordered a Flex three days ago.
Check daily, usually first thing morning. https://old.reddit.com/r/UbiquitiInStock/ is handy, but i've often found stock when it wasn't posted - so i think my morning check is a bit better than the stock posts.
edit: to be clear, i've bought all of my stuff (within the last year) from Ubiquiti directly. No 3rd party inflated prices
I'm a fan of Reolink's cameras but they are basic.
I actually use mine with an SD card inside and just use their app (it's all free).
It's a little pricy at $50 a pop but their RL-520 haven't failed me. They even put out an update to upgrade the web dashboard from their older flash to something modern.
Ubiquity Dream Machine Pro - downside here is no hard drive redundancy but the all in one solution is nice, with remote access if you want (or you can disable it at the device level and roll your own).
A PoE switch. You can get a ubiquiti one if you want a fancy UI but any good managed switch is fine. Used switches are perfectly acceptable.
If you plan to use Wifi cameras, you'll need an Access Point (AP). Again, go for ubiquiti if you want the fancy UI but any decent AP will work.
Cameras. Here you will need to go with Ubiquiti brand to use their software/network video recorder (NVR).
Router (Dream Machine) -> PoE Switch -> AP and Cameras
You can probably do your own Cat6a runs for your PoE cameras, just know it's recommended to use passthrus and not ports for PoE (I still use ports, it still works fine, :shrug:). Otherwise hire someone or stick to Wifi cams.
You can upgrade to a dedicated NVR and do redundant drives which is desirable since HDDs fail quite a bit. Regardless do use surveillance rated drives (Purples or SkyHawks).
Optional addons: Put the cameras in a locked down VLAN for security. You can also optionally integrate with HomeAssistant to tell cams to not record when you are home/awake/etc.
I've been looking at cameras from ubiquiti but I'm new to camera tech and have found it hard to find out "do they want me to use their service / subscription?" and etc.