re: General security camera discussion (was "Unifi Protect security cameras")

I installed a lorex system for someone and I used cat6 that I ran and terminated myself. It works fine. I have never seen nor heard of an IP camera system that doesn't like cat6.

How did you test your cat6? Is it solid copper or cca cable?

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It looks like the Ubiquiti system is the top recommendation, so I am thinking about going with the Cloud Key G2 Plus and 6 G5 bullet cameras. Thoughts?

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A lot of security installer "pros" hate on it, and perhaps rightfully so because honestly there are better values out there as far as video quality per dollar. There's a case to be made that both cheaper and more expensive cameras than Ubiquiti offer better video quality per dollar, and while the new G5 bullets for $130 have narrowed that gap considerably they still perform something like a $60 Reolink. And other chinese brands that cost $130 will beat the G5 bullet.

Where Ubiquiti excels is the app experience and smart detections. The app is simple, works well, and makes it really easy to find what you're looking for. Want to find when something showed up or turned up missing? It takes seconds to scroll through the timeline and find it. Want to review the people and vehicles that showed up over the last day or week? The detections page makes quick work of that with well-cropped thumbnails that show the subjects clearly. Notifications are timely and include screenshots. It's by far the best app I've used.

A couple things to keep in mind:

1. You will need to get a PoE switch to run your Ubiquiti cameras. Most NVRs have built in PoE switches but Ubiquiti's do not. You don't have to use a Ubiquiti switch, I usually just use a tp-link or ipcampower switch.

2. One neat thing about the CK2+ is that it can also be powered via PoE which makes for a clean install. You can even hide it in another room away from your router/switch/whatever and just run a cat cable to it just like the cameras.

3. The CK2+ has only a 1TB hard drive which might be a bit limiting. With 6 cameras recording 24/7 I would only expect a few days of storage. But the drive pops out easily and you can replace it with a different 2.5" drive, either hdd or ssd, to get more storage.