- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
General security camera discussion (was "Unifi Protect security cameras")
Posted on 12/30/20 at 9:37 pm
Posted on 12/30/20 at 9:37 pm
Edit 2/8/20: Changed title to hopefully steer topic toward general advice and feature/value comparisons.
Anybody have or used this equipment? I'm a huge fan of Ubiquiti networking gear, so I really want to like these surveillance camera systems, but the reviews... shite.
The mobile and web apps look great for home surveillance, slick timeline scrubbing, person detection... when it all works. The reviews are flooded with 1 star reviews talking about problems logging in, or crashes, etc. It's almost like it's getting worse instead of better. I find it hard to believe that a 15 billion dollar company can't put out a product that even remotely works like it should.
So I'm just wondering if these problems are relatively rare, but since they are show-stoppers users are being very loud about it when it happens. Or are they really pushing out app and firmware updates with basically no testing?
They also EOL'd the Unifi Video line in favor of Protect, which pissed a lot of people off already. And now if they can't get the replacement to work even half-assed, that would really be a shame because like I said I really like a lot of their gear and they put out some interesting products.
Edit: After having used this gear for a while, I haven't had any major issues with it. I've run into occasional remote connectivity issues, but no show-stoppers. The vast majority of the time it just works as it should. They continue rolling out updates that improve performance and add features like you might expect from "smart" cloud based cameras, but with full-time recording and no fees. I like it.
Anybody have or used this equipment? I'm a huge fan of Ubiquiti networking gear, so I really want to like these surveillance camera systems, but the reviews... shite.
The mobile and web apps look great for home surveillance, slick timeline scrubbing, person detection... when it all works. The reviews are flooded with 1 star reviews talking about problems logging in, or crashes, etc. It's almost like it's getting worse instead of better. I find it hard to believe that a 15 billion dollar company can't put out a product that even remotely works like it should.
So I'm just wondering if these problems are relatively rare, but since they are show-stoppers users are being very loud about it when it happens. Or are they really pushing out app and firmware updates with basically no testing?
They also EOL'd the Unifi Video line in favor of Protect, which pissed a lot of people off already. And now if they can't get the replacement to work even half-assed, that would really be a shame because like I said I really like a lot of their gear and they put out some interesting products.
Edit: After having used this gear for a while, I haven't had any major issues with it. I've run into occasional remote connectivity issues, but no show-stoppers. The vast majority of the time it just works as it should. They continue rolling out updates that improve performance and add features like you might expect from "smart" cloud based cameras, but with full-time recording and no fees. I like it.
This post was edited on 2/8/21 at 2:39 pm
12
Posted on 12/30/20 at 9:50 pm to Korkstand
I’m avoiding it for now.
The cameras are very overpriced for features and quality if you read ipcamtalk. Granted, they recommend mostly stuff that is Dahua/hikvision, so maybe there is a premium to be paid for something that doesn’t report what you had for supper and the size of your Amazon packages to the Chinese government.
But more importantly, I don’t like their requirement for a cloud controller g2 or UDM-pro. They limit the hardware so heavily and still have a poorly-functioning, overpriced system that isn’t totally reliable or particularly friendly to any outside hardware. Then they sort of have a history of abandoning what doesn’t work/sell, leading me to sit them out until it’s more caught on and ironed out.
I love the company. I will buy and recommend their networking stuff left and right. But requiring crappier hardware than I have (i5 8500 in a desktop that is always on instead of whatever is in a cloud key or UDM) should at least come with a pretty high floor before I will overlook the low ceiling, and the Protect line isn’t there yet.
The cameras are very overpriced for features and quality if you read ipcamtalk. Granted, they recommend mostly stuff that is Dahua/hikvision, so maybe there is a premium to be paid for something that doesn’t report what you had for supper and the size of your Amazon packages to the Chinese government.
But more importantly, I don’t like their requirement for a cloud controller g2 or UDM-pro. They limit the hardware so heavily and still have a poorly-functioning, overpriced system that isn’t totally reliable or particularly friendly to any outside hardware. Then they sort of have a history of abandoning what doesn’t work/sell, leading me to sit them out until it’s more caught on and ironed out.
I love the company. I will buy and recommend their networking stuff left and right. But requiring crappier hardware than I have (i5 8500 in a desktop that is always on instead of whatever is in a cloud key or UDM) should at least come with a pretty high floor before I will overlook the low ceiling, and the Protect line isn’t there yet.
Posted on 12/31/20 at 11:47 am to Korkstand
I've enjoyed my Ubiquiti network setup at home and it allows for the added control and seamless configurations. I was intrigued by their security camera line but was quickly turned off by the price of their cameras. I didn't even look close enough to see the costs or requirements for running cameras so i stayed away. I have a ~5 year old Lorex NVR and cameras and it works fine (24/7 record and no major alerts/triggers is way i roll). I just started playing with one of the Reolink cameras i got in the other day (made post in Tech Board about 2 weeks ago). I'm going to slowly migrate/upgrade to Reolink cameras since they're better priced and have no requirement for standalone NVR. I'm really looking forward to their model soon to be available with 12mp resolution and built-in face/license plate identification.
Posted on 12/31/20 at 12:28 pm to Korkstand
I haven't bought any UniFi cameras yet but I'm planning to. I'm planning to buy a couple of the G4 bullets, G4 dome, doorbell and assuming a G4 Flex is coming soon. My only issues is the UNVR won't fit in my network rack and I'm not keen on the Cloudkey Gen2+ to act as my NVR and I don't want a UDM Pro. Also they have that Unifi ViewPort which makes it VERY easy to monitor your cameras from a TV using HDMI. I've seen where you can do something similar using a Rasberry Pi but this just makes it so simple.
While sure I can put Dahua, Hikvision etc on a VLAN and isolate them, but why put something that might be spyware in your home/business network in the first place. I don't buy random unknown Chinese IoT devices either.
One thing people seem to not know is that all UniFi cameras including the doorbell support RTSP and can be used standalone w/o the Protect software. So you can use Blue Iris or whatever, but you might not get stuff like event notification etc that is done by Protect.
While sure I can put Dahua, Hikvision etc on a VLAN and isolate them, but why put something that might be spyware in your home/business network in the first place. I don't buy random unknown Chinese IoT devices either.
One thing people seem to not know is that all UniFi cameras including the doorbell support RTSP and can be used standalone w/o the Protect software. So you can use Blue Iris or whatever, but you might not get stuff like event notification etc that is done by Protect.
Posted on 1/5/21 at 7:38 am to Korkstand
We are currently using this system. We have 9 cameras, 5 g3 flex, 2 g3 dome, 1 g3 bullet and 1 g4 pro.
The system was installed 7 months ago and has worked flawlessly. The g4-pro uses a lot of storage. We had to upgrade the hard drive to 1 tb.
Overall we are very happy with the system, the ease of use and reliability. The ios app and desktop app both work well. I favor the ios app of the two.
The system was installed 7 months ago and has worked flawlessly. The g4-pro uses a lot of storage. We had to upgrade the hard drive to 1 tb.
Overall we are very happy with the system, the ease of use and reliability. The ios app and desktop app both work well. I favor the ios app of the two.
Posted on 1/6/21 at 10:59 am to Korkstand
Damn it, now I want a UDM Pro
Posted on 2/1/21 at 9:15 am to Korkstand
So now I've played with some G4 cameras and Smart Detections, and maybe it's just my lack of experience with a lot of "smart" type features with other systems, but I'm pretty impressed with Protect. I left the smart detect zone as the full frame, and it picked up cars passing on a road 360' away all night. I didn't think it would work at that range, much less at night. The thumbs it generates which highlight the people/vehicles it found have been spot on. It also nabs golf carts, which I thought was hilarious.
I still have my concerns about Ubiquiti's direction as a company and whether they will support the Protect line for the long term given their handling of past product lines, but they appear to be very committed to video surveillance in general and Protect has a lot of things going for it.
I still have my concerns about Ubiquiti's direction as a company and whether they will support the Protect line for the long term given their handling of past product lines, but they appear to be very committed to video surveillance in general and Protect has a lot of things going for it.
Posted on 2/8/21 at 9:23 pm to Korkstand
I'll say this: I have an alarm system on my home and they do offer security cams. Didnt think I needed em til my truck was broken into (me thinking neighborhood was safe to keep it unlocked).
Well I researched camera. If youre not getting 4k? Dont waste your time with security cameras for home use. Daylight? ok. Nighttime? If its not 4k? Might as well just say, its a raccoon digging in the garbage. I spent about $3k on (3) cameras and an 8 channel box. I couldve saved about $200 with a 4channel but wth? Needless to say? I cought them not only on cam, but within a minute of them coming back acpl yrs later to my truck. My truck specifically when other vehicles were there...
CCTV camera Pros. Id have liked the panzoom but theyre just too much. Howe3ver with 4k infrared ngihtvision? You wont make out licenseplates at say 70ft, but youll make out who comes near your vehicles or home easily. And my cameras are dome and attached to the underside of my boxing. At night? You wont see my cameras until its too late and its got you on cam...
spend them money. Dont buy cheap junk like walmart/sams/costco or whatever your alarm comp has unless they offer 4k zoom
Well I researched camera. If youre not getting 4k? Dont waste your time with security cameras for home use. Daylight? ok. Nighttime? If its not 4k? Might as well just say, its a raccoon digging in the garbage. I spent about $3k on (3) cameras and an 8 channel box. I couldve saved about $200 with a 4channel but wth? Needless to say? I cought them not only on cam, but within a minute of them coming back acpl yrs later to my truck. My truck specifically when other vehicles were there...
CCTV camera Pros. Id have liked the panzoom but theyre just too much. Howe3ver with 4k infrared ngihtvision? You wont make out licenseplates at say 70ft, but youll make out who comes near your vehicles or home easily. And my cameras are dome and attached to the underside of my boxing. At night? You wont see my cameras until its too late and its got you on cam...
spend them money. Dont buy cheap junk like walmart/sams/costco or whatever your alarm comp has unless they offer 4k zoom
Posted on 2/11/21 at 8:09 am to Korkstand
Glad to hear the update.
I'm starting to install Ubiquiti equipment exclusively for my small office and residential network projects. I haven't pushed the cameras too hard yet, guess I need to buy a couple for the office to play around with.
I'm starting to install Ubiquiti equipment exclusively for my small office and residential network projects. I haven't pushed the cameras too hard yet, guess I need to buy a couple for the office to play around with.
Posted on 2/15/21 at 3:11 pm to Korkstand
Looking for a little advice here, I am not very savvy on the subject so let me tell you what I have and how I use it, then I am open for suggestions.
About 10 years ago my dogs were digging holes in my back yard and in order to figure out which one was the culprit and catch him in the act I put in a cheap security camera system from Harbor Freight. It came with 4 cameras with outlets for 4 more. I hooked it up to an old computer monitor I had laying around and it served its purpose. A couple of years later I added 2 front yard cameras that I use simply to see who is coming up the driveway and who is at the front door. I live in a pretty secure neighborhood and don't really need them for security reasons although I did catch a guy on tape breaking into my truck once.
OK so here is what is happening. The other night the DVR unit blew and I am missing it already. So here is where I am at. Either find a DVR unit compatible with my existing cameras or upgrade to a wireless system that will do the simple things I want. With the old system I never set it up to use remotely with my cell phone. That might be nice but not really a deal breaker.
I'm not looking for some state of the art system, just something low cost that will do what my old system did and I would rather not have to crawl through the attic to run new wires.
About 10 years ago my dogs were digging holes in my back yard and in order to figure out which one was the culprit and catch him in the act I put in a cheap security camera system from Harbor Freight. It came with 4 cameras with outlets for 4 more. I hooked it up to an old computer monitor I had laying around and it served its purpose. A couple of years later I added 2 front yard cameras that I use simply to see who is coming up the driveway and who is at the front door. I live in a pretty secure neighborhood and don't really need them for security reasons although I did catch a guy on tape breaking into my truck once.
OK so here is what is happening. The other night the DVR unit blew and I am missing it already. So here is where I am at. Either find a DVR unit compatible with my existing cameras or upgrade to a wireless system that will do the simple things I want. With the old system I never set it up to use remotely with my cell phone. That might be nice but not really a deal breaker.
I'm not looking for some state of the art system, just something low cost that will do what my old system did and I would rather not have to crawl through the attic to run new wires.
Posted on 10/27/21 at 9:32 am to Korkstand
Dahua and Hikvision equipment has been banned from US government sites for a while, but now Home Depot, Best Buy, and Lowe's have pulled Lorex and Ezviz (Dahua and Hik) products from stores. But while the government banned them for security reasons, these retailers have dropped them for human rights and ethical reasons.
I don't know the exact relationship between these companies and the Chinese government, but in any case they work very closely together to say the least. Police all over China use these cameras to keep an eye on their cities, and they have developed AI software to recognize and track ethnic minorities, specifically Uyghur muslims.
Uniview is the 3rd largest camera manufacturer in China, and so far they haven't come under the same scrutiny as the other two. However they have also been caught developing software to identify Uyghurs and they are also known to supply cameras to Chinese police. Uniview has recently been my top choice for low cost, high quality cameras, but it's hard to vouch for them if they are doing all the same stuff.
Another well-known Chinese brand is Reolink. I haven't read of any links whatsoever between them and the Chinese government nor of any human rights issues, though given the price of their gear I find it hard to believe they aren't getting funding from sources other than sales.
So while Dahua, Hik, Uniview, and all their white label resellers offer better price/performance than Ubiquiti (Reolink is obviously cheaper but IMO the quality makes them less of a value), if these security and ethical issues enter your value equation then it might bump Ubiquiti to the top of the value list. AFAIK every other manufacturer that is not involved with the Chinese government is even more expensive than Ubiquiti.
I don't know the exact relationship between these companies and the Chinese government, but in any case they work very closely together to say the least. Police all over China use these cameras to keep an eye on their cities, and they have developed AI software to recognize and track ethnic minorities, specifically Uyghur muslims.
Uniview is the 3rd largest camera manufacturer in China, and so far they haven't come under the same scrutiny as the other two. However they have also been caught developing software to identify Uyghurs and they are also known to supply cameras to Chinese police. Uniview has recently been my top choice for low cost, high quality cameras, but it's hard to vouch for them if they are doing all the same stuff.
Another well-known Chinese brand is Reolink. I haven't read of any links whatsoever between them and the Chinese government nor of any human rights issues, though given the price of their gear I find it hard to believe they aren't getting funding from sources other than sales.
So while Dahua, Hik, Uniview, and all their white label resellers offer better price/performance than Ubiquiti (Reolink is obviously cheaper but IMO the quality makes them less of a value), if these security and ethical issues enter your value equation then it might bump Ubiquiti to the top of the value list. AFAIK every other manufacturer that is not involved with the Chinese government is even more expensive than Ubiquiti.
Posted on 1/1/22 at 5:35 pm to Korkstand
Just installed/configured the G4 PTZ for my buddy at his farm. This thing is fricking amazing, which i would expect with the $1800 pricetag. Like Kork has said, the ubiquiti camera quality is incredible but you do pay a price for that.
Posted on 3/27/24 at 11:09 am to Korkstand
I tried looking through all the comments, but didn't see my question:
Is there a continuous record video camera that overwrites itself weekly or monthly that someone can recommend for residential use?
Is there a continuous record video camera that overwrites itself weekly or monthly that someone can recommend for residential use?
Page 1 of 1
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News