Security cameras

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Also if you insist on 4k then you don't want Ubiquiti, you'll be looking at $1,800 for 4 of their 4k cams. It also doesn't play nicely with 3rd party stuff, though it should be possible to make them work with Synology. I do like Ubiquiti, though, and have installed and support several of their camera systems. It is the slickest and easiest to use system that I've found for local recording.

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Yea day is pricy but I am really digging my 4k pros so far...altho it's only been about a week. I am married into the unifi platform (UDMP, 48 switch pro, NVRP), not being a real IT type its real easy to setup I just have to figure out what settings I want and need for the whole network. Just getting that ramped up.

I had seen a lot of talk about blue Irus as well when reading on some Reddit subs. That might be a program you use on your NAS and can run a bunch of different brand cameras? Don't quote me on that.

IMO when it comes to cameras buy once cry once. If you can't make out any features of someone, something you won't be able to catch them. Placement and the best resolution you can afford in the budget IMO. You can always add cameras down the line too.

Not saying unifi is the best I just went that way because I have the other gear but if you do it will be out of stock all the time. Don't rely on the notify men on their site. Go to reddit and THIS SUB UnifiInStock sort by new and leave it up on your screen and refresh all day. Took cpl weeks but I was able to snag what I wanted you just have to be quick. Ones on Amazon and ebay are being flipped and will be 2x the price.


Bonus while I was grabbing that sub link someone posted a unifi doorbell g4 pro (its in early access) Lighting strike near by...pretty cool.

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Blue Iris is NVR software that runs on a PC. I don't think it will run on a typical NAS, but you can save the recordings to a NAS via BI running on a PC. And yes it works with a lot of cameras, as do most NVRs and NVR/VMS programs like Blue Iris. The Ubiquiti stuff is one of the few exceptions here that doesn't work with industry standard ONVIF cameras (but neither do most/all of the "cloud" cameras like Ring/Nest/etc). Now you may not get all the specific manufacturer features by mixing and matching brands, but for the most part you should get video recording and motion detection at the least.

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I’m not speaking with authority on this one, but I’m fairly certain there’s a Docker container for the older Unifi Video controller that can run on synology and carries support for all the cameras.


But Unifi is probably on the top end of his budget if not out of it. The exception would be 4x g3 flex, but he’d settle for 1080 when he asked for 4k, attached to his NAS-run NVR.

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Blue Iris is NVR software that runs on a PC. I don't think it will run on a typical NAS

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Ahh ok I had just seen the name and how it works with a lot of brands well. I have only recently seen the terms docker and containers to run things maybe there is one for that on a NAS? I do recall some saying its possible with unifi too but its a PITA maybe like mentioned by Hopeful Doc. I didn't pay attention since it didn't really apply to me.

My last system was ICrealtime and it was a locked system for only their cameras I think? Got 2mp cameras because they were so expensive. I cursed them and the shitty software for the last 7 years. The protect app and cameras have made me very happy. That's why I'd say to the OP what ever brand you land on run the wires now and just add cameras down the line if need be.

Outside of those 2 brands I have a ring doorbell that is pretty slick too. I don't know how their regular cameras stack up but the doorbell has been flawless...but it does have a monthly fee that I wanted to avoid.

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Bonus while I was grabbing that sub link someone posted a unifi doorbell g4 pro (its in early access) Lighting strike near by...pretty cool.

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Ha, cool video and lol at the folks ragging on OP for not trimming the first 20 seconds. It does beg the question of whether future AI enabled cams will be able to go into a High Frame Rate mode for special events. Now THAT would be cool.

Back to original question, also having a look at Lorex which I see highly rated and recommended on some articles.

I recently did the 4k reolink cams. Spent a little over 1k for the 16 channel nvr, 5 4ks, 1 4k ptz, and 1 of their new dual channel wide angles.

Price didn't include wire work because I got the cat6 for free and ran it myself.

My favorite part is any TV I have a fire TV stick on will pull up my cams when I ask Alexa.

I had assumed you were aware of the Synology licensing already, so my bad. I have a Lorex system i bought in 2016 and got a few Reolink cams in 2020 that have replaced the 3 lorex cams on front of house. Ubiquiti cams are pretty impressive in the few i’ve installed for friends, granted easier if already in that ecosystem.

I have installed multiple Reolink systems for friends/clients as their mobile app and features come at a good price point, along with product availability. I ended up adding their NVR last year as way to offload network and storage from local resources to a dedicated device. You could get a 4 cam/nvr package within your budget from reolink. Plus you could add cams based on capabilities/use case.

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Synology doesn't list Lorex though in their supported cameras, which seems odd.

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Lorex is another Dahua rebrand like Amcrest, so they should work.

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So I'm really looking for differentiating factors in the UX now.

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It will probably come down to personal preference, but for me and my use patterns I have to have a vertical scrolling timeline like Nest or UniFi Protect. It is *so* much faster and more intuitive to use than a horizontally scrolling one or a UI which only lets you browse/play clips from thumbnails. Also a clip/event viewer which crops the thumbnails to the area of the frame with motion.

But maybe that's just because I review a lot of footage with a lot of events, and for you it would be fine if you just got thumbnail notifications.

Find the ones that are NDAA and/or SEA compliant. These cameras do not reach back to China.

Reolink is the best bang for buck for the NDAA compliant cameras.

Re: Reolink, this article compares it vs Lorex: LINK /

From the article:

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Reolink is a popular brand that is only a few years old. But they are not exactly new to the surveillance camera industry. The brand Reolink is owned by Shenzhen Baichuan Security Technology Co., Ltd. who are a manufacturer of security cameras and other surveillance equipment.

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I might be even more suspicious about recently started Chinese brands as they would have started in an even more controlled era of the CCP.