Security
Your security footage. Under your control.
Cameras are useful when they capture the right view and keep it. UniFi Protect records on equipment at the property, without a mandatory cloud video subscription.
Cloud-only cameras rent you your own history.
A consumer camera that stores video only in someone else’s cloud is convenient until the subscription lapses, the company changes terms, or the clip you needed aged out of the plan. The lens is on your house. The recording is not.
Local recording reverses that. A UniFi Protect recorder or a capable console keeps footage on equipment at the property. You decide retention by storage and settings, not by a monthly video tier.
Coverage is a placement problem.
High-resolution cameras still miss what they are not pointed at. Doors, drives, gates, the side of a workshop, and the counter of a small business each ask for a different view. Indoor and outdoor cameras, including doorbell cameras, are chosen for those views.
Power, cable, and the recorder’s capacity are part of the same plan. A camera that cannot be reached reliably, or that fills the disk in a weekend, is not a finished system.
What a Protect system can include.
- Local recording
Video stored on a Protect recorder or console at the property. No mandatory cloud video subscription.
- Useful detections
On supported hardware: person detection, vehicle detection, smart search, and license plate recognition. These are not features of every UniFi camera.
- The right camera
Doorbell, indoor, and outdoor models, specified for the light and the distance of the shot.
- Remote viewing
Secure access for the people who should have it, designed with the gateway and the recorder — not left wide open.
Cameras belong on their own part of the network.
Recording equipment should not sit on the same open network as every laptop. The camera segment, the viewer permissions, and the path back to the gateway are designed together. That is also why a camera project often starts as a network project.
Solutions are built with UniFi Protect. This is not a claim of an authorized dealer or certified-installer relationship.
Related work
Questions worth asking
Do UniFi cameras require a monthly subscription?
No mandatory cloud video subscription is required to record with UniFi Protect. Footage is stored on a recorder or console at the property. Optional account features for remote access should be confirmed for the specific equipment. This is different from consumer cameras that stop recording useful history when a subscription lapses.
Is footage stored locally?
Yes, when the system includes UniFi Protect storage. Video stays on equipment you control rather than only in a consumer cloud account. Retention depends on the recorder’s capacity, the number of cameras, and the recording settings.
Can I view cameras remotely?
Secure remote viewing can be set up for the people who should have it. How that access works depends on the gateway, the recorder, and the network. Remote viewing is a design choice, not an afterthought and not an open door.
Does every camera include facial recognition or license plate detection?
No. Advanced detection capabilities depend on the selected UniFi camera and Protect hardware. Person and vehicle detection, smart search, and license plate recognition are available on supported equipment, not on every model.
Plan your camera system.
Entrances, drives, outbuildings, and the views you actually need are more useful than a camera count.