UniFi Home Network Install

Sorry to bump an old thread but did you go for the unifi cameras in the end?

Any feedback?

I've self-installed an all-unifi setup so may be able to offer some advice on this. My setup is:

- UniFi Dream Machine Pro
- UniFi Switch 24 PoE
- 2 x UniFi AC Pro
- 2 x UniFi Protect G3 FLEX Camera

All wired using Cat6, access points and cameras are powered using Power-over-ethernet. Our internet is Virgin Media so we use the provided router/modem in "modem-only" mode.

I did some network installation work in a previous lifetime but it's not terribly difficult if you're reasonably competent and can follow Youtube tutorials. None of the cabling is high-power, so at the very least you won't electrocute youself

Let me know if you want me to talk you through anything.

davo2001 wrote: »

My questions is, can i see/control the cameras from the existing unif app controller?

There is a separate UniFi Protect app that you can get for iPhone/Android. On desktop, when you put in the IP address of the Cloudkey 2 (or the UDMP in my case) you get a screen which lets you pick between the UniFi controller and the UniFI protect controller. It's easy to switch between them, but it's not technically the same app (despite running on the same device).

davo2001 wrote: »

> Do i actually need a cloudkey gen2? As i said, i've an existing controller on a raspberry pi, would i be able to route the camera footage to a synology NAS using RTSP or something like that?

The old Ubnt system, UniFi video, could be self-hosted. I had previously hosted it myself in a Docker container. However, it's a lot less polished than Protect. For Protect, you need Ubiquiti hardware to host it; i.e. either a CloudKey2 or a UDMP.

The cameras do offer video streams, but I haven't set this up in third-party software myself. From memory, I don't think they were compatible with Synology Surveillance Station and, whilst there were some other options, the software was either horrible (ZoneMinder, Shinobi), or Windows only (Blue Iris).

Personally, I'd go for Protect over Video so that you can benefit from the Protect features (such as the motion detection). You can then move your controller onto the Protect device, so you won't need the PI.

I've a Cloud Key 2 that I bought last December but stopped using in August when I picked up a UDMP on a flash sale. If you'd like it, I can do you a fair price on it... but I'll just need to first check that my parents don't want it. Drop me a PM if you're interested anyway.

Hope that helps.

Rattlehead_ie wrote: »

@mrbubbles. Im actually in the process of putting together more a less the same build as yourself. Only difference is I was considering the usw-pro-24-poe-gen2. 2 questions.

- Assuming you are using the 1G from UDMP to Switch. How do you find the switching capacity of the network?
- What is your throughput like on those 3x3 AC APs?

I looked at the Pro 24 switch but, after some thought, I decided it would be overkill for our home network (there are only two of us) and not worth the €250ish difference. Also, the Pro 24 switch has a fan (whereas the non-Pro is passively cooled) so I was happy with that. The main thing was that I wanted a Gen 2 switch to get the maximum possible usage before they stop supporting it.

I've not done much scientific testing of the network throughput but it's passed the family tests, i.e:

• It can handle streaming of two simultaneous 4k streams from my Plex server (running on the Synology) to various TVs on the network
• In the rare times that my Virgin line is uncongested, I seem to get 500Mbps (line capacity) over 5GHz WIFI, which is pretty good. It's only a little slower on 2.4GHz WIFI. It might go faster than that, but I don't really do any network file transfers to measure it

The main thing is that the setup is rock solid; just checked the UDMP there and it's uptime has been 70+ days - that's despite installing a new switch 32 days ago (I just swapped it over) - and it's still running great.

Rattlehead_ie wrote: »

Only difference is I was considering the usw-pro-24-poe-gen2. 2 questions.

Just starting to look at switches for a home network and a general question on POE please.

With above 24 port switch it notes max POE power of 400 watts, I presume that's its capability in running power to all 24 ports and devices simultaneously? Granted cameras and Access Points require power but what else. 24 port enabled POE seems like a lot but there are very few 24 port switches with even half and half data and POE. I guess you could always buy a small 5 port POE switch along with a basic data switch but it would be nice to keep devices, power plugs and cables to a minimum and have everything in one.

With above or similar POE switches if most of the ports are just running data to TVs, PCs, consoles etc I presume the power consumption is negligible and you don't need to worry about the electric bill with the switch consuming nearly 10 kilowatts per day?

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

Just starting to look at switches for a home network and a general question on POE please.

With above 24 port switch it notes max POE power of 400 watts, I presume that's its capability in running power to all 24 ports and devices simultaneously? Granted cameras and Access Points require power but what else. 24 port enabled POE seems like a lot but there are very few 24 port switches with even half and half data and POE. I guess you could always buy a small 5 port POE switch along with a basic data switch but it would be nice to keep devices, power plugs and cables to a minimum and have everything in one.

With above or similar POE switches if most of the ports are just running data to TVs, PCs, consoles etc I presume the power consumption is negligible and you don't need to worry about the electric bill with the switch consuming nearly 10 kilowatts per day?

I'm not too sure about the power limitations but I know that, physically, the USW-24-POE only has 16 POE (802.3at) ports whereas the USW-Pro-24-POE has the same but also 8 POE (802.3b) ports.

I only have two access points and two cameras, with plans to add one more access point and maybe 2 more cameras, so the 16 is enough for me but YMMV.

Good concise description of the different UniFi switches and changes from Gen1 to Gen2 for any future readers:
https://evanmccann.net/blog/2020/6/unifi-switches-explained

Another question, where have posters bought their UniFi equipment? I would have expected directly from the UniFi store to be most economical but there are even 3rd party sellers on Amazon beating them on price. Has anyone got produce shipped from EuroDK.com in Latvia (best on price and great selection of equipment, not just Ubiquity gear) or NetXL.com in Surrey, UK?

For example I was initially just looking at an access point and switch. Was going with the AC-Pro or do people think the nano offers any future benefit with the improved speed of 1733 vs 1300 Mbps speed in the 5 GHz band vs a reduction in 2.4GHz speeds.
In terms of a switch was going with a 24 port non POE version as the access point (possibly a 2nd in future) would be the only POE consumer so the included injector would be fine there. I already have an NVR with POE included in that for the cameras.

Price comparisons below (included some additional possiblities) UniFi store very similar to NetXL but EuroDK so much better and that's with 21% VAT and the option to get any powered item with a UK plug. Granted EuroDK don't have the Gen2 of the non POE switches (USW-24) so no direct price comparison but don't think that adds anything extra apart from the flashy 1.3" touchscreen. Shipping is extra from EuroDK so if going that route I'd probably get a small 12U cabinet and some accessories which are very reasonable in comparison to what you can get here.

Product|Model|UniFi Store|NetXL|EuroDK
Access Point|UAP-AC-PRO|144|141|131
Access Point|UAP-nanoHD|180|176|153
Switch|USW-24|229|n/a|n/a
Switch|US-24|n/a|213|184
Switch|USW-24-POE|386|390|354
Switch|USW-PRO-24-POE|713|717|639
Gateway|USG|120|116|104
Gateway|USG-PRO-4|301|279|255
Cloud Key|UCK-G2|180|185|165