Why I can't recommend Ubiquiti cameras at this time

Arjun

IPCT Contributor
Feb 26, 2017
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The Free? World
1. The lack of extensive customization is lacking at this time - I don't see Ubiquiti enabling additional features such as shutter/exposure adjustment in the foreseeable future.
2. Water intrusion complaints - when you are purchasing IP cameras at a premium price, you should not have to experience issues such as the following at this price point. Thanks to @wittaj for pointing this out. I get it that quality control can occasionally slip, but be rest-assured, there are design flaws in Ubiquiti cameras that Ubiquiti will not want to admit.
3. Their interior cameras are unnecessarily expensive versus their Chinese counterparts and prices on Ubiquiti products are only increasing at this time time.
4. Have you ever purchased a basic junction box at $50 dollars plus tax?
5. Have you ever been plagued by finding Ubiquiti products out of stock only to wait for months to see them come back in stock? - this is unacceptable

Meanwhile,




I can see why Ubiquiti is not discussed extensively on ipcamtalk - it has not thing to do with favorability; it has to do with simply poor performance, unnecessarily expensive (don't use no subscription fees as an excuse), and lack of availability in respect to camera options (where is the 64mm focal length LPR model?) and lack of inventory.

Prices such as what is shown below are forever gone. Meanwhile you can find a respectable Hikvision minidome camera for $30 on Amazon, perfect for indoor use.

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It would be great if a 64mm LPR camera was released. The current AI LPR camera performs well up to 30 feet, but I've found that accuracy becomes inconsistent beyond that distance.

Currently, I have a Z12E (~140 feet) and a Z4E (~25 feet) connected to an AI Port. Both have been performing very well with LPR detections in Protect.
 
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From my experience, Ubiquiti is all about the software implementation. The hardware will leave a lot to be desired. Specs-wise the sensors aren't necessarily the best. Major red flag is the partial plastic construction and also the operating temperature. Ubiquiti lists the high temps as 122 degrees F. My co-worker got the new G6 PTZ when it came out and it lasts two hours after being mounted under the soffit here in Texas. There are also complaints about access control readers not holding up in the Texas weather. Cameras from like Hikvision are rated to 158 degrees F. I've had my two Hikvision mini-PTZ sitting up in my attic for the past six years and it is still alive and well. I for sure don't want to be stuck in a hot Texas attic but it has survived this long.

I would say if you were to go about it... Add a third party camera like Dahua or Hikvision to Unifi Protect. Run a few AI Ports to supplement the AI detections. Depending on the camera resolution, it is not one to one for the camera with the AI Port. So with 4-5 MP cameras, currently AI Port can support two. I picked up my AI Ports during black friday at $149 each so besides the camera itself, only a $75 premium each camera. My setup is Hikvision OEM cameras with Hikvision NVR. Then AI Ports for the cameras with the video streams and metadata recorded to a Cloudkey Gen2 Plus. Been pretty reliable so far. The redundant recording along with a set of metadata from each platform is great.
 
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