Fully Integrated Ubiquiti or Ubiquiti + Hikvision

[HiFive]

Hi All,
I have narrowed down on the below two options for my new home network / NVR set up and I would like some advice regarding what you guys think:

IT / Networking skill level = Basic

Option 1 (fully integrated Ubiquiti set up)
• UDM-Pro with 5 TB HD
• USW-24 port Switch (PoE on 16 ports)
• 2 x UniFi AP AC Lite (1 for ground floor & 1 for first floor)
• TV + Study + Theatre – Hard wired into switch
• 3 x UniFi Protect G3 Bullet Camera (side of the house & backyard)
• 2 x UniFi Protect G4-PRO Camera (for front of the house)
• 3 x UniFi Protect G3 Dome Camera (indoor, garage & doorway)
• HP ProLiant N54L MicroServer (Old NAS server that I already have currently) for data share

Option 2 (Ubiquiti + Hikvision set up)
• UDM (non pro version)
• USW – 8-Port POE Switch
• 2 x UniFi AP AC Lite (1 for ground floor & 1 for first floor)
• TV + Study + Theatre – Hard wired into switch
• Hikvision DS-7616NI-I2 16CH PoE NVR + 5TB Hard Drive
• 2 x 8MP Hikvision Cameras (for front of the house)
• 6 x 6MP Hikvision Cameras (side of the house, backyard & others)
• HP ProLiant N54L MicroServer (Old NAS server that I already have currently) for data share

Option 1 gives me a fully integrated system with easy to use “one stop shop” for all my network and video needs
Option 2 gives me a high quality set up but I lose the ease of use and the Ubiquiti interface and considering my networking skills, I'm just a bit nervous to mix & match.

What does everyone think of the above and which one should I go with or should look at something else?

 

[Mike A.]

Generally I tend more toward #2 myself. Play to the strengths of the vendor. You really don't gain much in terms of integration for the cams. Not nearly enough to offset the benefits of better cams and flexibility available otherwise whether Hikvision or others. Especially at the cost for some of the Ubiquiti cams.

You still need some sort of NVR/server under Option 1 to better integrate/manage the cams/video? Unless maybe you just want to watch them. There's the Unify Protect NVR devices that they sell but that's another piece you'd have to add at additional cost.

 

[HiFive]

Generally I tend more toward #2 myself. Play to the strengths of the vendor. You really don't gain much in terms of integration for the cams. Not nearly enough to offset the benefits of better cams and flexibility available otherwise whether Hikvision or others. Especially at the cost for some of the Ubiquiti cams.

You still need some sort of NVR/server under Option 1 to better integrate/manage the cams/video? Unless maybe you just want to watch them. There's the Unify Protect NVR devices that they sell but that's another piece you'd have to add at additional cost.

Thanks Mike, I thought UDM-Pro already has unify protect in it so that I can use the 5 TB HD.. I might be wrong though?

 

[Mike A.]

You're right. It does. Sorry, missed that. Reading quick and thinking UDM not Pro.

I'd still lean more toward #2 as a general model myself. Ubiquiti makes great network 'stuff' and generally represents a very good value. The cams not so much for what you get. Others are stronger on the surveillance video side and better value there I think. The value of integration/single vendor doesn't make up the difference vs price/performance of video elements to my mind (does for network components). And #2 gives you a lot more options as far as cams/NVR/BI server/etc.

 

[NicholasBoccio]

@HiFive, I actually am just finishing going from your option 1, to option 2.

See my "option 1 setup" with LOTS of details here:

Home Ubiquiti Setup - Security, networking & more | Ubiquiti Community

I have a very "always be prepared" mindset, and despite what most people think when I told them what I wanted to build, and now that it is pretty

community.ui.com

@Mike A. makes valid points, and allows me a perfect segway into why I have left the Ubiquiti Protect ecosystem. I was super happy the with CloudKey Gen 2+ and USG Pro4. I bought the UDM Pro in May and have regretted it ever since. The UDM Pro is still, at best, a beta product in terms of "Protection". I have suffered major downtime when their firmware 'magically' upgraded itself, despite my having every options to self-update disabled. Please search their forums, this is a big problem. This isn't nitpicking either, this is a "protection" oriented product, and in 4 months of owning the UDM Pro I have had almost 2 full weeks of NONE of my cameras working, and other issues. Adding fuel to that fire, the firmware change actually changed how you setup the UDM/UDM Pro so you MUST have a cloud account to set it up and access it. Recently Ubiquiti has reverted this, however it shows what their intention is.

Before I explain what I am doing now, please allow me to praise Ubiquiti and their Protect line from my experience:

1. Hands down the BEST app for either Android or iOS - this will get you wife approval
2. Their cameras, even though old and lower-spec'ed compared to similarly priced cameras today, have incredible image quality
3. Their cameras (IMO) just look smart. They do not look like the cheap knock off cameras you see in every gas station and liquor store. To me, they always reminded me of Portal.
4. Their addon "Viewport" is perfect for non techie people to view their cameras and be able to edit those views within the same UI and app that they already use, which I have already praised.

The Ubiquiti Protect experience made me realize that even though I cannot buy nor create the same experience enjoyment I had in their ecosystem, but I could at least improve on the uptime, reliability and allow myself flexibility. Definitely use their network and wifi gear! I still use the UDM Pro for that. I think your 2nd option will serve you MUCH better as the more you read about Ubiquiti's decisions on non network products will leave you with a lot of uncertainty. IMO, that money is better served with a company like Hik, that is fully committed to their products.

 

[aristobrat]

2 x 8MP Hikvision Cameras (for front of the house)
• 6 x 6MP Hikvision Cameras (side of the house, backyard & others)

This is a big IMO ramble... For most folks here, getting the best night-time image quality is one of the bigger priorities. Just about any camera can be tuned to take great looking shots at night when nothing in the scene is moving, but it's usually pretty difficult to get a video at night of something moving that doesn't have blur around the the motion part. When you're trying to get a clear face shot of someone prowling around your car at 3 AM, blurry facial details aren't helpful.

The image sensor in the camera plays a key role in helping get nighttime motion shots with the least amount of blur. When someone comes out with a better night-time image sensor, Hikvision and Dahua seem to be the first two manufactures that get access to it and start making models using it.

Right now, cameras that use the 4MP 1/1.8" image sensor seem to be the sweet spot between low-light image sensor tech and affordability. I mention that because I saw you list 6MP and 8MP cameras. AFAIK, there aren't any 6MP or 8MP cameras that perform as well in lowlight as ones that use the 4MP 1/1.8" image sensor, at least not in the same price range. So if you go with option #2, I highly recommend you investigating the low-light performance component of cameras.

Also, my network is 100% Unifi and I mostly love it... they put out an older 16 port POE switch that has issues IMO and I'm lucky enough to have one of them, but the rest of their gear has been great for me. In terms of bang for the buck, I don't think I could do any better. I don't feel the same way in terms of their camera offerings, though.

 

[NicholasBoccio]

As @HiFive said, night time quality is hard. I decided to just add "landscape" lighting to our entire yard (front back and sides) in order to always maintain color night recording. Our cameras are for security 1st, evidence collection 2nd, convenience 3rd. I spent less than $150 to add 30 LED powered lights around the home to create the lighting scene shown here (the layout is out of date as I now have two LPR cameras behind the mailbox)

 

[Mike A.]

As @HiFive said, night time quality is hard. I decided to just add "landscape" lighting to our entire yard (front back and sides) in order to always maintain color night recording. Our cameras are for security 1st, evidence collection 2nd, convenience 3rd. I spent less than $150 to add 30 LED powered lights around the home to create the lighting scene shown here (the layout is out of date as I now have two LPR cameras behind the mailbox)...

Looks great. A little light makes a huge difference.

 

[HiFive]

As @HiFive said, night time quality is hard. I decided to just add "landscape" lighting to our entire yard (front back and sides) in order to always maintain color night recording. Our cameras are for security 1st, evidence collection 2nd, convenience 3rd. I spent less than $150 to add 30 LED powered lights around the home to create the lighting scene shown here (the layout is out of date as I now have two LPR cameras behind the mailbox)
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Thank you @NicholasBoccio for such a detailed review and your camera layout. It is amazing how some light makes such a huge difference.. I now agree that night vision is a very important aspect that I did not think too much about until reading both your posts and HikVision might perform much better in this space where I can mix and match from a wider range of cameras.

 

[HiFive]

This is a big IMO ramble... For most folks here, getting the best night-time image quality is one of the bigger priorities. Just about any camera can be tuned to take great looking shots at night when nothing in the scene is moving, but it's usually pretty difficult to get a video at night of something moving that doesn't have blur around the the motion part. When you're trying to get a clear face shot of someone prowling around your car at 3 AM, blurry facial details aren't helpful.

The image sensor in the camera plays a key role in helping get nighttime motion shots with the least amount of blur. When someone comes out with a better night-time image sensor, Hikvision and Dahua seem to be the first two manufactures that get access to it and start making models using it.

Right now, cameras that use the 4MP 1/1.8" image sensor seem to be the sweet spot between low-light image sensor tech and affordability. I mention that because I saw you list 6MP and 8MP cameras. AFAIK, there aren't any 6MP or 8MP cameras that perform as well in lowlight as ones that use the 4MP 1/1.8" image sensor, at least not in the same price range. So if you go with option #2, I highly recommend you investigating the low-light performance component of cameras.

Also, my network is 100% Unifi and I mostly love it... they put out an older 16 port POE switch that has issues IMO and I'm lucky enough to have one of them, but the rest of their gear has been great for me. In terms of bang for the buck, I don't think I could do any better. I don't feel the same way in terms of their camera offerings, though.

Thanks @aristobrat, this is something I must explore further. I was not really considering to go 4MP but what you say makes perfect sense.

 

[HiFive]

You're right. It does. Sorry, missed that. Reading quick and thinking UDM not Pro.

I'd still lean more toward #2 as a general model myself. Ubiquiti makes great network 'stuff' and generally represents a very good value. The cams not so much for what you get. Others are stronger on the surveillance video side and better value there I think. The value of integration/single vendor doesn't make up the difference vs price/performance of video elements to my mind (does for network components). And #2 gives you a lot more options as far as cams/NVR/BI server/etc.

Thanks @Mike. More leaning towards option 2 now.

If I do then that begs the question, go with Hikvision NVR or set up a computer with Blue Iris..

 

[Mike A.]

Thanks @Mike. More leaning towards option 2 now.

If I do then that begs the question, go with Hikvision NVR or set up a computer with Blue Iris..

Yes, it does. Depends on what you want and what you're prepared to put into it I guess. BI was the right answer for me but isn't for many others.

If you want something plug-and-play as you seemed to be pointing more toward above, then BI really isn't that. Not all that difficult but there is a learning curve, lots of features and associated details, and you'll likely put a bunch of time into getting things set up and running as you want. On the other side, the NVR won't be as full-featured and flexible but will be easier.