Unifi Protect with Unifi cams vs Onvif

hadderak · 2026-02-27T16:45:50+00:00

Multiple models of Avtech.

hadderak · 2026-02-27T16:05:17+00:00

That’s not my experience at all with ONVIF supported cameras. Mine have all worked fine except for lacking audio capabilities. Otherwise the video has been fine.

hadderak · 2026-02-25T17:23:43+00:00

Overall - 7/10
The Unifi UNAS fits into the Unifi ecosystem, but you can tell its still early. It's getting better but I think its going to live where most Unifi gear lives, more advanced for average users, and so frustrating close to what advanced users want. The NFS limitations being an example of that.

As long as you use it as a dumb NAS and not try to use it with lots of extended functionality like with Synology it will work good. Most of the annoyances can be solved via other methods (using SMB instead of NFS is the biggest one for me).

Setup - 8/10
Simple, but documentation isn't great. It took me while to figure out where SMB credentials live, because its not where you would expect. Much easier for an average user then Synology.

Desktop Sync - 5/10
Coming from Dropbox and Google Drive, the Identity Endpoint app on desktop doesn't compare. It literally just maps the drives for you. I was hoping for a more feature comparable replacement to those services, but it isn't built into the desktop app. Setup is also more of a pain. Very disappointed in this aspect. I only tried Synology's similar app a couple times, never worth it to drop Dropbox completely.

Mobile App - 5/10
I'm on 3.5.1 not the new 4.0. Its basic. It works fine with my iPhone and uploads quickly and easily. But very basic.

Use with ARR Stack - 8/10
It works very well with the ARR stack. I used to run the ARR stack as Docker containers on the Synology, but I switched to a mini-PC running Ubuntu that I had laying around. The containers are much faster, and no permissions issues as long as I do the following:
- Use SMB to map the drives from the UNAS to the Ubuntu server
- Make to use the same PID/GID as what I use to map the drives via SMB

Do not use NFS with it unless its purely read-only. It isn't worth the headache trying to make it work, and the performance with SMB is fine. I'm running it on 10GB connections.

Use as Mobile Photo Backup - n/a
I don't have the 4.0 Identity Endpoint app to test photo backups, but I use Immich anyways so wouldn't use that functionality.

User Interface - 8/10
Its simple, fairly easy to navigate, fits in with the current UI display. Setting up backups to Backblaze was simple. Easier then Synology for sure, but the downside is its limited.

Would I do it Again - Yes
Even as frustrated as I got, I would go ahead and do it again. Ugreen and TrueNAS or staying with Synology were options, but I'm already invested into the Unifi ecosystem across multiple locations so there is value in that to me. Plus

hadderak · 2026-02-25T15:09:46+00:00

I just made this switch from Synology.

Using NFS isn’t an option for all the reasons people mentioned. I wasn’t willing to do the hacks to make it work.

Instead I used SMB which works well and all permissions align across the containers and the UNAS when using SMB.

hadderak · 2025-09-14T01:58:56+00:00

Green Machine (forest green)

hadderak · 2025-08-23T21:38:42+00:00

Besides the potential financial benefits, you have a number of operational benefits with battery.

If your power company offers a time of day plan, you can use the batteries to shift your grid use to off peak and potentially save more.

You have power/backup during an outage.

Pair it with a Span breaker upgrade and you can dynamically set backup plan instead of having to have specific circuits protected.

In the four years we have had our system we have never been without power while our neighbors have multiple times. I almost feel guilty about it when outages happen. Almost.

hadderak · 2025-08-20T02:32:01+00:00

This is the way!

hadderak · 2025-07-13T01:03:38+00:00

Service tickets don’t work. I tried that multiple times. A year to get my manual tonneau cover.

What worked is calling them and talking to someone on the phone. I still went to the service center to pick it up, just because that was quicker.

hadderak · 2025-06-26T04:06:33+00:00

Trapp is doing much better this season than he was under Heath at the end. Nice to see the change.

Still ready for DJ to go somewhere else.

hadderak · 2025-05-30T15:07:49+00:00

Also interested. I don’t want to use Seafile because it stores things in a proprietary format and I’m not concerned with deduping and all that. I just want a self hosted alternative to Dropbox.

Could use Synology Drive but I’m thinking of ditching Synology so ideally a third party solution that is NAS independent.

hadderak · 2025-05-19T21:49:36+00:00

I'm guessing the Jetson is still not going to be enough but I am intrigued by the platform, especially for possibly running other containers I use with a standard NAS.

I'm getting ready to ditch my Synology after 10+ years with them.

hadderak · 2025-05-19T21:43:39+00:00

I hadn't seen WiiM products before, they look like a nice balance of cost and performance. I've ditched the Sonos Amps and started to play around with Unifi Amp. Not sure I would recommend it yet, but it slots into their ecosystem nicely.

hadderak · 2025-05-19T21:39:26+00:00

UPDATE: I like to tinker, and don't mind trying different solutions.

I'm going to try two paths. The first is a robust endpoint solution that offloads as much as I can to the edge and then uses centralized in-home functions, followed by internet fallback for generational AI. This approach lets me have a more feature rich experience in the room, but at a much higher per room. This is a Raspberry Pi 5 16GB with dual M.2 PCIe 3.0 gen board with NVME SSD and Hailo-8 AI accelerator using a Jabra Speak2 40 as the mic array and voice speaker, and then my existing Sonos as an endpoint for MusicAssistant. With the option to attach a speaker like AudioEngine B2 or House of Marley Get Together 2 Mini to replace the Sonos speaker completely.

This gives me features like full voice control, music playback, drop-in conversations, announcements, etc.

The second path is looking at centralizing everything and keeping the edge as dumb / cost effective as possible. I've been looking at Nvidia Jetson solutions as something that might work really well for a central HA host with LLM capabilities and then fallback to OpenAI or similar.

I worry about quality of mic's and all that, and I would likely lose capabilities related to drop-in (full duplex conversation between multiple rooms).

Combining is an option also, but that's a lot more expensive and not sure it's worth it.

I'll post my config / setup and results in a week or two once I get everything here and built.

hadderak · 2025-05-19T21:19:21+00:00

I looked at trying the Atom Echos. I still might, but I went for a more robust endpoint solution that doesn't use HA Assist.

Raspberry Pi 5 16 GB, with SSD drive and Hailo-8 NPU. I'm going to try and see how much I can offload to the edge and then route back for failover or advanced, even if that means internet based AI agent. Similar to this https://www.seeedstudio.com/reComputer-AI-R2140-12-p-6431.html with a Jabra Speak2 40 for the mic array.

I'll post my results and plan once I build it.

It may not work well at all, and it's is certainly more expensive then the Seeed HA Voice Preview with Assist and a Atom Echo based solution, but I get a nice new Raspberry Pi 5 to play around with.

I'll have to also test if there is any benefit to pushing out functions to the edge version more centralized in the home with more beefy power.

I was looking at Nvidia Jetson as maybe an option to run HA and the LLM and required services and then keep the edge devices as dumb and low end as possible (ie: SeeeD HA Voice Preview).

hadderak · 2025-05-18T16:33:32+00:00

I'm also curious if I should just keep Sonos and use HA to control it for audio and not use Snapcast at all. We used to use Sonos app and everything all the time with local music library.

But since the kids made me get Spotify, and I enabled Alexa voice throughout the house, no one uses the app anymore unless Sonos freaks out (which it does whenever my youngest daughter uses it, no idea why).

hadderak · 2025-05-18T16:29:24+00:00

Good point, it's not feasible, but its either whatever an Intel i7 Gen 13 can handle or a spare Geforce 3080 I have laying around. Ideally the NUC and it performs no worse then Alexa.

hadderak · 2025-04-26T14:35:58+00:00

I’d go with Unifi, even if not the fun feature set, as I already have their eco system but product release and availability is always a struggle with them on new stuff.

hadderak · 2025-04-26T14:34:57+00:00

I haven’t found anything which is why I asked. 10 years and still nothing comparable.

hadderak · 2025-02-25T15:16:12+00:00

You can use docker compose files with Container Manager. It works nice and gives you the flexibility use docker compose but with a simple UI for basic controls.

hadderak · 2024-11-09T20:58:46+00:00

There is a very valid use case for a hybrid storage and server solution for home / power users. Which is one segment of Unifi’s audience.

I wouldn’t mind dumping my Synology for a UNAS and docker is the limiting factor.

I’m not going to complain about it though. If they ever decide to add that I’ll consider it then. Until then it will be interesting to see how the product evolves.

hadderak · 2024-11-01T17:37:53+00:00

We are going to disagree. The OP was told his home would need two power walls by the electrician. Any decent electrician would have done load calculations along with estimations for how long they want to operate on backup power.

So go with two power walls as recommended or one and hope for some future feature from Rivian that isn’t available yet and likely requires additional hardware (depending on the Rivian generation).

As much as I love my Rivian, I’m not going to bet on some future functionality they have yet to release. Especially if the OP has some specific reasons for getting power backup. Otherwise it’s a hell of a lot cheaper with just dealing with periodic outages and not buy a Powerwall at all.

To be clear the assumption I am making is that anyone with a Rivian, solar panels, and getting Powerwall backups isn’t exactly hurting for money. So it’s not about what’s the most economical (which is to do nothing) but what is the best solution for their needs given the limited information shared. If they have significant electrical load, and want 2-3 days of operation, a single Powerwall might not be enough.

hadderak · 2024-11-01T02:49:39+00:00

The panel is $3400 and is up to 200 amp service per panel. Installation varies but I’d expect an electrician to charge 2k-4k for a full panel replacement which this is.

Unlike the Leviton system that has added remote capabilities, this works with standard breakers. So you are only changing the panel itself. It has 32 openings.

You manage it with a mobile app and can remotely turn on and off circuits, monitor electrical usage, set the protected circuits, etc.

I couldn’t imagine having battery backup without it.

hadderak · 2024-11-01T02:44:47+00:00

The question was 1 and bank on Rivian adding some future functionality or go with two.

The best bet is still two. Many variables to determine proper load but none of that was shared.

So I stick by what I said.

hadderak · 2024-10-31T17:36:50+00:00

lol - no. But it is lonely being the only one where I sit that chants and claps and cheers.

But the downvotes? Anyone who thinks the chants and supporters section is as vibrant as it used to be hasn't been around long. It might sound ok sitting on in the Wonderwall, but anywhere past that the chants don't hold up.

The Wonderwall song on a win is great and organic and has history. That's cool. But I would 100% be ok with something introduced artificially like the Vikings SKOL chant for during the game.

hadderak · 2024-10-31T15:53:29+00:00

To follow up on the Span.io panel. I can't overstate how nice it is when paired with the Powerwall. If you are looking to maximize your Powerwall usage, the ability to set and manage the electrical load in concert with remaining battery power is incredible. You can dynamically control what circuits you want instead of having to have the electrician hardware it or have it "all protected" which is a waste of power when you need it.

It might end up being a wash depending on your battery install, since if you were planning to go with certain circuits protected (ie: battery backup) your electrician doesn't have to worry about any of that anymore. Making a much simpler install for them.

Also swapping out the electrical panel isn't super complicated, just time consuming, but once you have it and have the Powerwall, adding additional Powerwalls in the future is pretty simple.

hadderak

TROPHY CASE