I have had a passion for home security for many years. As you can imagine, in my case, it started following a break-in. My vehicle was broken into while parked in my driveway overnight. The buggers got away with my car stereo and subwoofer, a really nice vintage cooler and my spare change.
At the time, it started with small wifi-connected cameras that could be connected to my home network, and I could observe on my computer. Motion detection events would record to my computer directly.
The quality was pretty bad as wifi camera technology at the time was not very good at all. A few years later, small smart home cameras hit the market that came with a mobile app that would send push notifications when motion was detected, and it would record into the cloud.
These cameras were a substantial step in the right direction. They were great until the manufacturers and providers started charging monthly fees for video storage and motion detection features on the camera. What once was free was now slowly becoming software and storage in the cloud as a service.
Software as a service (SaaS) is a software distribution model in which a third-party provider hosts applications and makes them available to consumers over the Internet. And as a customer, you are either getting these services for free or paying for them with money. More than likely, the free ones sell your data and usage patterns to big data companies that mine that data to be used against you for advertising purposes.
Enter stage left Unifi Protect. Unifi devices are manufactured by a company called Ubiquiti, which specialized in all sorts of professional-grade networking devices, wireless products and now security devices.
With Unifi Protect, you purchase an NVR (network video recorder), and you can attach and manage many cameras. How many, you ask? Upwards of 30+ or more. The Unifi CloudKey Gen2 will host the Unifi Protect software, record locally to your home network 24-hour continuous footage of all connected cameras and allow you to smoothly playback a time-lapse of that footage. Motion Event recording and a large host of other features are all configurable from your mobile device and the accompanying Android and iOS app. You can also manage and view the system from your computer for even more control with your personal security system by Unifi.
You are in control of your data; none of it is on the Internet. This is not another cloud we’re talking about here; the Cloud Key G2 comes with a 1TB hard drive and is expandable for enhanced security footage retention up to 5TB.
There is a huge hidden bonus here; Unifi also offers a huge selection of network and wifi devices which all work together as one happy family. If your home network is suffering from slow speeds, spotty connectivity or, in general is not very good. The CloudKey G2 can also host and manage all of Unifi Networking devices through its management server called Unifi Network Controller. Unifi Mesh network technology allows devices to roam from one access point to another seamlessly, and it optimizes your network technology and devices like no other.
At the end of the day, there are many products on the market, and I have tested many of them. Most with drawbacks, but in my mind, with today’s internet cybersecurity becoming a critical topic, I want control of my data. I also don’t need or want an extra service fee to use a device I have purchased with my hard earn dollars.
If you like to control your data, privacy, and own security surveillance, Unifi Protect cameras installed by Jadebrite is the #1 choice for your home protection.
