Set up a UniFi Protect camera system

Goal and requirements

Build a small system that records continuously, displays live video and retrieves a test event. This example uses a separate UniFi NVR, two wired UniFi cameras and a PoE switch. Choose an NVR or console whose specifications explicitly include Protect, with supported recording storage installed. Support for UniFi Network alone does not establish Protect compatibility. [1]

Have administrator access, labelled Ethernet leads, a monitor or laptop, and the installation guides for the exact cameras. Check each camera's PoE requirement and the switch's remaining power budget. For example, the G5 Turret Ultra specifies PoE and maximum consumption of 4 W. Its Ethernet interface is 100 Mb/s, so a 100 Mb/s link on that model is expected. Other cameras have different requirements. [2]

Example design

Use Cameras40, VLAN 40, subnet 192.168.40.0/24, gateway 192.168.40.1 and DHCP addresses 192.168.40.100 to 192.168.40.199. Place the separate NVR and cameras in this same network. Leave gateway, switch and access point management on their existing management network. These example addresses must be unused at your site.

Record the intended views before installation: Front Entry should show someone approaching the door; Driveway should show the vehicle approach. This creates a concrete acceptance test and helps avoid discovering later that a wide scenic view provides insufficient detail.

Configure the system

  1. Prepare storage before adoption. Follow the NVR installation guide to fit supported drives and complete its setup. Open the console, confirm that Protect is installed, and check that storage is available and healthy. If a disk is reported as missing or faulty, resolve that condition before treating the system as a recorder. Record the console and Protect versions for future support.
  2. Prepare the camera network. If Cameras40 does not exist, create it in Network under Settings › Networks using the example parameters. On the ports connected directly to the NVR and cameras, set Native VLAN / Network to Cameras40 and Tagged VLAN Management to Block All. Keep required VLAN 40 tags permitted on intervening switch uplinks. Do not change the switch uplink into a camera access port. [5]
  3. Connect one camera first. Bench-test it using a short, known-working cable and a compatible powered port. Check that the camera receives an address in 192.168.40.0/24. The recorder must also be on Cameras40. This follows Ubiquiti's recommended local adoption arrangement and avoids adding cross-network discovery to the first installation. [1]
  4. Adopt the camera. Open the correct console in Site Manager, launch Protect and open Devices. Select the pending camera and choose Adopt. Wait for adoption and any required update to finish. Rename it Front Entry and confirm that the live view belongs to the camera on the bench. Repeat with Driveway. [1]
  5. Choose recording behaviour. In Protect 7.2 and later, open Recording Manager and select the camera's recording configuration. Earlier versions expose Recording Mode in the individual camera panel. Select Always for this exercise; the other modes include Detection Only and Never. Check that a schedule does not exclude the current period. Continuous recording makes this test independent of detection. Review camera storage planning guide before setting the final retention goal. [3] [6]
  6. Install and aim. Follow the model's mounting and weather-sealing instructions. Have another person stand at the entry while you inspect the recorded image. Aim for the activity you need to recognise, avoiding unnecessary views into neighbouring private areas. Configure privacy masking where required, then verify its effect on a new recording. Avoid relying on the live thumbnail alone.
  7. Create a recorded test. Note the local time, walk through each view, pause briefly and leave. Wait a few minutes, open Playback and return to the noted time. Confirm the approach, pause and departure are present. Export a short sample following find and export footage guide and open the downloaded file.
  8. Document the result. Record camera names, switch ports, addresses, recording modes and the date of the successful export. Save a current configuration backup through the console's supported backup workflow. Treat exported footage as a separate item from a configuration backup.

Verify and troubleshoot

A useful handover demonstrates live video, playback from earlier in the session and a playable export for both cameras. Repeat the approach test after dark before finalising positions.

If a camera is missing, check PoE, cable, DHCP and VLAN placement in that order. A camera showing ownership by another installation requires the authorised ownership or reset workflow; do not reset working cameras merely because discovery is slow. Ubiquiti's adoption guide identifies same-network placement and correctly configured switch ports as basic Protect adoption requirements. [4]

If live video works but playback is blank, inspect storage health, Recording Mode and schedules. Restore the previous port configuration if a network change disconnects the NVR. Make one correction, repeat the original recorded test and keep the result in the installation notes.

Sources

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