Collection: UniFi NVRs and Edge Devices

Own your footage, find any moment fast and never pay licence fees

UniFi Protect NVRs: Local, Licence-Free Video Recording

Every UniFi camera system needs somewhere to keep its footage. A UniFi Protect network video recorder (NVR) records, stores and analyses video from every camera on your network, keeping it on drives you control rather than in a third-party cloud. This collection brings the full range together, from a compact NVR with its own PoE switch to 16-bay enterprise recorders built for hundreds of cameras, alongside the edge devices that make UniFi Protect smarter and easier to monitor.

Why choose a UniFi Protect NVR

No licence or subscription fees. Scale from a handful of cameras to thousands without paying a cent in licensing. Recording and AI processing run on your own hardware, so there are no per-camera charges, cloud storage plans or AI subscriptions to budget for.

Local storage with remote access built in. Footage stays on-site, while encrypted remote access through UniFi Site Manager and the UniFi mobile apps lets you watch live feeds, review recordings and manage every location from anywhere.

Recordings protected at every layer. Multi-bay models support RAID data protection, and Storage Manager makes it easy to expand capacity drive by drive while monitoring drive health and flagging failures. Every rackmount model also supports redundant power: UNVR models are RPS-ready, and the Enterprise NVRs run dual hot-swappable power supplies.

Months of history from the same drives. Enhanced Retention keeps recent footage at full quality while gradually reducing the quality of older recordings, so your storage can preserve months, or even years, of video.

Works with cameras you already own. ONVIF support lets you adopt compatible third-party cameras into UniFi Protect, so you can move to UniFi at your own pace instead of replacing everything at once.

Find the right UniFi NVR for your site

Small spaces and quick installs. The Network Video Recorder Instant is the easiest way to start. Its compact body combines a UniFi Protect NVR with a built-in 6-port PoE switch, an HDMI viewport and a 3.5" drive bay, supporting up to 6 4K or 15 Full HD cameras. Want a complete starter system? The NVR Instant Kit pairs it with four G5 Turret Ultra cameras and a 1TB hard drive. For small deployments that also run other UniFi applications, CloudKey+ offers full Protect support with a pre-installed SSD.

Growing businesses. The Network Video Recorder (1U, 4 bays, up to 18 4K or 60 Full HD cameras) and Network Video Recorder Pro (2U, 7 bays, up to 24 4K or 70 Full HD cameras) are dependable rackmount recorders with SFP+ uplinks, RAID protection and RPS-ready redundant power.

AI-ready professional installs. The Network Video Recorder G2 (1U, 4 bays, up to 30 4K or 60 Full HD cameras) and G2 Pro (2U, 8 bays, up to 50 4K or 100 Full HD cameras) add built-in AI event analytics, faster 2.5 GbE plus SFP+ networking and HDMI output for local live viewing. That’s up to twice the 4K camera capacity of the original UNVR and UNVR Pro in the same rack space.

Enterprise and multi-site deployments. The Enterprise NVR fits 16 drive bays into a 3U chassis with dual hot-swappable power supplies and 10 GbE plus dual SFP+ connectivity, supporting up to 70 4K or 210 Full HD cameras. At the top of the range, the Enterprise NVR Core manages up to 300 4K or 500 Full HD cameras from a single unit, with dual SFP28 ports and room for up to two 16-bay Enterprise Storage Expansion units, for 48 drives in total.

Edge devices that extend UniFi Protect

AI Key adds advanced, on-premises intelligence to your existing Protect system. Search footage in everyday language (try ‘white van at the loading dock’), get alerted when activity matches a description you define, generate automatic event summaries, sharpen faces for clearer identification and read speech transcripts instead of replaying clips. It also brings face and number plate recognition to G4 and G5 series cameras.

AI Port gives UniFi cameras and ONVIF third-party cameras AI detection, classification and recognition, including person, vehicle, face and number plate detection, so older or non-UniFi cameras can deliver smart detections too.

Protect Viewport turns any HDMI display into a dedicated live-view station for reception desks, security offices and retail floors, with no computer required.

How to choose your UniFi NVR

1. Count your cameras and resolutions. 4K streams use more capacity than Full HD, so check each model’s limit for the mix you plan to run.
2. Set your retention target. Decide how many days of footage you need, then size your drives with the Capacity Calculator on each product page.
3. Leave room to grow. Choose a model with headroom in camera count and drive bays, plus an SFP+ or SFP28 uplink for larger sites.
4. Match resilience to risk. RAID, redundant power and hot-swap components matter most where downtime isn’t an option.

Frequently asked questions

Does UniFi Protect require a subscription?
No. UniFi Protect has no licence or subscription fees, no matter how many cameras you run. Recording and AI processing happen locally on your NVR.

How many cameras can a UniFi NVR support?
It depends on the model, from up to 6 4K or 15 Full HD cameras on the NVR Instant to up to 300 4K or 500 Full HD cameras on the Enterprise NVR Core.

Can I use third-party cameras with a UniFi NVR?
Yes. UniFi Protect can adopt ONVIF-compatible third-party cameras for live view and playback. Add an AI Port to give them smart detections.

Do UniFi NVRs come with storage?
The NVR Instant Kit includes a 1TB hard drive, and CloudKey+ ships with a pre-installed SSD. Use the Pre-Installed Storage filter to see which models are ready to record out of the box. Multi-bay NVRs accept 2.5" and 3.5" drives, so you can size storage to your retention needs.

Pair your recorder with UniFi Protect cameras and PoE switching to build a complete, licence-free security system.