Overview
I want to replace Google Home / Nest cameras with a local UniFi Protect setup. Im bored of paying Google for shit cameras that don’t record 24/7.
Currently I’m using Brave → home.google.com for the existing Nest feeds with CSS to strip controls, so I do have a nice tile for each camera in Hyprland.
My solution is Four G5 Turret Ultra cameras, USW-16-POE + UNVR in the utility-room rack, and a home-run Cat6 star topology back to the patch panel and switch for under £1000 (I have drives knocking about).
I’ll probably then stream through MPV.
Site layout
| Zone | Equipment |
|---|---|
| House | BT modem |
| Utility room | Network rack — USW-16-POE + UNVR |
| Office | Small switch |
Shopping list (basket)
| Item | Qty | Unit | Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubiquiti UVC-G5-Turret-Ultra-B | 4 | £70.70 | £282.80 |
| Ubiquiti USW-16-POE | 1 | £243.15 | £243.15 |
| Ubiquiti UNVR | 1 | £242.24 | £242.24 |
| Connectix CAT6 U/UTP external/outdoor solid cable (100 m) | 1 | £49.68 | £49.68 |
| EssCable 24-port CAT6 patch panel, 1U punch-down | 1 | £16.69 | £16.69 |
| All-Rack RJ45 Speedy CAT6 connectors (100-pack) | 1 | £16.80 | £16.80 |
Basket subtotal: ~£851 https://www.broadbandbuyer.com/store/cart/
Rack layout
The rack holds the switch, UNVR, and patch panel. No separate Linux NVR server — the UNVR runs UniFi Protect (full dashboard, mobile app, recording).
cameras → patch panel → USW-16-POE → UNVR (+ HDDs)
└──────► uplink to BT modem / LANRough retention (4 × 2K cameras, continuous record, 2-drive RAID in UNVR):
| HDD (each) | Approx. continuous retention |
|---|---|
| 4 TB | ~10–16 days |
| 8 TB | ~3–4 weeks |
| 2 × 8 TB (RAID1) | ~3–4 weeks protected |
Still needed (not in basket)
- HDD(s) for UNVR — 3.5” surveillance drives, start with 2× (e.g. 4 TB or 8 TB WD Purple / Seagate SkyHawk)
- Short patch leads — patch panel ↔ switch ↔ UNVR (0.25–0.5 m)
- Cat6 crimp tool — for All-Rack Speedy connectors
- Cable stripper
- Weatherproof gland boxes or surface boxes at each camera
- Extra cable? — 100 m may be tight for four home runs; measure before pulling (see wiring plan)
Wiring plan
Topology: star — each camera is a home run of Cat6 to the rack in the utility room. No daisy-chaining.
Rack termination (utility room)
- Label both ends of every cable:
cam1-front,cam2-rear, etc. - Leave 0.5–1 m service loop in rack and drip loop on outdoor entries.
- Terminate camera end with weatherproof gland box or UniFi mounting base; rack end on patch panel.
References
- UVC-G5-Turret-Ultra
- USW-16-POE — 16 ports, 8 PoE+ (42 W)
- UNVR