When you ‘manage’ the device in the Video Dashboard software you have to provide the camera’s username and password. This discovery process happens surprisingly fast for me, I was really impressed. Once the cameras are plugged into the network they are discovered by the NVR. That’s why this is here: so you don’t make the same mistake I did! Discovery & Default Credentials It’s easy to change of course, but you need to know that it needs to be done, which I didn’t. That’s because the G3 requires 24V Passive Power, which is not the default PoE setting on the UniFi switches. Out of the box, the G3 dome will ‘just work’ with your UniFi switch, but the G3 will not. However, everything is a learning experience so I’ve left it in the video. I spent a lot of time on this, and it affected the recording as well. G3 camera is 24V passive, G3 done is PoE Passive
Just make a note of which switch and port you’ve plugged the NVR into and then find the switch in the Dashboard it will show you the device that is plugged into the port, and from there you can get the IP address. Even if you aren’t OCD like me, if you’re using UniFi switches then you’re still laughing. Assuming you’ve provided aliases for all your other devices then the NVR should stand out. Just plug it in and then check your list of Users.
If you already use UniFi equipment and have the UniFi Dashboard then there’s an easier way. There are various different ways you could get this: in the quick start guide it’s suggested you either use a Chrome plugin to discover the device, or plug it directly to your computer instead of placing it on your network. In order to do that you need to know the IP address of the NVR on your network. When you first switch on the NVR you need to navigate to the web interface to complete setup. Underneath that I’ve outlined a couple of tips and gotchas from my experiences: At over 25 minutes it’s a bit of a beast, but it covers setup in order, configuring the Dashboard and use of the PoE adapter.
You can watch the full setup video below. All recordings get stored on this box – there is no cloud storage and subsequently no monthly fees to run the software. It’s essentiallly a small form factor PC with the UniFi Video software pre-loaded. This is an optional part of a UniFi Video setup, but it saves you needing to provision and setup a computer running the UniFi Video software.
It is also 1080p at 30FPS, also PoE, and can be mounted either horizontally on the wall or vertically on the ceiling. It’s designed for indoor use and isn’t fully weatherproof like the other camera. This is a dome-style camera, meaning it has a lower profile than the standard G3s. G3 Dome video camera (model: UVC-G3-DOME) This means that you can plug it into a UniFi switch and that will provide all the power that’s needed. It records 1080p at 30FPS and is powered by PoE. It’s designed to be fixed either to the wall or onto a pole. This is a fully weatherproof, ‘bullet style’ camera. There are three pieces of equipment in this setup, two video cameras and a recorder unit. If you’re looking to purchase and setup the UniFi Video system, or just want to see what you have to do when setting up, then hopefully this will be useful to you. In the meantime, I wanted to share my progress so far, which is the setup and configuration.
Basically, I want to do the best job of the review that I can, and I can’t do that until I’ve set them up and run them for a few weeks. I absolutely am planning a full review of the Ubiquiti UniFi Video system including a comparison against other available solutions, but this isn’t it.
This was always in the plan but rather than complete the WiFi install first, I thought I’d make a start on this as well.ĭisclaimer: Ubiquiti kindly sent me these units which has enabled me to provide this information to you. In the meantime, I’m focusing my attention on security cameras. You can read part one of this here, but right now I’m dealing with cabling issues so things have slowed down a bit. I’m in the middle of a big home Wi-Fi refitting project using Ubiquiti UniFi equipment. Building a Killer Home Security Camera setup with the Ubiquiti UniFi Video System – First Look, Setup & Configuration