Back in October 2023, I wrote that I had gone all in with UniFi. I had replaced my networking equipment, doorbells, security cameras, phone, and even some office lighting. Then I left the networking section with a “to be continued.”
Almost three years later, it is time to pick that up. What started with networking has grown into a home lab covering cameras, gate and garage access, file storage, and home automation. Network, Protect, Access, and Drive each have a part to play.
Network: the foundation for everything else
I recently upgraded to the UDM Beast, and it has lived up to the name. I am finally getting the speeds I should from my ISP, with consistent speed tests over 4 Gbps both up and down. That has been one of the most satisfying improvements.
The network now has 12 switches and 11 access points. The switching backbone includes a USW Pro Aggregation, USW Pro Max 48 PoE, USW Pro XG 10 PoE, and USW Enterprise 8 PoE. Six Flex 2.5G 8 PoE switches and two Flex switches bring connections closer to the equipment around the property. PoE lets a single Ethernet cable carry both data and power to devices such as cameras and access points.
The gateway connects to the aggregation switch at 25 GbE, while the UNVR Pro and UNAS Pro each have a 10 GbE connection. Those faster internal links give the recording and storage systems room to work alongside the rest of the network.
For Wi-Fi, I have an E7, six U7 Outdoor access points, two U7 Pro Wall units, a U7 Mesh, and a U7 Pro Outdoor. Coverage extends outside as well as through the house, which matters when so much of the equipment is spread around the property.
There is a T-Mobile cellular connection through a U5G Max alongside the fiber connection. A USP PDU Pro and four USP Strips also bring power management into UniFi. The setup has grown beyond connecting computers: it is the foundation for the cameras, storage, access controls, and automation.
Protect: cameras and more
Protect runs on a dedicated UNVR Pro, with 25 camera feeds and a mix of 4K, 2K, and HD video. I use continuous recording, so I can go back through the footage instead of relying only on clips triggered by an event.
The cameras span several generations, from G4 Pro and G4 Doorbell Pro models to G5 and G6 cameras, plus AI Bullet and AI Turret units. The mix includes compact cameras, wider views, and PTZ models that can pan, tilt, and zoom. The system has grown a piece at a time as I have added equipment.
Protect also includes an AI Key, AI Port, and Viewport, along with SuperLink gateways, air-quality devices, floodlights, and alarm hardware. Video is still a big part of it, but sensors and other devices have made Protect a broader part of the home lab.
The G3 Intercom is a good example of how the applications fit together. It handles entry through Access, while its video is also recorded in Protect. One device serves both the access-control and camera sides of the setup.
Access: the gate and garage
I am using Access at the gate and garage, with two Gate Hubs, a G3 Intercom, a G3 Flex reader, and an Intercom Viewer. It brings physical entry points into the same UniFi environment I use for the network and cameras.
This is where the home lab reaches beyond a rack of equipment. The hubs, reader, intercom, and viewer connect the network to places where people actually enter the property.
That interest in connecting software to real hardware also shows up in GateMonitor, my separate project for a Remootio controller and Ghost Controls gate system. Its Angular and Blazor dashboards let me explore the programming side of home automation too.
Drive: storage joins the home lab
Drive runs on a UNAS Pro, giving files their own storage system alongside the UNVR Pro for camera recordings. My RAID 5 storage pool has roughly 96 TB of capacity, with about 4 TB currently in use. There is plenty of room to grow.
I have personal and shared drives, SMB access for connecting to files over the network, scheduled snapshots, and backups to another local storage system. Microsoft 365 backup data is part of the storage as well.
The UNAS Pro connects to the network at 10 GbE. File storage gives those faster internal connections a practical purpose: the network is carrying data between local systems as well as traffic to the internet.
RAID 5, snapshots, and backups each serve a different purpose. RAID provides redundancy if a disk fails, snapshots keep earlier versions of the data, and backups put another copy on a separate system.
A small project that makes the setup cleaner
Not every home-lab upgrade needs to be another piece of equipment. I also designed a 3D-printable wall mount for the UniFi SuperLink Gateway. I wanted a tidy installation that hides the Ethernet/PoE connector and routes the cable into the wall, while keeping the gateway’s status LED visible.
The gateway slides into the mount from the top and lifts out again when it needs to be removed. A chamber beneath it conceals the connection, and the open front leaves the LED easy to see. It is a small detail, but it makes the equipment look more at home on the wall.
I shared the mount on Printables, including the STL, a fit-test coupon, and editable OpenSCAD source. If you want to print one, start with the coupon to check the fit with your printer. The design is intended for a low-profile right-angle Ethernet connection; the latest retaining-band adjustment still needs a physical fit check.
What I like—and what makes me impatient
My original post promised to cover what I liked and what I did not like. There really is not much that frustrates me about using UniFi. I love how easy it is to set up and use, while still being powerful enough to do so much. I am always learning something new.
Ubiquiti keeps releasing fun new equipment, which makes it easy to find the next thing I want to try. My one frustration is waiting for parts to be in stock.
I am especially excited to add the UniFi Smoke and CO Alarm to my setup. Bringing smoke and carbon monoxide detection into UniFi feels like a natural next step. As the ecosystem grows, it feels like there is very little this setup cannot do.
From replacing equipment to building a home lab
In 2023, I was writing about replacing individual products. Today, those pieces form a much larger setup: Network connects it, Protect records and monitors, Access handles entry points, and Drive stores files.
That is what keeps this interesting for me. It brings together programming, hardware, home automation, and the chance to keep learning. The UDM Beast upgrade is the latest chapter, and I already have ideas for what to add next.