Choosing UniFi security cameras for your business

UniFi’s camera lines

Most of the cameras we install are from UniFi’s G6 and G6 Pro lines. The G5 line costs less, and the AI line handles the jobs a standard camera can’t. Which camera goes where depends on how much ground it has to cover, whether someone needs to zoom in and follow what’s happening, and whether it could be subject to physical damage.

The G6 line

The G6 Turret is the camera we install almost everywhere, inside and out. It records in 4K across a 110° view, sees up to 98 feet in the dark, and recognizes faces and license plates.

When a camera needs more protection, we install the G6 Dome. It has the same 4K picture and 98-foot night vision as the Turret, in a tougher housing. The G6 Mini Dome puts that picture in a smaller housing, with night vision up to 65 feet.

The G6 180 combines two 4K lenses into a single 180° view, so one camera sees from one side of a room or a lot to the other.

The G6 PTZ can be controlled from your phone or computer, and it can track people and vehicles and patrol between set views on its own. We pair it with fixed cameras, so the area stays covered wherever it’s pointed.

The G6 Pro line

The G6 Pro Turret and G6 Pro Dome have a larger sensor than the G6 cameras, for a clearer picture in low light, along with a 2.36x optical zoom and night vision up to 131 feet. The G6 Pro Turret adds a built-in floodlight, for color video in total darkness, and an LED ring that draws attention to the camera.

In a parking structure or a large room, a G6 Pro 360 covers everything around it from one spot. The camera’s 5K fisheye lens sees in every direction at once, and you can pan and zoom within the picture.

The G5 line, for a tighter budget

When the budget is tighter, we install the G5 Ultra, as a turret or a dome. They record in 2K where the G6 cameras record in 4K, and they detect people, vehicles and animals but don’t recognize faces or license plates. The line also has the G5 PTZ, with a 2x optical zoom.

The AI line, for specialized jobs

The AI LPR reads license plates at an entrance or a gate, with a 3x optical zoom and a night filter tuned for plates up to 50 feet away.

The AI Multi Sensor 2 and 4 put two or four lenses in one housing, each aimed on its own, so a single mount covers several directions.

The AI PTZ Industrial has a 22x optical zoom, tracks people automatically, and sees up to 328 feet at night, for large outdoor sites. For even more reach, the AI PTZ Precision has a 31x optical zoom, and it draws enough power to need a PoE++ switch port.

Choosing for your building

Three things decide most of these choices. A wide area is a job for the G6 180, which sees 180° from one mount, or for the G6 Pro 360 in a parking structure or a large room. To zoom in and follow what’s happening, you need a PTZ. Where the camera could be subject to physical damage, the G6 Dome’s tougher housing holds up better.

Most of these cameras can be mounted on a wall, a pole or a junction box, hung from a pendant, or set on a ceiling or recessed into it. For a camera beyond the 100-meter reach of a normal cable, the Long-Range Switch can power it over a single Ethernet run.

Every camera in this post records to a UniFi recorder at your site, with no subscription. Choosing the recorder comes down to how many cameras you’re planning and how long you need to keep their footage.

We’ll help you choose the right camera for each spot in and around your building. Book a call to get started.