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UniFi

Our UniFi guides, tools and references, on one page and grouped by the job in hand.

We build on Ubiquiti's UniFi ecosystem for networking, security, cameras, NAS, IoT, access control and AI detection, and we write up installation and troubleshooting guides for problems that aren't documented anywhere else.

Ubiquiti Universe

Our showcase of the whole UniFi ecosystem: networking, cameras, NAS, IoT, access control and AI detection, and the environments it runs in, from hospitals and campuses to stadiums and government offices.

It also sets out how we work. We survey the cabling and RF environment first, then produce a specified design with VLANs, PoE budgets, camera positions and door hardware, priced as one build.

Explore Ubiquiti Universe

Why we build on UniFi

The case for UniFi, and how it compares with the network and firewall brands we are usually asked to replace.

Why UniFi is now the only network option

Why we choose UniFi over Cisco, Fortinet, Sophos, DrayTek and the rest: one ecosystem from Wi-Fi to CCTV and NAS, IDS/IPS and network zones built in, and no licence fees however many users or devices you run.

Most insecure networking, NAS and firewall manufacturers

Around 13,200 known vulnerabilities across 14 network and storage vendors, ranked on patch speed, abandoned hardware and country risk. Ubiquiti comes out as the safest bet, and end-of-life kit as the biggest danger.

Best business firewall

How to choose a security firewall router, comparing Fortinet, OPNsense, pfSense and UniFi. For a mostly cloud-based business with few or no inbound ports, a UniFi gateway is our answer.

UniFi Protect: cameras, alarms and sensors

Plan where the cameras go, choose a recorder, size its storage and bring in cameras from other sites.

How to choose and set up CCTV cameras

Why most cameras are badly placed and how to fix it: shutter speed, low light and infrared, frame integrity and positioning for identification. It also names the camera brands we would now remove.

UniFi Protect CCTV system comparison

All-in-one Cloud Gateways and dedicated NVRs compared on camera capacity at 2K and 4K and on maximum drive space. It also explains why sensors, alarms and doorbells won't work without a recorder that has a drive fitted.

UniFi Protect storage calculator

Size the drives for a Protect recorder before you buy them. Enter your camera count, resolution and retention period, with estimates for both motion-triggered and continuous recording.

Connect UniFi Protect cameras to a remote UNVR

Record a camera at a remote site, vehicle or holiday home back to your UNVR over UniFi SD-WAN (Site Magic), even if one end is on Starlink or 4G/5G. Covers IP planning, building the mesh and adopting the camera across the tunnel.

Then take Protect beyond cameras: alarms and environmental sensors on the same dashboard, readings sent to your own systems, and relays that switch real equipment.

UniFi Protect alarm system

A professional alarm built on Protect 7.1 and SuperLink sensors, run from the same dashboard as your cameras and access control with no monthly licence fees. Alarms can be dispatched over SIA DC-09 to the monitoring provider you choose.

SuperLink environmental sensor setup

A quick setup guide for the SuperLink hub and USL-Environmental sensor, for monitoring places like server rooms and walk-in freezers. Covers adoption in Protect, required versions, re-pairing a stuck sensor and placement for range.

Live-monitor SuperLink sensors on an external website

Get temperature, humidity and light readings out of Protect and onto your own web server in real time, even behind CGNAT or Starlink. A reverse WireGuard tunnel means no extra hardware on site.

UniFi Relay: switching high-powered loads

The USL-Relay is limited to 10 A per port. Use it to trigger a contactor or automatic transfer switch instead, and control a 63 A EV charger, a 100 A heater or a grid-to-generator changeover. UK and US parts and wiring.

Smart Farm Monitor, built on UniFi

Our own agritech platform reads live temperature, humidity and light from UniFi SuperLink sensors placed across a farm, a fresh reading every five minutes. It turns those readings into frost warnings, disease alerts, water-stress signals and season-long growth intelligence, tuned to the crop at each location, with the data held on a self-hosted server rather than a per-sensor subscription.

It was built and refined on a working English vineyard, and the same approach covers orchards, polytunnels, soft fruit and arable blocks.

Read: The world's first smart farm, built on UniFi

UniFi Network: Wi-Fi, VPN and cellular

Choose access points on real reach figures, get phones roaming cleanly between them, and connect the site through the gateway or over cellular.

UniFi Wi-Fi access points ranked by signal strength

Every UniFi access point from U6 onwards, 24 models in 27 antenna configurations, ranked on reach, signal from 10 to 150 metres, client capacity, interference handling and price. Includes UK and US power limits and a point-to-point bridge comparison.

Wi-Fi roaming with UniFi, iPhone and Android

Why calls drop between access points and how to stop it. How iPhones decide when to roam, where 802.11k and 802.11r live in UniFi, and the settings that help the phone rather than fight it. Updated for UniFi Network 10, Wi-Fi 7 and 6 GHz.

NordVPN WireGuard setup on UniFi

Connect a UniFi router to NordVPN through its built-in WireGuard VPN client. If the usual method won't cooperate, a fallback pulls your private key from the NordVPN API and the server keys from the desktop app's data files.

UniFi Mobile Router (UMR) setup guide

The setup manual the UMR doesn't ship with: SIM, power, secret code and adoption through mobility.ui.com. Covers the UMR, UMR Industrial and UMR Ultra in US and EU versions.

Self-hosted UniFi OS Server

Every new feature is now going into UniFi OS Server, and the old self-hosted controller is legacy. These guides follow the move in order: why to switch, how to migrate, and how to keep the server healthy afterwards.

  1. UniFi OS Server vs self-hosted controller

    Why the legacy controller is being left behind and what UniFi OS Server brings: the full UniFi OS interface you'd get on a Cloud Key or Dream Machine, one update process for the OS and its applications, and a platform built for future UniFi apps.

  2. Migrate a legacy UniFi Network server to UniFi OS Server

    Move an existing self-hosted UniFi Network server to UniFi OS Server for Linux on the same machine, with no second server, no DNS changes and no rebuilding sites one at a time.

  3. UniFi OS Server health monitoring script

    A Bash script for UniFi OS Server on Ubuntu 24.04 that checks RAM, disk and CPU against thresholds you set and sends Pushover alerts, with an optional automatic reboot if memory use becomes critical.

Rather not run the server yourself? UniFi Cloud Hosting is our managed controller service from an ISO 27001 certified UK data centre, with 24/7 support, automatic firmware updates and month-to-month plans.

Field reference and quick fixes

UniFi support tools

A searchable field reference for current UniFi deployments: gateways and NVRs, WiFi 7, G6 Protect cameras, Etherlighting switching and Access. Credentials, SSH commands, ports, specs and tested fixes, all on one page.

Setup notes and fixes

Need help with a UniFi site?

Talk it through with a senior engineer, or see our network installation and CCTV installation services.

Get in touch