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UniFi Protect Comparison Charts

Evan McCann

Originally Posted: August 4th, 2023
Last Edited: November 27th, 2024

UniFi Protect Comparison Charts

These charts compare the specs of all available UniFi Protect devices — Cameras, Doorbells, NVRs, and All-in-one UniFi Cloud Gateway NVRs. They are available as images and in other mobile-friendly formats on Google Drive.

Other Ubiquiti Comparison Charts:

Table of Contents

UniFi Protect Camera Comparisons

Dome and Turret Cameras

We’ll start with the dome and turret cameras. These are meant to be mounted on a wall. They can be used outdoors, but dome models should be in a protected area to prevent fogging and condensation in their protective bubble. The turret models can be used outdoors, and all of these models have a variety of accessories for different mounting options.

The G5 Dome Ultra and G5 Turret Ultra are newer options, meant to deliver a lot of value for a low cost. The new AI models are larger and have features like advanced AI detections, microSD card recording, noise cancellation, a floodlight, and better and longer-range night vision.

The old, discontinued G3 Dome is included for comparison. All links are affiliate links to Amazon when available, otherwise they are non-affiliate links to Ubiquiti’s store.

UniFi Protect — Dome and turret camera comparison

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Bullet and Pro Cameras

All UniFi Protect bullet cameras. These are meant for general-purpose outdoor use, offering a balance of image quality, size, and cost.

They Pro models add optical zoom, higher image quality, and better night vision. The G4 Pro also has an optional vision enhancer which adds a floodlight and extends IR range further.

UniFi Protect — Bullet and pro camera comparison

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Compact and Wireless Cameras

All UniFi Protect compact cameras. The instant models are wireless, and the G3 Instant is not outdoor rated.The G4 Instant and the Flex models can be can be mounted indoors or outdoors, on a wall, hard ceiling, desktop, or pole. You can also buy accessories for additional mounting options.

These compact models offer the lowest cost and smallest size, at the expense of low-light performance and overall image quality. The Instant models are also the only wireless cameras in UniFi Protect. All other cameras will require Ethernet and PoE, or something like the UniFi Device Bridge to connect it to the network.

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PTZ Cameras

These cameras are specialty models with motorized pan, tilt, and zoom. The G4 PTZ Industrial is older, but is still the only model with anything like it’s enormous 22X optical zoom. The G5 PTZ is much cheaper, but is limited to a 2X optical zoom. The newer G5 does offer some additional features though, like a floodlight and microphone.

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Doorbells

The UniFi Protect ecosystem isn’t just for standard security cameras. These models act as doorbells, offering features like a package camera, two-way audio, and a customizable display. The G4 Doorbell is often hard to find, but the two configurations of the Pro model are probably what you want anyway. Make sure to pick the right one for your power source and connection to the network - wired or wireless.

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Cameras By Generation — G3, G4, G5, and AI

G3 Cameras

All G3 UniFi Protect cameras compared:

UniFi Protect — G3 camera comparison

G4 Cameras

All G4 UniFi Protect cameras compared. For the G4 doorbells, see the doorbell section above.

UniFi Protect — G4 camera comparison

G5 Cameras

All G5 UniFi Protect cameras compared:

UniFi Protect — G5 camera comparison

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AI Cameras

And finally, all UniFi Protect AI cameras. These are some of the newest cameras, and generally the most expensive. They offer advanced AI detections, including license plate, people, or pet detection. They also tend to have some of the best low light and IR range. The AI Theta and AI DSLR both offer two lenses and some unique features.

I’ll break them into two groups of standard models, and specialty models that have a unique feature or a high price.

UniFi Protect — Standard AI camera model comparison

  • AI Theta Kit (UVC-AI-Theta) — The non-pro kit offers a wide and 360° lens. Other lens sold separately.

  • AI Theta Pro Kit (UVC-AI-Theta-Pro) — This kit includes the pro version of the 360° lens. Other lens sold separately.

  • AI 360 (UVC-AI-360) — A 360° fisheye lens for mounting on a wall or ceiling.

  • AI LPR (UVC-AI-LPR) — Coming in January 2025, meant for license plate recognition at night and in motion.

  • AI DSLR (UVC-AI-DSLR) — Interchangeable lens and micro 4/3rds sensor with high image quality.

UniFi Protect — Specialty AI camera model comparison

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UniFi Protect NVRs

The Cloud Key Gen 2 Plus is an older UniFi OS console that can act as an NVR with a single hard drive. You may see this listed as CloudKey+, which was a minor hardware revision which switches the 1 TB HDD for a 1 TB SATA SSD. These are otherwise the same. Both of these Cloud Keys can run all other UniFi applications, including Network, Access, and Talk.

The UNVR, UNVR Pro, and new Enterprise NVR are dedicated network video recorders, and offer the most storage and drive bays.

UniFi Protect — NVR comparison

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UniFi Protect Gateway NVRs

With UniFi Protect you don’t necessarily need a dedicated NVR like the models shown above. You can also use all-in-one UniFi Cloud Gateways to run Protect and record your camera’s footage.

These are primarily Network devices — acting as firewalls/routers, switches, and/or wireless access points — but can also act as a Protect NVR. These generally have lower storage and camera limits than the standalone NVR options. If you have a small setup with only a few cameras, these may be all that you need.

UniFi Protect — Cloud Gateway NVR comparison

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