Hey everyone! I'm the solo IT manager for over 65 retail stores, and it's about to grow to 90 with a new franchise acquisition. I've been testing out UniFi Protect with a Dream Machine Pro and a few cameras, and while I love the user-friendly interface and stability, I'm concerned about managing everything as we scale up. Each store is set to have up to 4 cameras, and I'm looking for a simple solution that allows remote access, user segmentation, and supports ONVIF or UniFi-compatible cameras. Currently, I'm considering deploying either a UDM-Pro or a Cloud Key Gen2+ per store, and we have a budget of $500-$600 per site, including storage and cameras. However, I'm worried about the practicality and sustainability of managing isolated UniFi Protect instances across so many stores. I'm seeking advice on whether this model is feasible, or if there are better centralized or cloud options that offer similar user experience and access control. Any insights would be greatly appreciated!
5 Answers
Honestly, I think you might be better off with a service like Verkada. Their cloud-based NVR is super user-friendly and allows you to manage all your locations from a single interface. The challenge with UniFi is more about support; you don’t want to be stuck waiting for responses on forums when you’ve got urgent issues to deal with. If you get a proper solution, it's going to save you time and provide better reliability for all those locations.
I totally agree with the others regarding scalability and support. Meraki is a solid choice for enterprise solutions and could save you a lot of headaches down the road. Their management features are designed for distributed environments like yours, which sounds essential for what you're handling.
Not trying to be rude, but your budget is pretty unrealistic for what you’re aiming for. With cloud-based systems, you can barely manage 4 cameras per site at that price. If you really want something manageable, lookup Meraki; they’ve got good options for larger deployments like yours without compromising on quality or support.
If you want something solid for your needs, avoid UniFi. It’s more of a prosumer product. Look into Meraki or similar enterprise solutions that provide robust support and management features—definitely worth the investment for the scale you’re working at.
I really don't think UniFi is the right fit for what you're trying to do. It’s not an enterprise-level solution, which means you could run into a lot of management headaches. With a budget of $500-$600 per site for 4 cameras, you're going to struggle with getting decent equipment, especially the backend storage and systems you need. Since you're a solo IT guy, it'd be a smart move to consider outsourcing both the installation and ongoing maintenance. Reach out to your existing security vendor to see what integrated options they have.
I hear you, but I'm specifically looking for NVR integration that allows me to manage everything from one dashboard; I want to avoid logging into each store's VPN separately.
You've made some solid points! I do need a support structure I can rely on, especially with the sheer scale of operations. I’ll definitely consider Verkada once I stabilize the current situation.