UniFi Protect Adding ONVIF Camera Support Soon

Good news for anyone with an existing UniFi Protect surveillance setup, or even those considering migrating to UniFi’s premium surveillance platform. At CEDIA, it was revealed that ONVIF camera support will be added next month to the Protect service. This has been a long-requested feature, almost since the initial release of UniFi Protect by Ubiquiti, and has often been a barrier for some users to integrate Protect into their home or business environment. But why is the support for ONVIF in UniFi Protect such a big deal? Why has Ubiquiti finally decided to integrate this feature, and what does this mean long-term for new and existing UniFi Protect users? Let’s discuss.

UniFi Protect and ONVIF Cameras – TL;DR:

Good news for anyone with existing UniFi Protect surveillance setups, or even those thinking of migrating over to UniFi’s premium surveillance platform, with announcements at CEDIA that ONVIF camera support will be added next month into the Protect service. This has been a long-requested feature, almost since the initial release of UniFi Protect by Ubiquiti, and one that has often been a potential barrier for some users to integrate Protect into their home or business environment. But why is the support of ONVIF in UniFi Protect such a big deal? Why have Ubiquiti finally decided to integrate this feature, and what does this mean long-term for new and existing UniFi Protect users? Let’s discuss.

• ONVIF camera support will be added to UniFi Protect in October 2024, or at the very least announced then.
• ONVIF is a widely used video recording protocol that supports third-party IP cameras, and has been heavily requested in UniFi Protect since it’s inception.
• Ubiquiti resisted supporting ONVIF to maintain its single-ecosystem platform, but is changing it’s position.
• The addition will allow users to integrate existing third-party cameras, making migration to UniFi Protect easier.
• Ubiquiti will not require camera licenses for third-party cameras, unlike Synology and QNAP. (still TBC!)
• Full compatibility with all ONVIF cameras is still to be confirmed.

What is ONVIF?

ONVIF, or Open Network Video Interface Forum, is a video recording protocol that allows IP cameras of any brand to be accessible, in both feed and recording, to a third-party NVR system. That is a basic explanation for it, but on the whole, that’s pretty much what it is. Plenty of budget NVR and NAS-based surveillance platforms, such as those from Synology and QNAP, support the use of third-party ONVIF cameras. This allows users access to literally thousands of different types of camera hardware, picture quality, and price. Although there are other recording protocols out there, such as RTSP, ONVIF is largely agreed to be the most flexible and accessible camera protocol on the market, even allowing access to cameras without the need for an NVR in the first place, providing the means to directly interface with a surveillance camera one-to-one if needed. So why would UniFi not want to enable this universally popular feature until now?

Why did UniFi choose not to support ONVIF in Protect until now?

It’s a good question! If everyone wants to utilize ONVIF cameras, why would Ubiquiti not allow UniFi Protect to support them? Well, probably the main reason is that UniFi’s main selling point is that it is a single ecosystem platform. From their network switches to their surveillance equipment and wireless access points, UniFi is designed to create a single managed network and internet ecosystem. That means that attack vectors are reduced, central management is uniform across hardware, and the UX throughout any access point can be streamlined. Of course, this also means that Ubiquiti needs to produce their own UniFi Protect surveillance cameras to ensure this streamlined and single ecosystem. Almost certainly, another reason Ubiquiti has opted to restrict ONVIF support until now is that it would not only reduce the need for users to purchase only their cameras, but it also opens the door to maintaining (or at least facilitating) service upgrades to third-party ONVIF cameras. This is not something that NAS brands and their NVR software have restricted, but now we are starting to see brands like Synology roll out their own hardware surveillance cameras. It wouldn’t surprise anyone if that brand started to slow down its third-party camera verification processes and support lists in the future.

All that said, Ubiquiti needs to listen to their audience, as much as any other brand. Despite their large number of first-party UniFi Protect cameras, they simply cannot compete with the hundreds of camera brands and thousands of various camera models on the market that their existing UniFi Protect users want to take advantage of. Additionally, a potential UniFi Protect user who is migrating away from an existing surveillance setup to UniFi Protect will definitely see the benefits of being able to take advantage of their existing cameras, or they may have camera hardware requirements that the existing UniFi Protect portfolio does not currently facilitate.

Imagine a business owner who has moved into a new property that already has cameras outside and inside, or simply that they have already invested thousands of pounds. Cost efficiency or sustainability in knowing that UniFi Protect will allow them to still use their existing on-site surveillance hardware, while simultaneously allowing them to gradually migrate over to UniFi Protect camera hardware, is going to be hugely desirable and a big selling point for them. All of this adds up to why Ubiquiti has decided that ONVIF support is now needed on UniFi Protect. But how will ONVIF support be deployed within UniFi Protect?

UniFi Protect: Supported Brands, 3rd Party Camera Control and Camera Licenses?

Although it is largely confirmed that UniFi Protect is going to support ONVIF cameras, how is this going to be supported in practice? Brands like Synology and QNAP have used a camera license program for the entirety of their respective software availability. However, the way these brands have approached adding cameras to their respective surveillance platforms has differed greatly from UniFi, up until now. If you were to buy a NAS system from the majority of NAS brands in the market, these systems arrive with camera licenses included. This means that when you purchase the NAS hardware, it includes the NAS but you can only have a certain number of third-party ONVIF cameras connected to the surveillance system for free. If you want to add more than the included camera licenses, you need to purchase additional camera licenses. This was added by each brand as a means to continue long-term support and funding for their camera platforms, ensuring the systems remain feature-rich and secure. Surveillance systems often only purchase one hardware NVR server every 10-plus years as well as deploy cameras in their business environment every 10 to 15 years, and then they are generally forgotten about until they are needed for security and retrieving camera footage. Think about your local supermarket or train station—the cameras outside have often been there for decades! The surveillance NVR inside the building may have changed a few times, but more often than not, the cameras externally have been there for ages. Surveillance camera licenses are how most NAS brands are able to keep their surveillance platforms up to date and financially supported, while finding a balance between home users that can get by on the included camera licenses and business users who have a larger demand for the platform to secure corporate assets and protect their business.

Currently, there is no confirmation on how Ubiquiti is going to approach ONVIF cameras on their UniFi Protect surveillance platform. However, numerous interactions with Ubiquiti staff at the UniFi Protect stand at CEDIA, and from shared details on Reddit, seem to indicate that the brand will not be instigating a camera license program and third-party ONVIF cameras will be treated no differently in terms of license-free status than first-party UniFi Protect cameras already supported by the Protect software platform. However, until an official announcement and the UniFi Protect ONVIF update is rolled out, this is still to be confirmed.

Additionally, broad support of camera brands by UniFi Protect is still also yet to be confirmed. Although it is almost certain that UniFi Protect will support most ONVIF cameras, supporting ONVIF is not the same as supporting ONVIF on select cameras. They only had a handful of third-party cameras on their official stand (with Axis being particularly prominent). Realistically, it is going to be hard for UniFi Protect to justify only supporting select ONVIF cameras on its software, and more likely than not, it will be broad and general ONVIF support. But again, it is still to be confirmed.

That said, it’s not quite the same as confirming if UniFi Protect will take advantage of hardware on all third-party cameras. Edge camera hardware support and server surveillance hardware utilization are not the same thing, and if a third-party ONVIF camera has a particularly unique hardware architecture (e.g., only supports H.264, is a dual-lens camera, or has a fisheye lens that requires post-processing), there is no confirmation yet that UniFi Protect will be completely compatible. No doubt this will be a very gradual process as more select and unique ONVIF cameras appear. No doubt, Ubiquiti will be very careful in the wording of their support portals on third-party ONVIF cameras on their platform, and who would blame them? It’s one thing to use UniFi support platforms when your UniFi camera is not working with your UniFi NVR—it’s a very different conversation if your budget third-party $20 ONVIF camera suddenly starts sending corrupt recordings to your UniFi Protect surveillance system! There will have to be a fine line between Ubiquiti allowing third-party cameras via ONVIF and using precious support resources on configurations that are simply not within their remit for what their platform should provide. It’s a balancing act.

When will Ubiquiti enable ONVIF camera support in UniFi Protect?

All indications for the support of ONVIF on UniFi Protect seem to be “next month,” as in October 2024, corroborated by several visitors to the CEDIA event in Denver, where Ubiquiti had a prominent stand and plenty of staff on hand answering people’s questions. There is a little ambiguity as to whether next month will be the rollout of the update or the official announcement, with the official update soon after, but nevertheless, it does seem like something formative is landing in October 2024. So, what do you think? Are you a long-time UniFi Protect user who thinks this is going to ultimately dilute the platform and undermine it? Or are you someone that was already on the fence about purchasing a UniFi Protect surveillance system and ONVIF support was what you wanted to hear before buying your brand-new UNVR or UniFi Dream Machine? Let’s discuss it in the comments. Have a fantastic week!

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