UniFi Protect - Live View and Recordings

Monitor your UniFi cameras in real-time using UniFi Protect's Live View, or leverage the Playback functionality to watch past recordings.

Live View and Recordings

Your cameras and their recordings are available 24/7 through the UniFi Site Manager or Protect Mobile App (iOS / Android). UniFi prioritizes smooth video playback, so you may notice video resolution automatically reduce if you experience a weak remote connection. Don't worry, UniFi Protect will still save a high-quality recording that can be watched once conditions change, or you connect locally for improved performance.

Exporting Clips

UniFi allows you to download recorded clips from the Mobile App by tapping the Share icon > Export clip, or from a web browser by selecting the clip and clicking the Download icon while in the Playback or Detections tab.

Recording Settings

Navigate to Settings > Recordings in UniFi Protect to find and configure relevant settings.

Recording Retention

This feature allows you to keep recordings for a specified period, after which they will be automatically deleted to free up storage space. Use the 'Auto' setting to optimize recording retention and prevent your system from ever running out of storage space. 

Schedules

Set recording schedules for as many or as few cameras as you would like. This is useful for optimizing storage space and maximizing recording retention. One common example is for a business to configure a schedule to record only after-hours when no employees are around to monitor the site. 

Recording Mode

Cameras can also be set to record Always (continuously, or only when a detection is triggered) or Never. Do this within the camera's settings.

Detections

UniFi Protect cameras use powerful AI to detect the following subjects:

• Motion
• Person
• Vehicle
• License Plate Recognition*
• Package (G4 Doorbell Pro and G4 Doorbell Pro POE only)
• And More! We strive to deliver powerful new features. As such we are continuing to add additional detections that our customers find most useful.

* Available on non-360 versions of AI-series cameras.

You can view and filter your clips in the Detections tab of UniFi Protect, accessible from the UniFi Site Manager or the Mobile App (iOS / Android). You can also conveniently download or share clips with the click of a button. Detections will also be highlighted in the full recordings found in the Playback section of UniFi Protect.

Insights

In the Insights tab of the UniFi Protect application, a heat map is generated to reveal where detections are occurring - both standard motion as well as Smart Detections. Insights can be helpful to review motion paths for customers and neighboring buildings when planning access routes or physical layouts.

Advanced Configuration

For even more granular control, you can modify the following Motion Detection sliders for individual cameras. These controls are found in your Protect application > Devices > select a camera > Recording Mode > Detection Record Settings:

• Seconds of motion needed to trigger detection.
• Seconds to record before motion detection.
• Seconds to record after motion detection.