"Can I view UniFi Protect cameras remotely through Home Assistant?"

"Yes. With a properly configured remote access setup (like Selora's secure tunnel), you can view live camera feeds from anywhere. The key is doing this securely — exposing Home Assistant directly to the internet is risky. A managed setup handles secure remote access for you."

"Does UniFi Protect support local recording with Home Assistant?"

"Many UniFi Protect cameras can record locally when paired with Home Assistant and add-ons like Frigate. This eliminates cloud subscription costs and ensures your footage stays private. The setup requires specific hardware and configuration that a managed service handles."

"Can UniFi Protect cameras trigger other smart home automations?"

"Absolutely. A UniFi Protect camera detecting motion can trigger lights, lock doors, send notifications, start recording on other cameras, or play an alert through speakers. This cross-device coordination is where Home Assistant excels over standalone security apps."

Popular Integration

UniFi Protect & Home Assistant

Security & Cameras Locks & Access Audio & Media Network & Hubs Lighting

UniFi Protect integrates Ubiquiti’s camera ecosystem with Home Assistant, providing live video streams, motion/person/vehicle detection events, camera settings control, and NVR recording management. The integration communicates directly with the UniFi Protect NVR (Cloud Key Gen2+, Dream Machine, or NVR) over your local network.

Unlike cloud-dependent camera systems, UniFi Protect operates entirely locally. All recording, AI detection, and event processing happens on the NVR hardware. Home Assistant receives real-time event notifications via WebSocket, making automations highly responsive.

Local control No cloud required

Visit UniFi Protect Home Assistant

HA Documentation

How UniFi Protect Works with Home Assistant

Getting UniFi Protect connected to Home Assistant and running reliably.

1

Connect & configure

Add UniFi Protect through the Home Assistant integrations panel. Cameras, sensors, and alarm panels appear as entities you can control and automate.

2

Live feeds & alerts

View camera streams directly in your dashboard. Set up notifications for motion events, door openings, or alarm triggers.

3

Cross-device automation

Build automations that coordinate UniFi Protect with lights, locks, and speakers. Motion at the front door can trigger a light, a camera recording, and a notification — simultaneously.

Common UniFi Protect Issues

The problems installers run into with UniFi Protect and Home Assistant — and how a managed setup prevents them.

UniFi OS updates break integration

Ubiquiti's UniFi OS updates sometimes change the Protect API without notice. Major updates have repeatedly broken Home Assistant integration, sometimes for days until a patch is released.

Adoption failures after NVR restart

After NVR restarts or firmware updates, cameras occasionally fail to re-adopt properly, showing as 'disconnected' in both Protect and Home Assistant until manually readopted.

High bandwidth consumption on dashboard

Displaying multiple UniFi Protect camera streams on a Home Assistant dashboard simultaneously consumes significant bandwidth and can overwhelm the NVR's streaming capacity.