Ubiquiti UNVR Instant Unveiled: A Consumer-Friendly UniFi Protect-Based Surveillance Solution

Ubiquiti today announces the availability of the UniFi Network Video Recorder Instant (model UNVR Instant), a network video recorder (NVR) powered by its UniFi Protect application.

Available at $199 for a standalone unit or $699 for a Kit that includes 1TB HDD and four G5 Turret Ultra cameras, which generally cost $129 each, the UNVR Instant seems to be an excellent way to dabble in the rich world of UniFi for those who don’t care for or don’t yet need its default Network application.

Ubiquiti UNVR Instant: A flexible, standalone security solution

If you’re not familiar with the UniFi ecosystem, this post on the subject will fill you in with great details. The gist is that a UniFi console can do a lot more than a simple router via multiple applications.

In that light, the UNVR Instant is a device that hosts just the UniFi Protect and Access applications, designed to add video surveillance to any existing network, not hosted by a UniFi Cloud Gateway. It’s not Ubiquit’s first NVR, but it’s definitely the first made for general consumers, thanks to its compact size and the look that’s easy on the eye. Previously, all of Ubiquit’s NVRs were full-scale rackmount, designed for large corporations.

That said, the UNVR Instant is a perfect surveillance candidate for those currently using a non-UniFi router, such as one from ASUS, NETGEAR, or any other. It’s worth noting that this NVR requires an existing network connection to function. It will not work just by itself.

The UNVR Instant features a 3.5-inch HDD bay—similar to the case of the UDM-SE—that can host standard SATA drives—a 3.5″ hard drive or a 2.5″ HDD/SSD—of any capacity. On this front, Ubiquiti says “if it fits, it sits,” though it only sells drives up to 24TB at the UI store.

Additionally, UNVR Instant comes with seven Gigabit network ports, including one uplink port, and six PoE ports, ready to host up to six UniFi cameras out of the box. The number of camera it can handle doesn’t depends on its port. According to Ubiquiti, the UNVR Instant can handle up to fifteen HD cameras, or eight 2K cameras, or six 4K cameras. You generally can use a mix of them, and the system will let you know how many you can use in real-time via its resource meter.

The UNVR Instant comes with a little screen that shows its status. For management, though, it uses Bluetooth (for the setup process) and Ethernet—you connect to it via the UniFi Protect app.

The table below shows the UNVR Instant’s detailed hardware specifications.

Ubiquiti UNVR Instant: Hardware specifications

Model	UNVR Instant
Processing Power	Quad-core ARM Cortex-A55 at 1.7 GHz, 4GB of RAM
UniFi Application (built-in)	Protect Access
Camera Support	(15) HD, (8) 2K, (6) 4K
Storage Capacity	1x drive bay (any capacity) (1TB 3.5″ HDD included)
Design	Desktop
Mount	Wall, Din rail mount (accessories included)
Ports	1x GbE RJ45 uplink port, 6x GbE PoE RJ45 ports 1x HDMI port (Viewport)
Power over Ethernet Standard  (PoE)	802.3bt (PoE)
Max PoE Power Budget (all ports)	40W
Max PoE Power Output (per port)	15.4W
Power Intake	AC/DC, Internal, 60W via Universal AC input, 100-240VAC, 1.5A Max, 50/60 Hz
Internal Cooling Fan	TBD
Local Web-based Management	No
Cloud-Management	Yes (free) via the UniFi Protect App
Mobile App	UniFi Protect
Dimensions	8.7 x 8.7 x 1.9″ (220 x 220 x 47 mm)
Weight (without mounting accessories)	2.3 lb (1.04 kg)
Display	1.14″ screen
Ambient Operating Temperature	0 to 40° C (32 to 104° F)
US Launch Price (Check current price!)	$199 (standalone, no storage) $699 (kit with four cameras and 1TB HDD)

UNVR Instant and UniFi console

While designed as a standalone surveillance solution for a non-UniFi network, the UNVR Instant can also work with a UniFi-based network. In this case, users can take advantage of its integrated HDMI port for real-time monitoring, instead of having to use a separate computer.

However, most UniFi consoles generally already have the NVR function built in and come with their own internal storage, negating the need for a separate NVR. If you already have Protect running on your UniFi console, keep in mind that the UNVR Instant will become a separate surveillance system—you can’t merge the two.

That said, if you already have a UniFi console (router), consider the UNVR Instant only if you don’t already have Protect on your network, or you want to offload the job from your console, such as when you use a console with limited storage space or no additional app support, like the UDR7 or UX7, respectively.

Availability

The UNVR Instant is available to buy today. It’ll work with any UniFi cameras. If you get the Kit, it’ll come with 1TB HDD and four G5 Turret Ultra, the white version. I’m in the process of getting my own. So, check back soon for an in-depth review.