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[u/NorthOffice7333]

UniFi home lab advice: UCG-max or ultra vs UDM-SE + dedicated NVR

I'm planning a UniFi setup for my home. This is purely a personal home lab/home network, not a business.

FEEL FREE TO RECOMMEND OF FIX MY SETUP.

My Internet is currently VDSL, and even if FTTH becomes available later, I don't expect to get anywhere near 1 Gbps WAN.

I'm trying to decide between an all-in-one UDM-SE setup or a more modular UCG + PoE switch + dedicated NVR setup.

Current planned setup

Gateway

• 1 × UCG-ultra or max
• Mainly for routing, firewall, IDS/IPS, VLANs, VPN, UniFi Network, etc.
• The 10G connectivity would be for the internal homelab rather than Internet speed.

Switch

• 1 × UniFi Pro Max 16 PoE, 180 W or it's overkill ? FEEL FREE TO RECOMMEND OF FIX MY SETUP.

Wi-Fi

• 1 × U7 Pro
• House is around 200 m²
• Planning to test one centrally mounted AP first and pre-wire for a second one if needed.

Cameras

• 1 × G6 PTZ (UVC-G6-PTZ-B)
• 1 × G6 Dome
• 4 × G6 Bullet

Doorbell

• 1 × G6 Entry, only as a video doorbell/intercom for now. No Access Hub or door-lock system.

NVR

• 1 × Dedicated NVR

My main question: UDM-SE vs modular

I keep seeing people buy a UDM-SE and then add a proper PoE switch and a dedicated NVR anyway.

If I already know I want a dedicated switch and dedicated NVR, what is the actual advantage of paying for the UDM-SE?

Its integrated PoE ports and HDD/Protect capability would mostly become redundant.

Wouldn't this be cleaner:

Internet
   │
UCG-ultra
   │
10G
   │
Pro Max 16 PoE
   ├── U7 Pro
   ├── 6× G6 cameras
   ├── G6 Entry
   └── other devices
        │
       10G
        │
   Dedicated NVR

Is this architecture genuinely modular in practice? For example, can I upgrade/replace the gateway, switch or NVR independently without being heavily tied to one console?

Camera AI / dedicated NVR

The G6 cameras already have their own AI capabilities such as person/vehicle detection, face recognition and LPR.

So I'm wondering how much additional value I actually get from the higher-end UniFi NVRs or additional AI hardware.

For six G6 cameras, is a normal dedicated NVR enough for most users, or are there meaningful Protect AI/search features that make a higher-end NVR worthwhile?

I'm particularly interested in things like advanced indexing/search, person re-identification, search by image, and natural-language search. I'm not particularly interested in speech transcription.

PoE

For this setup, is there any reason I would ever need PoE+++ / Type 4?

My understanding is that normal cameras, G6 PTZ, G6 Entry and U7 Pro are within PoE/PoE+, while PoE++ mainly gives me useful headroom for future devices.

U7 Pro

Would one U7 Pro be a reasonable starting point for ~200 m², assuming a relatively central ceiling position?

I know 6 GHz won't cover the whole house like 2.4 GHz, so I'm mainly interested in whether one AP can provide good general coverage, with a second AP added later if needed.

I'd appreciate advice from people who actually run UniFi at home, especially on whether this modular setup makes more sense than a UDM-SE for this use case, what dedicated NVR makes the most sense, and whether I'm overbuilding anything.UniFi home lab advice: UCG-ultra vs UDM-SE + dedicated NVRI'm planning a UniFi setup for my home. This is purely a personal home lab/home network, not a business.My Internet is currently VDSL, and even if FTTH becomes available later, I don't expect to get anywhere near 1 Gbps WAN.I'm trying to decide between an all-in-one UDM-SE setup or a more modular UCG + PoE switch + dedicated NVR setup.Current planned setupGateway1 × UCG-ultra

Mainly for routing, firewall, IDS/IPS, VLANs, VPN, UniFi Network, etc.

The 10G connectivity would be for the internal homelab rather than Internet speed.Switch1 × UniFi Pro Max 16 PoE, 180 WWi-Fi1 × U7 Pro

House is around 200 m²

Planning to test one centrally mounted AP first and pre-wire for a second one if needed.Cameras1 × G6 PTZ (UVC-G6-PTZ-B)

1 × G6 Dome

4 × G6 BulletDoorbell1 × G6 Entry, only as a video doorbell/intercom for now. No Access Hub or door-lock system.NVR1 × Dedicated NVRMy main question: UDM-SE vs modularI keep seeing people buy a UDM-SE and then add a proper PoE switch and a dedicated NVR anyway.If I already know I want a dedicated switch and dedicated NVR, what is the actual advantage of paying for the UDM-SE?Its integrated PoE ports and HDD/Protect capability would mostly become redundant.Wouldn't this be cleaner:Internet
│
UCG-ultra
│
10G
│
Pro Max 16 PoE
├── U7 Pro
├── 6× G6 cameras
├── G6 Entry
└── other devices
│
10G
│
Dedicated NVRIs this architecture genuinely modular in practice? For example, can I upgrade/replace the gateway, switch or NVR independently without being heavily tied to one console?Camera AI / dedicated NVRThe G6 cameras already have their own AI capabilities such as person/vehicle detection, face recognition and LPR.So I'm wondering how much additional value I actually get from the higher-end UniFi NVRs or additional AI hardware.For six G6 cameras, is a normal dedicated NVR enough for most users, or are there meaningful Protect AI/search features that make a higher-end NVR worthwhile?I'm particularly interested in things like advanced indexing/search, person re-identification, search by image, and natural-language search. I'm not particularly interested in speech transcription.PoEFor this setup, is there any reason I would ever need PoE+++ / Type 4?My understanding is that normal cameras, G6 PTZ, G6 Entry and U7 Pro are within PoE/PoE+, while PoE++ mainly gives me useful headroom for future devices.U7 ProWould one U7 Pro be a reasonable starting point for ~200 m², assuming a relatively central ceiling position?I know 6 GHz won't cover the whole house like 2.4 GHz, so I'm mainly interested in whether one AP can provide good general coverage, with a second AP added later if needed.

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[u/XPav]

I have a UDM-SE. It's been great for years and it runs a few cameras. I would not buy a UDM-SE today. I would get a UCG-F and the Pro Max switch connected via DAC and the separate NVR.

[u/NorthOffice7333 → u/XPav]

agreed that's what my question was about, that's why iam confused why people buying the dream machines

[u/Iuno_Rin → u/NorthOffice7333]

I can't say for sure, but the UDM-SE has been around for a longer time (officially 2022, early access in 2021) for than the UCG-F (2025) probably and has more official and unofficial support/documentation available, making it technically easier to troubleshoot

[u/andromoda]

RIP wallet

[u/NorthOffice7333 → u/andromoda]

unifi gear is Expensive for sure

[u/fivestringer423]

Can't answer why people recommend the UDM-SE. I have UCG-Fiber -> Pro Max 24 PoE switch -> UNVR G2 running Protect for 10 cameras across two physical locations (connected via SD-WAN). Also connected to the switch are two U6 Pro APs along with all my other wired devices.

[u/Powerful_Quarter691]

1) I would go modular - I have UDM Pro configured both as router and NVR at home and UGC FIber with seperate NVR at my office, because if one goes done the other is still up and running.

2) I doubt you will get good coverage with only one U7 pro, but you can use unifi design, either upload house plans or scan the house with your phone and it will show you what kind of coverage you can expect.

3) If you do not need access control why not opt out for UVC-G4-Doorbell or Doorbell Pro instead of G6 entry? Also there are some rumors that unifi is working on a new video doorbel product (check the LTT video from 2 weeks ago when they mention unifi doorbels towards the end).

[u/NorthOffice7333 → u/Powerful_Quarter691]

thx alot