If you’re like me and spend your days knee-deep in UniFi systems, you’ll understand when I say this: Protect 6.0 is one of the biggest updates we’ve seen from UniFi in a long time. I’ve been hands-on with it since it dropped, and I’m genuinely impressed—not just by the new features, but by how much smoother and more intelligent the entire experience feels.
The first thing that really jumped out at me was something called Spotlights. Now when I open the Protect app or web interface, I’m not digging through timelines or jumping between cameras to figure out what happened overnight. The system automatically highlights what it thinks is most important—whether it’s a familiar face, a vehicle pulling in, or even a pet wandering through the frame. It’s like having a personal assistant in your surveillance system, giving you a quick snapshot of the most relevant activity without you needing to do anything. And it gets smarter over time thanks to UniFi’s EdgeAI.
Another standout feature is dwell time tracking. You can now actually see how long a person or object stayed in the camera’s view, which is huge for spotting loitering or suspicious behavior. Even better, if you pause on a frame and click on a person or object, Protect will instantly find every other moment that subject appeared on any of your cameras. That’s a massive time saver when reviewing incidents or looking for patterns—and honestly, it’s something I’ve wanted for years.
They’ve also revamped the whole search experience with a new “Find Anything” interface. Everything’s in one place now, from object filters to keyword searches, and it actually understands what you’re looking for. I tested it with a few vague descriptions, and it did a surprisingly good job narrowing things down. No more clicking through endless footage trying to remember if someone was wearing a blue or green hoodie—it’s smart enough to help you figure it out.
On the timeline side, playback is way faster and more informative. You get quick object summaries for each camera and can scrub through events across multiple feeds at once. That’s especially useful if you’re monitoring larger spaces like warehouses or multiple entry points at once. I also noticed the addition of object-counting charts, which are a nice touch when you’re looking for traffic patterns or trying to analyze busy periods.
The Alarm Manager also got a solid upgrade. You can preview what will trigger alerts using past footage, which makes setting up motion zones and rules much easier. There’s also a one-click test mode for checking your setup, and new integration tools if you’re pushing alerts to third-party services. It’s cleaner, easier to manage, and gives you more control without being overwhelming.
And for those of you who need audit trails or compliance logging—like in healthcare or finance—Protect 6.0 now tracks everything: who viewed what footage, what was downloaded, deleted, changed, or configured. That’s the kind of transparency and accountability that enterprise clients have been asking for, and now it’s built right in.
From my perspective as someone who builds out UniFi-based systems every day, this update is a big step forward. It’s not just about making the cameras smarter—it’s about making the entire security process more intuitive, more efficient, and more useful. If you’re already running Protect, upgrading to 6.0 is a no-brainer. And if you’re thinking about getting started with UniFi for the first time, there’s never been a better time to jump in.
Of course, not every setup can take full advantage of these new features right out of the box. To get the most out of the AI features like Spotlights and multi-camera tracking, you’ll want to make sure your system includes the UniFi AI Key. That’s the device that powers the EdgeAI smarts behind all of this. And proper camera placement has never been more important—getting wide, clear coverage makes all the difference in letting these features do their job.
At Volk Secure, we’re already helping clients upgrade their systems to take full advantage of Protect 6.0. From recommending the right AI hardware to tuning alert rules and integrating with other tools, we’re here to make sure your security system works as hard as you do. If you’re ready to upgrade or want to explore what a smarter security system could look like for your home or business, feel free to reach out. We’ll make it simple.
