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Cloud Video Surveillance Los Angeles
Eagle Eye Networks cloud video and UniFi Protect camera systems, designed and installed by a gate and access control contractor.
★★★★★
AJ, Asher, and the team were great. I had a full service installation done a couple months ago, adding a state of the art AI security system that they recommended. Job was done professionally and promptly.
C
We design and install cloud video surveillance for homes, HOAs, and businesses across Los Angeles on two platforms: Eagle Eye Networks and UniFi Protect. Both let you watch live and recorded video from your phone. They differ in one important way: where the video is stored and what it costs to keep it there. This page explains both honestly so you can pick the right one before anyone pulls a cable.
The Tech Guys Doors and Gates is based in Santa Monica. Gates, intercoms, and access control are our core trade, so we treat cameras as part of the entry system and not as a separate gadget on the wall. Call (310) 400-0314 for a free site walk.
Cloud video security: Eagle Eye Networks and UniFi Protect, installed and serviced in LA, Orange County, and San Diego County. (310) 400-0314
Eagle Eye Networks vs UniFi Protect at a Glance
Short version: Eagle Eye stores your video in the cloud for a per-camera subscription. UniFi Protect stores it on a recorder at your property with no monthly fee, and you still view it remotely through the UniFi app.
| Eagle Eye Networks | UniFi Protect | |
|---|---|---|
| Where video is stored | Eagle Eye cloud data centers, with optional local storage on a CMVR | A UniFi recorder at your property |
| Ongoing cost | Subscription per camera, priced by resolution and retention | No monthly fee. One-time hardware cost |
| Cameras it works with | Thousands of models from most major brands, including analog and HD over coax | UniFi cameras, plus basic support for many ONVIF cameras |
| Retention | From 1 day up to 10 years in the cloud | Set by the drives in your recorder, typically 30 to 90 days |
| If the recorder is stolen or damaged | Footage already uploaded is safe off site | Footage on the recorder is at risk, so the rack should be locked |
| Many locations | Built for it. One login for every site | Works well for one property or a few |
| Access control tie-in | Brivo, now the same company | UniFi Access and UniFi Intercom |
| Best fit | Commercial, multi-site, HOAs, and anyone reusing existing cameras | Homes, estates, and single buildings that want to own the system outright |
Eagle Eye Networks Cloud Video Surveillance
Eagle Eye Networks is a true cloud video management system. Your cameras connect to a small appliance on site called a Bridge. The Bridge encrypts the video and sends it to Eagle Eye data centers, where it is stored and where you search and watch it. There is no video server for you to patch, back up, or replace.
Eagle Eye merged with Brivo in December 2025, and the combined company now sells video and access control as one platform. We are a Brivo authorized installer, so for a commercial building we can put doors, gates, and cameras under a single login. See our Brivo cloud access control page for the door side.
How an Eagle Eye system is put together
- Bridge. Connects your cameras to the cloud and buffers video on site, so recording continues if the internet drops and uploads when it returns. Models run from 12 cameras to 300.
- CMVR. A Bridge with hard drives inside. We use it where upload speed is limited or where you want a local copy as well as a cloud copy.
- Cameras. Eagle Eye works with thousands of camera models, so we can often keep the cameras you already own. For new installs we use Eagle Eye bullet, dome, and turret cameras.
- Security. Video is encrypted in transit and at rest, and the system does not need open inbound ports on your firewall.
Eagle Eye Bridge, the on-site appliance
Eagle Eye Pro Turret camera
What you get with Eagle Eye
- Smart Video Search. Type a description such as a person in a red jacket or a white pickup, and the system finds the clips.
- License plate recognition. Plates are logged with a photo and a time, and can be used as a credential for a gate. More on our license plate recognition camera page.
- Multi-site management. Every location, camera, and user in one account. Give a regional manager three sites and a store manager one.
- Analytics and integrations. Line crossing, loitering, object counting, camera tamper alerts, and point of sale integration for retail and restaurants.
- Long retention. Choose the retention each camera needs, from a few days to years, without buying more drives.
The trade-off: Eagle Eye is a subscription. You pay per camera for as long as you use it, and the price goes up with resolution and retention. In return you never replace a failed recorder or lose footage to a stolen one. For a business with several locations that usually works out well. For a single home it is often more than you need.
UniFi Protect Video Surveillance
A UniFi Protect camera on one of our Inglewood installs, with the cable run in conduit to a weatherproof box.
UniFi Protect is the camera system from Ubiquiti. Cameras record to a UniFi network video recorder that sits in your own rack or closet. You view live and recorded video from anywhere in the UniFi app, and there is no license or subscription for the recording, the app, or the AI features.
It is not cloud storage in the strict sense. The video lives at your property and the cloud is only the secure path you use to reach it. We say that plainly because some owners want exactly that: their footage on their own hardware, and no bill every month.
What you get with UniFi Protect
- No monthly fees. You buy the cameras and the recorder once.
- AI detection. People, vehicles, packages, and animals are told apart, which cuts false alerts from trees and shadows.
- License plate and face recognition. Available on current AI cameras, or across the system with a UniFi AI Key.
- One app for the whole entry. Cameras, UniFi Intercom, door access, and the network share one dashboard, so a gate event and its video sit together.
- Current hardware. We install the G6 camera line and service older G3, G4, and G5 systems.
UniFi G6 Turret cameras
A rack we built in Malibu: switch, recorder, and patch panel
The trade-off: the recorder is yours to protect. If it is stolen, flooded, or fails, the footage on it can go with it. We use surveillance-rated drives and recommend a locked rack on battery backup. UniFi Protect also works best with UniFi cameras, so it is not the platform for reusing a building full of another brand.
Models, recorder sizing, and gate integration are covered in detail on our UniFi Protect camera installation page.
Which One Fits Your Property
Retail and restaurants
Usually Eagle Eye. Point of sale integration ties a transaction to its video, footage is safe off site after a break-in, and an owner with several stores sees all of them in one place.
Multi-site businesses
Eagle Eye. One account for every location, user permissions by site, and no VPN or recorder to maintain at each address.
HOAs and multifamily
Either. Eagle Eye with Brivo when the board wants a managed platform and long retention. UniFi Protect when the priority is no recurring cost and a UniFi intercom is already at the gate.
Homes and estates
Usually UniFi Protect. Driveway, gate, and perimeter cameras on your own recorder, with plate recognition at the gate and no subscription.
Buildings with existing cameras
Eagle Eye. If the cameras and cabling are sound, we connect them to a Bridge and retire the old DVR. Analog and HD over coax cameras are supported on select Bridge models.
Sites with weak internet
UniFi Protect, or Eagle Eye with a CMVR. Both record locally, so a slow upload does not cost you footage.
Upgrading from a DVR? We check which cameras and cable runs are worth keeping before we quote anything new. Call (310) 400-0314
How We Install a Camera System
- Site walk. We count camera positions, check where the rack or Bridge will live, measure cable runs, and test your internet upload speed.
- Platform recommendation. You get a plain answer on Eagle Eye or UniFi Protect for your property, with the reasons and the ongoing cost of each.
- Camera layout. A plan showing each camera, its model, mounting height, and what it will see.
- Cabling. Pure copper CAT6 from the rack to every camera, in conduit on exterior runs, with weatherproofing at every wall penetration.
- Mount, aim, and commission. Cameras are aimed and focused, recording is verified, and alerts are tuned so you are not flooded with notifications.
- Handoff. We set up your users and show you how to find a clip and export it for a police report or an insurance claim.
- Service. We service what we install across LA, Orange County, and San Diego County.
Cloud Video Surveillance FAQ
Is UniFi Protect cloud video surveillance?
Partly. UniFi Protect stores video on a recorder at your property and uses the cloud only for secure remote viewing. Eagle Eye Networks stores the video itself in the cloud. If off-site storage is the requirement, Eagle Eye is the one that meets it.
What happens if the internet goes down?
Recording continues on both platforms. An Eagle Eye Bridge buffers video on site and uploads it when the connection returns. UniFi Protect records to its local recorder regardless of the internet. Remote viewing is what you lose until the connection is back.
How much internet bandwidth do cloud cameras need?
It depends on camera count, resolution, and how much video is sent to the cloud. Eagle Eye Bridges manage bandwidth by buffering and scheduling uploads, and a CMVR keeps full video local when upload speed is tight. We test your upload speed during the site walk and size the system to it.
How long is footage kept?
With Eagle Eye you choose retention per camera, from 1 day up to 10 years. With UniFi Protect it depends on the drives in the recorder. A typical setup keeps 30 to 90 days.
Can I keep my existing cameras?
Often, with Eagle Eye. It supports thousands of IP camera models and, on select Bridges, analog and HD over coax cameras. UniFi Protect is designed around UniFi cameras, so a move to UniFi usually means new cameras on the existing cable.
Does cloud video cost more than a traditional DVR?
Eagle Eye has a monthly cost a DVR does not, and removes the cost of replacing recorders and drives and of maintaining them. UniFi Protect has no monthly cost and a higher share up front. We quote both when both fit, so you can compare the total over several years.
Can the cameras work with my gate or door access?
Yes, and this is where our gate and access control background matters. Eagle Eye pairs with Brivo access control, and UniFi Protect pairs with UniFi Access and UniFi Intercom. In both cases an entry event and its video are linked, and license plate recognition can open a gate for approved vehicles.
Related Services
- UniFi Protect Cameras (LPR, AI, Driveway, Gate)
- License Plate Recognition Camera Installer
- UniFi Network Installer (UDM Pro, WiFi 7, Cabling)
- UniFi Intercom Installation (G3, G4, G5, G6)
- Brivo Cloud Access Control: doors and gates on the same platform as Eagle Eye video
- Electric Gate Repair and Installation: gate systems with camera integration
- Intercom Repair and Installation
- View All 18 Service Areas
Not Sure Which Platform You Need?
Call (310) 400-0314 or request a free consultation. We will walk the property and tell you which one we would put in.