UniFi Protect Smart Flood Light - Setup and Testing

Checking out the new UniFi Protect Smart Flood Light model UP-FloodLight. This device retails for $99 MSRP and expands your UniFi Protect system with pretty awesome flood light functionality.
In this video, I unbox the Protect Flood Light, set it up in UniFi, and then install it outdoors and test it out.
UniFi Protect Smart Flood Light (affiliate): store.ui.com/c...
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[@vanavyguy3274]

You are the only reviewer that tested this at night outside your house which is what it’s supposed to be used for. Thank you!

[@tollav]

Drill bit as a fish tape. That is awesome

[@paulsomero]

there's a type of long drill bit called a "bellhanger's drill bit" that is 3+ feet long and has a hole drilled through the middle near the end. It's for attaching a pull string to pull back through the hole once you've blown through.

[@Timichaud]

This product is made for me! My PoE switches are connected to 4x110AH batteries so in power outrage those lights will stay ON all night without any problem without AC power

[@kurtwillekens]

It would also be interesting if you could have multiple flood lights turn on at the same time if only one flood light detects motion. for example, a long driveway where two or three flood lights are installed can be fully lit if motion is detected on one side instead of in multiple separate parts.

[@ulrar]

Was just thinking about that. One way could be to use home assistant to handle the floodlights (either directly or by controlling the PoE port)

[@EsotericArctos]

This is interesting. I wonder if you can associate multiple lights to one camera. If someone has a few lights to experiment with, I'd like to see this. Otherwise, I believe some home automation systems integrate with Unifi Protect and would be able to do this

[@EsotericArctos]

@@ulrar Home Assistant has a Unifi Protect integration and I believe it can already see the flood lights as lights. It also can control other Unifi LED products.

[@ulrar]

@@EsotericArctos yes, I'm using it, that's why I was suggesting that. It's an extra dependency but it is a way to get it done

[@primusbolt]

Great to see a review of this. I've got two waiting for a home renovation to finish before installing. Also: LTT did an awesome job with those deskpads, I love mine.

[@tamiller84]

Thank you for the great review. I wish there was a version that would connect using AC Power and WiFi so I could replace my existing outside flood lights. I don't have the ability to run new cables for PoE.

[@ulrar]

Presumably a PoE injector + a powerline adaptor would do it

[@dgyoungs]

​@@ulrarany advice on executing this?

[@ulrar]

@dgyoungs Ubiqiti sells PoE injector for cheap, but any brand will do. Then get any powerline adapter (I used tp link in the past), you need one connected to your controller somehow, and one where the floodlight goes. The simply connect the ethernet of the adapter to the injector, then the injector to the floodlight and it should just work. Hope that makes sense

[@nickbolton9435]

Totally agree about having a button to toggle the light while looking at the camera. Seems like a super obvious low hanging fruit feature.

[@aexwa]

It's really strange that it wasn't there as at 4:01 it says "access floodlight features while viewing that camera" when choosing a camera to pair with!

[@OldFellaDave]

I'm surprised how bright it actually was at night. Looking at it out of the box it looked a little underwhelming, to be honest. But once you demo'd it at night, I was pleasantly surprised. I think I might grab a couple of these to put around the house near my G3 flex's ;)

[@support2587]

When positioning lights for security cameras be aware of the shadow cast, especially on the face. Depending on the camera and it's capabilities indirect bright light can bite you where it hurts.

[@johnheller2311]

I'd like to be able to have the floodlight turned on with a schedule, and then on motion later at night. Looks like they could easily tweak the user interface a bit. I'm definitely going to order 3-4 of these to install at my house

[@Phelper99]

timepoint 13:14 exactly. I just bought a bunch of Li ion solar lights. Setting 3: dim at night until motion, then full blast until 30 secs after motion stops.

[@GunMD]

Good suggestion about the dim to bright setting.

[@keric0228]

Not even a year later and the add devices button has been removed. So glad they're making the interface easier to work with when I want to put the light on a different vlan/subnet from my NVR.

[@mechbest8685]

I have 3 of these flood lights, good products to link with the protect stuff.

[@lotsofkgmanable]

I'm sure your neighbors love you now. 😂

[@wbhad83]

Love my smart flood lights. I run my back yard camera without night vision and leave the light on in the dark with no problems. The view is crisp and it lights up a huge area!

[@davealdo]

Did you have an example of this with footage? Is it a g4 bullet?

[@DEMONTmx]

Im thinking of doing this exactly but can't find reviews on it, even with the g4 PRO i can't see faces or plates clearly with the night vision, my plan is to put 3 of these to light up the garage and not rely on the night vision

[@wbhad83]

@@davealdo It’s actually the G4 pro. I don’t have footage readily available, but I can probably dig something up. The biggest mistake I made was putting the light too close to the camera. When it rains it snows the light can obscure the view similar to headlights on a car. When I move I’ll put things in better locations.

[@wbhad83]

@@DEMONTmx That should work. I’ve also seen people put up IR lights so they don’t make the property crazy bright with light but will make things brighter for night vision. Of course, that wouldn’t use the UniFi system, which defeats the purpose.

[@kfbr3928]

​@@wbhad83 did you mount the light above or below the camera? How close did you mount them? I'm looking to install these on a gate post.

[@freshcatman5760]

I will use the diffuser cover because it will go on my front porch to pair with the doorbell/figuring out which key goes to the house.

[@dariantel]

would be interesting to know how it works with rain outside, or snow, the cameras often do register motion when raining so would be annoying to have the light going on and off all the time.

[@ACAIDC]

It’s definitely much brighter than I expected!

[@BadBraddA1]

For a second I thought I was watching short circuit for a hot second there 😂😂

[@petercwent]

I wish a pro model with 2 extra features: 1) more lumen 2) ethernet passthrough, allowing camera and floodlight on one ethernet cable, powered through POE+

[@ryan543213]

Great video. That throws out a lot more light then I thought it would.

[@SycsFinest]

Nice LTT desk mat!

[@derasnan]

Thanks Chris! Any news or thoughts on a IR version - that would be super cool as the IR output of some of the cameras is a bit weak (at any distance)?

[@nathanfarringer7492]

This could also come in handy when dealing with perpetrators in the dead of night with my goggles. +1 on IR emitters!

[@brokensysadmin]

Love the LTT desk mat

[@petercwent]

Another wish: a smart relais, triggered when either a camera or one of the connected floodlights detects motion. This allows me to switch on existing lights and/or create a pulse to an existing alarm system.

[@conqueryourself9527]

it would be really nice if this LED flood light can be programmed as strobe or change color. Backup light for power outage using some Unifi backup power supply or battery, strobe red light for some fire alarm or just basic flood light.

[@owenashcroft8167]

Doesn’t really do anything for me, now if they produced a mixed flood light IR illuminator so I could have the floodlight mode come on during evening and the rest of the night just provide a significant boost for the cameras night vision I’d be really interested, but just light, not for me

[@speedbrake]

Unifi needs to let you set a schedule where it's always on from, say, 7-11pm, and also motion activated when dark. I still have to use Ring floodlights with my Unifi cameras to get that functionality.

[@CrosstalkSolutions]

You can do 'Always On' and then select 'when dark' which works based on the UP-FloodLight's light sensor - but if you wanted it to be only on from 7-11pm, that's not an option.

[@focusedelectronics]

Wish they came in white. Seems silly to offer the cameras in white and the light only in black.

[@MrBrandonrob]

Nice LTT mat...

[@MajorTendonitis]

I assumed it was IR , and am liking the fact it has visible leds . Just an idea, but I wish when you were testing at night, that you had a crowbar in your hand and lurked around a little hunched over like an actual bad guy . Would be good for lols

[@robertcoleman780]

Nice product. Good job Chris.

[@durkdeboer]

Talking 16 minutes about a light 💡 nice job 😋

[@tollav]

All about that content. I watched it all 🤷

[@plumpychunq]

Thank you, I love your videos and get most of my Unify info from you. Is there an option to have it alert via email/text/push notification if the motion light was activated? Thanks.

[@runuphill]

I believe you'll get a notification on your smartphone via the UniFi Protect app.

[@MatthiasJanocha]

Will this work with the NanoSwitch (which has 24V passive POE)?

[@moe61806]

I have Home Assistant setup to trigger my exterior lights by zone. It's really nice, I love having lights triggered by cameras.

[@jdb6284]

This integrates well with home assistant? If yes, i'd definitely consider these. What plugin do you use for it?

[@chestah_beatz3545]

does it send notifications to phone when motion is detected?

[@aarongrove2688]

Any updates on the diffused cover performance?

[@MrRAW1968]

Very informative and nice video. Put 2 of these lights on the bill of material for my new home ! Will probably pair them with a pair of G4 Bullet of AI Bullet camera's.

[@joejoe6949]

I would like geo fence too. Have it turn on when you get home.

[@DEADB33F]

I like the idea behind this but they really need to be 4-5x cheaper and daisychainable. If that were the case I'd be buying dozens of them.

[@gf2172]

Does not turn off the IR on the camera..and not enough light to change camera to color...

[@TheOnlyRedNeckGeek]

I agree. What's the point of having a motion triggered light if it's not bright enough to let the camera run in full color mode? I just finished installing 23,000 lumen LED lamps on all sides of the house that can be triggered with HomeKit motion sensors just so I'd have full color video on my Protect cameras at night.

[@thedaddiii]

I would just disassociate the camera. In my experience lights coming on and off can trigger the camera to record if settings are set accordingly. Furthermore, if the light comes on motion should be seen more easily by the camera possibly.

[@plagapong]

Very useful pretty great detailed review Thanks!

[@Mixiter55]

Waiting until they add your first recommendation. A nice glow on my house numbers, then when someone walks up to the house it bumps up the brightness.

[@arlingtonandbelcrest]

Ubiquiti seems behind. Here is a perfect example. Cameras come with lights attached to them so why have two separate network Connections? Maybe to sell more switches? One device should cover the light, camera and should cost less. That one camera and light combined is $550 ($450 for camera and $100 for light). But it requires two network cable runs (more money) and more ports on the switch. I want to like UniFi’s cameras/protect systems but so far I just can’t bite. This is a tough sell to home owners.

[@MxODraconis]

It needs to have a PoE passthrough, who has retro-fit dual PoE cabling too security camera locations?! So it can be paired correctly as a controlled light source for dedicated cameras.

[@littlejohnny4759]

Need to have the ability to associate multiple cameras to a light.

[@PapaSharmaJi]

Glad to be Here.

[@EsotericArctos]

If you don't associate a camera with the light, it wont turn on when your camera detects motion. Not sure why you would want a light associated with the camera, other than to have the camera trigger the light, so there really is no need to have that as a switchable option. It's really not hard in the interface to turn a light on and off. There are bigger issues that could be fixed first. The on at low level and on bright with motion is something I would like to see as a more important thing to me.

[@dr_kellogg]

Haha I hate to tell you this but water will not just drop down it will wick back up and go into the port. I don't know how they get away with their outdoor claims haha.

[@parasolia]

Thanks for the video! I agree with all the three suggestions for improvement. Did they implement them?

[@CrosstalkSolutions]

No one listens to me.

[@turbo2ltr]

Weird, i can't find this listed in the store, but the direct link worked. Ordered 2.

[@CrosstalkSolutions]

It's under Protect --> Accessories.

[@xVertigo101]

Possible to pole mount? I want to place over my dogs pen

[@CrosstalkSolutions]

I'm sure you could pole mount it with some effort - but it's not specifically designed for pole mounting.

[@JasonWester]

12:33 Chris, does Ubiquiti ever really explain how or when their products should be used? They leave it to guys like you to run an entire KZbin channel dedicated to explaining it. It's almost as if they don't want to be bothered explaining how their products work (or don't).

[@gregmcinnes77]

Can the door bell trigger this for hearing impaired?

[@BigE1986]

i see you have the LTT desk pad as well sir

[@clarencemartin2687]

It would have been interesting to have tested the detection range of the floodlight’s motion sensor without camera pairing. Is the motion sensor at least as good as a cheap box store floodlight?

[@CrosstalkSolutions]

Seemed to be pretty decent. I think the angle mount definitely reduces the motion detection range though - I considered swapping out the mount with the flat one to test that out, but ran out of time.

[@clarencemartin2687]

@@CrosstalkSolutions Thanks.

[@ranspr6080]

Do you know if anybody makes a white silicon skin to cover the black up so it will go with white trim or vinyl

[@Codescardbarn]

This

[@robertvittetoe6158]

You said the light is connected to the camera. How do you do that? Thanks!

[@Car-shooters]

How is the flood light paired with the G4 doorbell pro? Do the two light (flood light and doorbell’s light) turn on together on movement? Thanks!

[@Razor2048]

For the pricing they should have given the light a gigabit NIC :).

[@Codescardbarn]

I wish all thr peotrct stuff had that

[@onnobakker9173]

Can it be configured to only switch on for smart detections? Not interested in cats triggering the light….

[@lgrilec4675]

great video, i see you are using llt pad : )

[@procekim]

I do not get this light. It should have camera in it.

[@mulyadimustamin6377]

Hi chris, great review as usual. May i ask crosstalk solution to review Ruijie Network ecosystem? Thank you.

[@mattbiek]

Does this get power only through the poe and transmit via Wi-Fi or does it use the ethernet cable for data and power this would be great for a shed light but I don't have internet in the shed

[@markolafploeg3265]

NIce "little" lamp :P the problem of seeing youre video now i also want this device :) but just got the philips hue stuff not as nice in this case i sensor/lamp/cam i mean. Unifi makes nice stuff you and make good qualty videos. ps did you see the doorbell covers...maby the covers have somthing to do we the video you made about die black doorbell cam you can make i one that lookes like wood and other stuff now also :)

[@kcarmical]

Wow, I thought at first that it must have a camera in it or something. That's awfully expensive for just a light!

[@JustinGreenwoodDelgado]

Nice review but can't see a use for it as it requires physical cable and £100 pice point (should be about £60). Would love if it used a rechargeable battery or solar-powered (more likely to buy it) as I could then place them on the edges of the boundary and in any blind spots my cameras cant see. At this price, I would just get an additional flex or something.

[@SteveSwags]

Chris (or anyone that's used the light), any issues with bugs being detected as "motion" and triggering the flood light to come on frequently? I'm looking to get this to illuminate my deck steps, but I have a pond behind my house that draws a lot of bugs. They usually swarm my exterior lights and my Protect cameras are constantly showing motion events.

[@pingpt]

Hi Chris, have you or can you review the ubiquity smart sensor? they are currently sold out everywhere, and I do not have a cloudkey because my unifi network runs on a linux vm, but I'm now considering the investment of a cloudkey 2 plus as it seems the smart sensors only work with protect through a bluetooth connection to the U6 access points (LR, Pro and Lite), funny enough it seems they can't talk to the U6 Mesh, which like you, it's my favourite AP. I would love to see a review on the smart sensor and on any other new device Ubiquiti is adding to the "protect" family

[@darbyelliott2890]

Is there a Unifi switch to connect to turn your own flood light on/off???

[@iokepaxxxx]

how far does the flood light project, lets say if i have this installed like 8-10ft high?

[@BinaryHackerMan]

Chris would you please put the cord for the digital canvas in the wall

[@CrosstalkSolutions]

That bugs me too.

[@nathanfarringer7492]

I wonder if Ubiquiti could add a strobe feature to this. That way when an intruder is detected via camera and I am notified, I can toggle on strobe mode, disorient the intruder and ultimately take them to the train station. Anyone else think a strobe feature would be nice? Was also thinking about putting a couple of these in the attic - would it be a beneficial piece of hardware in this situation?

[@laurenceminuto8769]

Groovy music!

[@ChristopherM]

Any update to the software functions with the current software as of 7/27/2022?

[@Ancaruin]

Nice, although it should have 2x lumens and half the price. :p

[@nodave77]

At $99 its going to be a hard pass for me. I've got solar powered lights that light up a large area and obviously don't require me to run any cables. Maybe if unifi had some functionality with homekit or smartthings these might be useful in someones application, but I don't see it. There might be some limited application where the light faces a different area than the camera, but the cameras motion detection turns the light on for you walking up a walkway or hallway...

[@timdwyer4322]

Chris ... What is the cable tester you are using? Where can I buy one?

[@runuphill]

PockEthernet. Seems to be AbandonWare.

[@jclokwork]

If this was placed where there are no protect cameras, can you still get notifications from the app when triggered?

[@runuphill]

Yes

[@khalidwahab1982]

Will pets set it off?

[@CrosstalkSolutions]

Yes.

[@208Drones]

Do you have vinyl siding?

[@Techinfinite0605]

Be cool if there was a way run it on wifi instead of Poe

[@jacekj1980]

Can you have more than one flood light tied to one camera for motion ? thank you

[@runuphill]

Pretty sure the answer is Yes.

[@norcobf]

I've tried a new Protect Smart Flood light, triggered by motion from a G3 flex camera (from UNRV). But I'm getting a 3-5-7 second delay after entering the room, before light finally comes on. Any suggestions?

[@CrosstalkSolutions]

I did not get any such delay when testing mine, but I only tested them on G4 cameras, so maybe there's a difference that I'm unaware of.

[@norcobf]

@@CrosstalkSolutions fixed it. Just needed it to be closer to the door and used the motion detection on the light. All good now and thanks for all of your videos.

[@kushalphoenix1]

We ended up exchanging this model for the slimmer version kzbin.infoUgkx0jZ_lGlDVJhDnmagEU8gn47cmfPNlLQU because it was too wide for the only door trim area that made sense to mount it on. However, we should have just noted the dimensions prior to purchasing. Otherwise, we love the doorbell. It works perfectly, and the video is very clear, even at night.

[@mjbates]

Will this work with a POE injector as just a dumb motion sense flood light? There is an area of my property that has power, but won't have ethernet till I finish renovations next year.

[@CrosstalkSolutions]

I saw a different video where someone tried to power it with a PoE injector, and it didn't work - but your mileage may vary.

[@mjbates]

@@CrosstalkSolutions Thanks Chris!

[@jesperwurfel3992]

@@CrosstalkSolutions Works for me with a PoE injector

[@Errr717]

$99 for a 550 lumens floodlight ... I don't think so. Why don't you just put an LED lightbulb on your light fixture that does the same thing for a small fraction of what this costs.

[@aadishah8768]

The reason it costs so much comparing it to the cost of a regular floodlight for a couple reasons those being easy integration with the unify system, the relatively well thought out design, and how you don't need to pay an electrician because you don't need a license to run Ethernet.

[@Errr717]

@@aadishah8768 Why do you need to integrate it with anything? There's a light right by his door; I was simply commenting on the fact that he could have used an LED bulb with an integrated sensor.

[@aadishah8768]

@@Errr717 I understand that, and I agree with you. Except that not everyone has a pre-existing light. My point was that it's either 99$ and some Ethernet wire vs 50$ for a flood light and 200$ for labor

[@bavariannight3015]

My hope is this is the starting point for later on a combo floodlight and camera device, which is what Google Nest, Eufy, Wyze, Ring and others already have on the market. There might be instances where a stand alone flood light might be beneficial to have integrated in but I'm frustrated by the fact that they didn't release a floodlight with integrated camera at the same times as this. It feels a little bit like a tease.

[@TheDanny]

@@bavariannight3015 yeah it's a little ridiculous they haven't released a light and camera combo especially since more and more people are using ubiquiti for home use.

[@wisdomcb]

Anyone know if Unifi equipment can send state of input/device info to Home Assistant? IE this light detecting motion notifies Home Assisant?

[@drivingpsyche]

Unifi cameras do that, so the light should be able to do the same.

[@littlejohnny4759]

Should have wireless/solar option. Why are we running wires to this?

[@elminster8149]

Presumably so it can't be jammed. Not a good vulnerability in a security device. I agree that it should have a solar option though.

[@CrosstalkSolutions]

It would be a PITA to have to change the batteries regularly - I personally like that it's PoE.

[@littlejohnny4759]

Please read post.... "SOLAR".... "OPTION"

[@OldFellaDave]

Having it wireless AND powering it with batteries - you'd be up and down ladders changing batteries every few weeks!

[@littlejohnny4759]

Please read the the post.... What is it about "option" and "solar" that you don't understand? So I guess you don't use a ladder to run Ethernet. What about separated buildings.... Oh, let's get a trencher....

[@billkater]

I try to ad you on Discord, it say it is a expired invite.

[@vikfm8655]

Love unifi products, but what's the upside of this "smart" floodlight? Seems like an overpriced light

[@Agamerfr0zed]

It doesn't seem worth the $99 price tag, I wished it was brighter.

[@607AAG]

Wow...I'm an idiot. Since this was released I thought there was a camera in here too. 🤦‍♂️

[@VampireOnline]

What’s wrong with the light on the wall already? lol

[@MoneyMarcMes]

Sounds like your using 70's porn music in this video! Nice!!! LOL!!!!

[@stephenreaves3205]

Still don't really see the point for this product. I'd either rather have a "dumb" floodlight or a camera with a floodlight built in. Or maybe IR stuff

[@PhilipDunn]

Agree. The existing fixture next to the door could be tricked out (or replaced) by a motion/daylight/timer fixture. But U floodlight is more fun.