Gated Home UniFi Intercoms, Rack, Fiber and Cameras
A gated Greater LA home came to Gbit Tech in three steps: new UniFi Access intercoms at the vehicle and pedestrian gates, a rebuilt network rack with indoor intercom viewers, then a UniFi Protect camera system tied together with multimode fiber.
A homeowner in Greater Los Angeles has a gated property with a vehicle gate, a pedestrian gate, a pool house and a pergola. Over several visits we did the low-voltage work: the gate intercoms, the home network rack, a fiber backbone and a UniFi Protect camera system.
We primarily focus on UniFi, and we also service other systems when a property needs it.
What stood in the way.
- Two entry points, a vehicle gate and a pedestrian gate, each with an old intercom of unknown wiring condition. The plan allowed for PoE over two-wire extenders in case the old wiring could not carry Ethernet.
- A home with many existing in-wall network runs that had to be re-terminated, labeled and brought into a clean rack.
- Cameras that had to cover the road in both directions, the approach to the house, the perimeter, the pool and the back pergola.
- A pool house and a pergola a long way from the main house, a run of a few hundred feet by the planned route, where fiber carries more bandwidth than copper.
How we solved it.
Gate intercoms. The old pedestrian and vehicle intercoms were replaced with UniFi Access Intercoms. The vehicle gate unit sits under a sunshield hood on the existing gooseneck arm at the fence post. The pedestrian unit is mounted on an angled bracket on a stucco pillar. A UniFi Access Gate Hub connects to the existing gate operator, and the scope also covered a Door Hub and a strike. We handle the communications and access automation side only, not the gate board or motor.
Network rack and indoor viewers. The existing runs were re-terminated onto new patch panels in a rack, with labels such as HUB1, WAN, AP4 and AP5 and short patch cables to the switches. The panels use CAT.6 keystones. The same job added UniFi Wi-Fi 7 access points inside and outside, and indoor Intercom Viewers on table stands. The viewer shows both gates and whether each is locked or open.
Fiber and remote hubs. Multimode fiber was scoped between the pergola and the main house, and on from the main house to the pool house by way of the pergola. The transceivers are 10G SFP+ multimode 850 nm parts. At a remote hub, a UniFi switch sits in a metal enclosure with a door seal and a ground wire on the door, with a fiber patch cable going into its SFP port and Ethernet cables for the devices it serves.
Cameras. UniFi Protect cameras were placed to match the coverage list. Black posts set into the hedge carry cameras: a dual lens camera on one post is aimed down the road, and a pair of bullet cameras sits on another. On the house, turret cameras sit under roof overhangs and gutters, and the two G6 Pro Turrets on the stucco are custom painted to match the building trim. Some cameras branch off the existing network through UniFi Flex switches.
Key components installed:
What changed.
Both gates now have UniFi Access Intercoms, and the indoor viewer shows each gate and whether it is locked or open. The network rack is labeled with names such as HUB1, WAN, AP4 and AP5, so a technician can follow a run from the patch panel. The fiber links and the remote hub were scoped to carry more bandwidth out to the pergola and the pool house. The cameras were placed to the coverage list: the road in both directions, the approach to the house, the perimeter, the pool and the pergola.
What went in
- UniFi Access Intercomsone at the vehicle gate under a sunshield, one at the pedestrian gate
- UniFi Access Gate Hub and Door Hubconnects to the existing gate operator, plus door control for the intercoms
- Intercom Viewersindoor touchscreens on table stands
- UniFi Dream Machine and Switch Pro Max 48 PoEin a vertical rack bracket with two patch panels
- UniFi Wi-Fi 7 access pointsU7 Pro Wall indoors and U7 Pro Outdoor outside
- 10G SFP+ multimode transceiversfor the fiber links
- Multimode fiberpergola to main house and main house to pool house
- UniFi switch in a metal enclosureremote hub with a fiber uplink
- UniFi Protect camerasG6 Pro Turret cameras custom painted to match the building trim, other turret models, a dual lens camera and bullet cameras on black posts
- UniFi Flex switchesto branch some cameras off the existing network
