What do you do if you need to operate a network of video cameras and store all the footage? Today’s power user not only runs an astounding trio of Mac Pro desktop computers, he piles up stacks of high-capacity UniFi Network Video Recorders — known as UNVRs — for video recording-storage from multiple cameras, plus routers and switches galore.
Triple Mac Pro setup souped up with UNVRs for video recording, storage and more
This 15-channel UNVR with 4GB storage capacity works with UniFi Protect security and up to 60 video cameras.
- 15 channels
- Works with up to 60 video cameras
- 4GB local storage and HDD/SDD support
- Suited more to enterprise than home use
Mac platform engineer and X.com user Mr Macintosh (@ClassicII_MrMac) highlighted the ridiculously powerful triple Mac Pro and uber-server setup Friday on behalf of another user’s private post to a server group. It showed an anxious emoji as the only comment on a photo of a multi-Mac Pro setup with massive storage and connectivity (above), plus a formidable gear list (below).
“I mean If my parents had that kind of money, I’d have a setup like that too,” quipped a commenter.
“I assume he is searching for black holes or wants to prove Riemann’s conjecture,” joked another commenter.
And a third supposed the killer setup must have a serious purpose, because it’s “beyond bragging rights territory.”
We asked what the user does with such an array of gear, but we haven’t heard back yet. A setup with three 2019 Mac Pro desktop computers — including one with souped-up specs — is rare enough. Add racks of Ubiquiti Networks UNVRs with big storage capacity, heavy-duty routers plus Ethernet and Gigabit switches, and it becomes insanely high-functioning for tasks like massive video recording, video storage and more. This is a setup that could, and probably does, serve as a command center for a network of video cameras. The post refers to cameras in its description.
Posts’s list of Macs, routers, switches and UNVRs (edited):
- 3 Mac Pro 7,1 desktop computers (2019). One Mac Pro features Intel Xeon Gold 6212u processor, 96GB RAM, 256GB Apple SSD, 1TB NVME on PCIE adapter card for Proxmox virtual server management. The other two machines feature Xeon 16-core processors, 64GB RAM, 2TB SSD and 1TB NVME on PCIE adapter card for Proxmox.
- Planning to upgrade two Mac Pro machines with Xeon Gold processors when the computers’ AppleCare coverage runs out.
- 3 Ubiquiti Networks UNVRs with four 4TB drives running non-stop forwarding (NFS) for Proxmox.
- 1 UNVR Pro with seven 4TB drivers for UniFi Protect
- 2 Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Machine (UDM) SE routers in failover pair
- 1 UniFi USW-48-Pro Gigabit Switch for Layer 3 switching low-speed device connections.
- 1 UniFi USW-24-PoE Ethernet Switch for cameras
- 4 UniFi port aggregation for high-speed device connections (NFS, Proxmox, desktop).
Shop these items now:
This 15-channel UNVR with 4GB storage capacity works with UniFi Protect security and up to 60 video cameras.
- 15 channels
- Works with up to 60 video cameras
- 4GB local storage and HDD/SDD support
- Suited more to enterprise than home use
Ubiquiti UNVRs for video recording-storage, routers and switches:
- Ubiquiti Networks UNVRs and UNVR Pro
- Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Machine (UDM) SE routers
- Ubiquiti Networks USW-24-PoE Ethernet Switch
- Ubiquiti Networks UniFi Gigabit Switch Pro 48
Computers, upgraded processor, stand and display:
- Mac Pro (3)
- Intel Xeon Gold 6212U processor
- 14-inch M2 Pro MacBook Pro
- Adjustable laptop stand
- 27-inch iMac
Input devices:
If you would like to see your setup featured on Cult of Mac, send some high-res pictures to [email protected] (iPhone pics usually suffice). Please provide a detailed list of your equipment. Tell us what you like or dislike about your setup, and fill us in on any special touches, challenges and plans for new additions.
