Published per-camera cost structure
Flock charged $3,000 per camera per year plus a one-time installation fee, according to a Flock representative speaking to Colquitt County, Georgia commissioners (Moultrie Observer, 2023-11-10).
Municipal camera deployment
Town-owned UniFi license plate readers form a Flock alternative
Towns buy and own UniFi cameras and footage, record to a town-owned gateway, and place hardware anywhere an internet or cellular connection reaches.
Ownership comparison between subscription hardware and UniFi hardware
Hardware ownership, camera movement rules, footage access, data licensing and contract end terms differ between subscription services and town-owned UniFi systems.
Flock termsTown-owned UniFi system
Camera ownership
Flock retains title to hardware. Customers cannot remove, reposition or reinstall cameras, and relocating a camera incurs a fee under Flock's Reinstall Fee Schedule.
Towns buy and own the cameras. Hardware can be repositioned or moved to temporary spots whenever needed.
Footage storage
Customer data can be downloaded through the Flock web interface only during the set retention period. Flock is not obliged to provide data in any other form.
Recordings remain on the town-owned gateway or NVR. Video files can be exported directly from UniFi Protect at any time.
Data licensing
Customer grants Flock a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free, irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide license to use and disclose data to provide, support and improve products.
Footage stays on town-owned consoles. Ubiquiti states it cannot view, store or access video streams at any point.
Contract completion
Flock removes hardware when the agreement ends. Fee changes require 60 days notice before an order form term ends.
Town retains all purchased equipment, gateways and recorded files permanently after installation.
Flock Customer Terms and Conditions, read 2026-11-13.
Public spending on license plate reader hardware
Charleston-area agencies spent significant funds on license plate readers based on purchase orders reported by ABC News 4 on 2026-08-18.
Multi-year package expenditure
Irmo, South Carolina considered a four-year Flock package for 22 additional cameras totaling $94,300 in year one with installation, then $203,900 across the following three years (GovTech, 2026-07-17).
Retention changes and council reviews
Flock reduced default data retention from 30 days to 7 days in August 2026. Mount Pleasant council examined 20 permanent and 2 portable cameras in October 2026 (Live 5 News, 2026-10-05).
UniFi hardware options and store pricing
UniFi's physical-security page states licensing is $0 for any number of cameras, checked 2026-11-08. Hardware store prices were read on 2026-11-13.
AI LPR
$499 before surcharges ($584 with), store.ui.com, 2026-11-13
Reads license plates up to 56 mph, offers 4K resolution, 3x optical zoom, microSD slot, IP66 rating and draws up to 25.5 W on PoE+.
G6 Bullet
$199 before surcharges ($233 with), store.ui.com, 2026-11-13
Lists license plate recognition on spec sheet, draws 9.9 W on PoE and has no onboard storage slot.
UCG-Max gateway
$279 before surcharges, store.ui.com, 2026-11-13
Central recorder gateway supporting up to 5 4K cameras or 15 HD cameras for small local deployments.
UNVR
$299 before surcharges, store.ui.com, 2026-11-13
Four-bay network video recorder listing capacity for 18 4K cameras or 60 HD cameras with 30 days of storage.
Remaining deployment expenses include mounting poles, power components, cabling, installation labor, cellular data plans per remote camera, optional Mobility Cloud management and UniFi Cloud Storage.
Remote camera recording via Teleport Adoption
Teleport Adoption records a camera at one location to a gateway at another site without requiring a local console.
Remote location
Camera with storage
Linked: streaming to gateway
Camera without storage
Linked: streaming to gateway
Cellular connection
Town gateway
Select link state to compare
Only cameras with onboard storage slots keep recording locally during cellular link outages.
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Supported camera selection
G6 Series cameras (excluding Edge models), AI Series cameras and Doorbell Lite support Teleport Adoption.
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Town gateway configuration
Destination Cloud Gateway with Teleport enabled highly benefits from a public WAN IP address.
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Remote network connection
Remote sites require a router or cellular connection allowing a direct Teleport connection.
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Onsite app adoption
Installers adopt cameras locally using the Protect mobile app on the camera network.
Solar power setup for remote camera locations
Poles lacking mains power run on a LiFePO4 battery, a solar panel with a charge controller and a PoE+ injector supplying power.
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Battery storage
Lithium iron phosphate packs store power collected during daylight hours for continuous system operation.
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Solar panel assembly
Solar panels paired with charge controllers generate and regulate power transferred into the battery pack.
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PoE+ injector
Cellular router PoE output limits to 10 W, while AI LPR draws 25.5 W, requiring an injector to feed the camera.
Power calculation examples
- AI LPR drawing 25.5 W maximum consumes about 612 Wh daily.
- G6 Turret drawing 12.5 W maximum consumes about 300 Wh daily.
- A 12.8 V, 100 Ah LiFePO4 pack provides about 1,280 Wh, offering roughly 2 days for an AI LPR and 4 days for a G6 Turret at maximum draw.
Calculations use store maximum wattage figures. Field power draw varies by actual operating conditions.
System limitations and operational parameters
Bandwidth and recording modes
Continuous recording consumes large amounts of internet bandwidth, making event-only or adaptive recording recommended on limited connections. Ubiquiti provides no per-camera bandwidth figures.
Central gateway requirement
Deployments require a central Cloud Gateway stationed at the town facility to adopt and record remote cameras.
Onsite adoption requirements
Initial adoption requires an installer on site. Moving a locally adopted camera requires a factory reset before switching to Teleport.
Outage gaps on specific hardware
Cameras lacking an onboard microSD storage slot leave video gaps during cellular network connection outages.
Local alert list management
System does not match plates against state or national hot lists such as GCIS. Alerts fire only on license plates entered manually by the town.
Evidence management and software features
UniFi Protect provides license plate search tools, evidence compilation, cryptographic clip verification and local video retention without software subscription fees.
Screenshots are manufacturer properties from ui.com.
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Plate search and alerts
Protect searches recordings by license plate and triggers Alarm Manager push notifications, emails, webhooks or local actions based on entered plates.
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Case Manager exports
Case Manager packages video clips into single cases, generates PDF timelines, locks closed cases against edits and retains footage past standard retention settings.
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Verification without licensing
Protect 7.2 signs clips with SHA-256 fingerprints downloadable and verifiable at evidence.ui.com with $0 license fee.
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Local console storage
Recordings stay on town-owned consoles where Ubiquiti cannot view footage. Optional UniFi Cloud Storage costs $5 per TB monthly.
Statutory regulations and legal frameworks
License plate reader operation involves state statutes, pending legislation and local legal advice regarding public records, retention and municipal procurement rules.
Georgia state statute
O.C.G.A. 35-1-22 mandates license plate data destruction within 30 months unless tied to law enforcement purposes, exempts data from Open Records Act disclosure, requires written usage policies and allows contracted data hosting.
South Carolina legislative status
South Carolina lacks a statewide ALPR statute, leaving retention to individual agencies (FOX Carolina, 2026-08-27). Pending Senate bill S.447 caps retention at 90 days; House bill H.4675 proposes 21-day retention and server restrictions.
Town attorney review topics
Town legal counsel evaluates South Carolina Freedom of Information Act applicability, CJIS requirements and municipal procurement compliance. System hardware makes no CJIS compliance claims.
Frequently asked questions
- Does the town own the cameras and the footage?
Towns buy and own UniFi cameras and record footage directly to town-owned gateways. Ubiquiti states it cannot view, store or access video streams, and software licensing is $0 per UniFi's physical-security page.
- Can a camera be moved to a temporary spot?
Towns can move owned cameras to temporary locations whenever needed. Teleport Adoption allows remote cameras to stream over cellular links back to the town gateway.
- What happens to a remote camera when the cellular link drops?
Cameras with microSD slots continue recording locally to onboard storage during network outages. Cameras without storage slots cease recording until connectivity restores, creating footage gaps.
- Does it check plates against state hot lists?
UniFi Protect does not integrate with state or national hot lists like GCIS. System alerts fire exclusively on license plates entered directly into Alarm Manager by town staff.
- Are there license fees?
UniFi physical-security software licensing is $0 for any camera count (ui.com, checked 2026-11-08). Protect features including license plate recognition, Case Manager and evidence verification require no subscription.
- What does a town still pay for?
Towns pay for physical installation, mounting poles, power hardware, cabling, cellular data plans per remote camera, and optional services like UniFi Cloud Storage ($5/TB/month). Specific service pricing is not stated here; call (844) 422-7000.
Evaluate town-owned license plate reader systems
Call (844) 422-7000 or book a technical walkthrough to review UniFi camera hardware for municipal deployments.
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