Enhanced Security with UniFi Protect and Animal Detection

S.C.O.R.E. → Safety → Security

Overview

The improved integration of UniFi Protect with Home Assistant allows homeowners to enhance their security setup by enabling advanced features like animal detection. This capability helps differentiate between pets and potential intruders, reducing false alarms and enhancing overall safety.

Benefits

• Reduces false alarms triggered by pets, providing peace of mind for homeowners.
• Enhances security monitoring by accurately detecting and alerting on potential threats.
• Integrates seamlessly with existing Home Assistant setups for a unified smart home experience.

Intent

This capability aims to provide homeowners with a reliable security system that can distinguish between animals and actual security threats. The outcome is a more effective and less intrusive home security experience.

Preconditions

• UniFi Protect integration set up within Home Assistant.
• Animal detection sensors configured and operational.
• Home Assistant running the latest version to support new features.
• Home Assistant installed and configured.
• Integration available and authenticated: UniFi.
• Device installed and reachable: HVAC and Climate Control.

Actors

• Homeowner managing their security settings
• Family members receiving alerts about detected animals
• Pet owners monitoring their pets’ movements

Trigger

Animal detection sensors activated by motion or presence of animals.

Workflow Diagram

flowchart TD
    A[Animal Detection Triggered] -->|check| B{{Is it a pet?}}
    B -->|Yes| C[Send Alert to Homeowner]
    C --> D[Log Event]
    B -->|No| E[Notify Security]
    E --> D[Log Event]

Workflow Description

1. Trigger Detection

The animal detection sensor detects movement and triggers an alert in the system.

2. Evaluate Detection

The system checks if the detected motion is from a pet or an unauthorized animal.

3. Send Pet Alert

If a pet is detected, an alert is sent to the homeowner’s device, indicating a non-threat.

4. Notify Security

If an unknown animal is detected, the system notifies the security system for further action.

5. Log Event

All detections, whether pets or unknown animals, are logged for future reference.

Postconditions

The homeowner receives accurate notifications about detected animals, enhancing security without unnecessary alerts from pets.

Optional Enhancements

• Integrate with smart lighting to illuminate areas when animals are detected.
• Add voice alerts through smart speakers for immediate notifications.
• Implement advanced AI for better differentiation between various animals.

Recommended Components

Source Examples

• 2026.1: Home is where the dashboard is ?? – Home Assistant (homeassistant)