If Reolink doesn't paywall basic feature, I might consider that. Mainly concerned about a functional "it works without fucking around" 2-way audio and doorbell.
I'm not going to be storing 24/7 footage outside of important motion detection instances, which we can just download to our phones or whatever if it's important enough to hold onto. Everything else can be recorded over.
When I was testing Frigate, I ran a single camera storing 24/7 footage specifically to see how long it would go for. I think it used 100GB after a week or so. Multiply that by 6, that's, well, 600GB. But I'm also not super concerned with having crystal clear footage at all times (Ring set my expectations really low), and even 1366x768 @ 20-30 FPS is more than plenty for what we need.
For the doorbell, I’d use a proper doorbell cam that can use the existing wires for power.
That's how my current Ring doorbell is connected.
Reolink’s wifi one comes with an adapter to use it with existing wiring.
I keep seeing Reolink pop up. Would a Reolink doorbell work with a Unifi NVR? I'd rather have a G4 wireless, but that's very likely to not happen.
Regarding the doorbell, one option you have is to try finding a second-hand Unifi G4 Doorbell (non-pro). It can be wired with only the two wires you already have. Just make sure you have relatively good 5GHz WiFi reception near your front door, because the 2.4GHz antennas on this model are notably bad.
I've been watching the wifi G4 doorbell like a hawk, it's just perpetually sold out 😂 eBay listings aren't any better, being even more expensive...
I've been running the original Unifi Dream Machine (the can, not rack) since it released in 2019. Been pretty solid, no complaints; it replaced my trusty Asus RT-N66U w/Tomato firmware; I think the UDM has been deployed longer than the Asus at this point.
The single built-in AP on the UDM was getting a bit overwhelmed, so recently I bought a U7 Lite AP to help split the load a little better. Working great so far, but now I'm looking into adding an NVR for cameras.
I like my Unifi setup, I’m just scared of a rug pull.
I don't run a service unless it has reasonably good documentation. I'll go through it first and make sure I understand how it's supposed to run, what port(s) are used, and if I have an actual, practical use case for it.
You're absolutely correct in that sometimes the documentation glosses over or completely omits important details. One such service is Radicale. The documentation for running a Docker container is severely lacking.
Long answer: Your SO can use a personal laptop if they absolutely must have access to it. For slow work days, I bring a personal laptop and pair it with my personal phone hotspot to get it online. Work doesn't see it, nor do they care so long as I don't circumvent any IT security policies.
Used office PCs are some of the best value home servers you'll come across. The Lenovo ThinkCentre, HP Elitedesk, and Dell Optiplex are fantastic machines with oodles of official documentation available straight from the OEM, and many come with built-in OOB management in the form of Intel AMT.
If Reolink doesn't paywall basic feature, I might consider that. Mainly concerned about a functional "it works without fucking around" 2-way audio and doorbell.