4 ms·

I recently switched to the Unifi Dream Machine from AirPort Extreme. I’m thrilled. The major upgrade for me was the analytics available in the Unifi controller

I recently switched to the Unifi Dream Machine from AirPort Extreme. I’m thrilled. The major upgrade for me was the analytics available in the Unifi controller (built-in to UDM). The analytics (channel scanner especially) enabled me to see the neighboring interference that had degraded the Airport network quality and was causing my devices to act weirdly. I see WiFi as an arms race. My 5+ year old Airport (802.11ac) is no longer a match against newer ISP gateways with built-in access points. The UDM (802.11ac Wave 2) not only competes properly, but can analyze any future problems that will occur as neighbors change out their equipment.

reaperducer 6y ago
Thanks for the suggestion. I looked it up on Amazon, and the reviews are brutal. But more and more it's looking like Ubiquiti and Unifi are the only real contenders, and whatever I buy may suck or it may not. It's just the luck of the draw.
- adamfeldman 6y ago
  I've had plenty of frustrations with it. But AFAICT it's the best on-ramp to the Unifi ecosystem. It's a new system, and it shows – plenty of rough edges. For example, ethernet connection drops between my Thunderbolt dock and the UDM (resolved by sticking a switch in-between). There's a learning curve for sure. It will be tough if you aren't already strong with basic networking concepts. It's also frustrating to run into Ubiquiti forum posts that don't apply to the UDM, because it doesn't expose the same low-level config tooling as their other products. I can't fix my VLAN-mDNS troubles due to that. Over time, I expect to replace the router/gateway responsibilities with Protectli hardware and OPNsense. But at least now I have solid WiFi to build upon.
- cweagans 6y ago
  If you're up for a bit of tinkering, I definitely recommend the USG/AP/Cloud key combo over the Dream Machine. All-in-one devices are never going to be as good as separate single purpose components, but if an all-in one is what you want, the Dream Machine is the best one out there as far as I can tell.

reaperducer 6y ago

Thanks for the suggestion. I looked it up on Amazon, and the reviews are brutal. But more and more it's looking like Ubiquiti and Unifi are the only real contenders, and whatever I buy may suck or it may not. It's just the luck of the draw.

adamfeldman 6y ago
I've had plenty of frustrations with it. But AFAICT it's the best on-ramp to the Unifi ecosystem. It's a new system, and it shows – plenty of rough edges. For example, ethernet connection drops between my Thunderbolt dock and the UDM (resolved by sticking a switch in-between). There's a learning curve for sure. It will be tough if you aren't already strong with basic networking concepts. It's also frustrating to run into Ubiquiti forum posts that don't apply to the UDM, because it doesn't expose the same low-level config tooling as their other products. I can't fix my VLAN-mDNS troubles due to that. Over time, I expect to replace the router/gateway responsibilities with Protectli hardware and OPNsense. But at least now I have solid WiFi to build upon.
cweagans 6y ago
If you're up for a bit of tinkering, I definitely recommend the USG/AP/Cloud key combo over the Dream Machine. All-in-one devices are never going to be as good as separate single purpose components, but if an all-in one is what you want, the Dream Machine is the best one out there as far as I can tell.