4 ms·

It's interesting - as someone in the market (but not actively looking) i glanced at Ubiquiti and found it bizarrely confusing. Granted, i'm definitely no networ

It's interesting - as someone in the market (but not actively looking) i glanced at Ubiquiti and found it bizarrely confusing. Granted, i'm definitely no network admin, but i'm just used to the days when i'd hook up a simple Router behind a Modem and get basic firewall, wifi, etc features with a moderately complex and useful admin interface out of the box. With Ubiquiti i had no clue what i wanted or where i should go. There were all these tradeoffs (Cloud vs not) where i didn't even understand the context for making a decision. Coming from a simple (old) TP-Link router next to me, the idea of needing some complex setup or an easy "cloud" option both seem bizarre. It's a router.. what is Unifi offering that changes everything so much? I still plan on eventually going Unifi since all my coworkers recommend it with glowing praise - but i keep kicking that can because every time i open their page it sounds like some big project. I just wanted a replacement Router + ~4-8ports + wifi haha. I probably would have already purchased something from Uniquiti if i had any clue what to buy from them.

rainonmoon 6y ago
Fellow TP-Link router user checking in and I feel similarly. The bells and whistles on the Dream Machine + Unifi OS are appealing in an ooh-shiny-things way, but I can't help thinking that it's way overkill for a (or at least my) home network. When I'm troubleshooting the network performance at home, it's usually to get housemates back online as quickly as possible. A comprehensive analytics platform is cool, but seems like a distraction compared to the outdated-looking but functional TP-Link interface. Then there's the tacit upsell of it all. Of course all those bells and whistles are a lot more relevant and useful the more you buy in. If you're going full Smart Home, it's cool that Ubiquiti offers an enterprise-y experience for your residence, but if you just want a cable to the outside world, as OP seems to want, Ubiquiti does seem confusingly elaborate. (Also I imagine a lot of us spend enough time looking at network analytics at work; I don't want to go to sleep with graphs behind my eyelids.)
cweagans 6y ago
If you don't want the all-in-one Dream Machine device (which is good for what it is), here's what you need: * Unifi Security Gateway (router) * Unifi AP (there are lots of options - for residential uses, you don't need the high density models. I run the AC PRO in my house and I only need one for relatively heavy use. Works great.) * Somewhere to run the Unifi controller. This is the web UI that you'd normally get built in on a consumer router. You can either set this up on a Raspberry Pi or similar device, or you can buy the Cloud Key. The Cloud Key can be used as a gateway for cloud management, but you absolutely _do not_ have to do that. You can treat it as a simple, embedded linux machine that runs the unifi controller software. That's it. Anything beyond that is optional. For my setup, I also picked up a cheap PoE switch to power both the cloud key and my AP (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YHLR6V3/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YHLR6V3/), along with a cheap rack mount gigabit switch that all of my wired devices hang off of (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BU0EKW https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BU0EKW) and tossed it all into a network rack with all the niceties (patch panel, UPS, PDU, and a synology NAS). You definitely don't need anything that elaborate though. The AP comes with a PoE injector, and the cloud key can be powered via a simple USB wall adapter (included, if I recall correctly).

rainonmoon 6y ago

Fellow TP-Link router user checking in and I feel similarly. The bells and whistles on the Dream Machine + Unifi OS are appealing in an ooh-shiny-things way, but I can't help thinking that it's way overkill for a (or at least my) home network. When I'm troubleshooting the network performance at home, it's usually to get housemates back online as quickly as possible. A comprehensive analytics platform is cool, but seems like a distraction compared to the outdated-looking but functional TP-Link interface. Then there's the tacit upsell of it all. Of course all those bells and whistles are a lot more relevant and useful the more you buy in. If you're going full Smart Home, it's cool that Ubiquiti offers an enterprise-y experience for your residence, but if you just want a cable to the outside world, as OP seems to want, Ubiquiti does seem confusingly elaborate. (Also I imagine a lot of us spend enough time looking at network analytics at work; I don't want to go to sleep with graphs behind my eyelids.)

cweagans 6y ago

If you don't want the all-in-one Dream Machine device (which is good for what it is), here's what you need: * Unifi Security Gateway (router) * Unifi AP (there are lots of options - for residential uses, you don't need the high density models. I run the AC PRO in my house and I only need one for relatively heavy use. Works great.) * Somewhere to run the Unifi controller. This is the web UI that you'd normally get built in on a consumer router. You can either set this up on a Raspberry Pi or similar device, or you can buy the Cloud Key. The Cloud Key can be used as a gateway for cloud management, but you absolutely _do not_ have to do that. You can treat it as a simple, embedded linux machine that runs the unifi controller software. That's it. Anything beyond that is optional. For my setup, I also picked up a cheap PoE switch to power both the cloud key and my AP (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YHLR6V3/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YHLR6V3/), along with a cheap rack mount gigabit switch that all of my wired devices hang off of (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BU0EKW https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BU0EKW) and tossed it all into a network rack with all the niceties (patch panel, UPS, PDU, and a synology NAS). You definitely don't need anything that elaborate though. The AP comes with a PoE injector, and the cloud key can be powered via a simple USB wall adapter (included, if I recall correctly).