My new HA Blue is arriving in a few days after months of delays due to the chip shortage. I’m new to HA and networking in general, and want to start my home (2400 sq ft) network from scratch. My current have cable internet at up to 940 Mbps but may be relocating to an area with available Gbps options.
Current Hardware and Devices:
Arris SB8200 DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem
Netgear X6 R8000 wifi router
UniFi 6 Lite Ap (arrived last week and still in the box)
D-Link DGS-1005G 5 port switch (10 Gbps)
Smartthings Hub
Philips Hue hub
Obi2020 voip
15 wifi various connected devices
I would prefer to upgrade to a Ubiquiti router, but confused as to which would be a good fit for a basic setup which could accommodate current devices and provide room to grow.
You’ll need a UDM at least if you want to use the AP you’ve bought. The UDM has a built in controller which is a requirement to utilise Ubiquiti products.
However, if you take out the AP, I’d question your need for a Ubiquiti router. Is there a particular need for one? Don’t get me wrong, once they’re set up and stable, a UDM is a great router but they can be unnecessarily technical IMHO, aimed as they are at pro/ semi pro environments.
Other than using unify (cloud controller/udm/udm pro), there is a ubiquity edge os. The x router is 60 bucks. AFAIK that integration works.
I recently got fed up with my existing network and bought a udmpro/switch/few ap’s. It’s nice but it definitely doesn’t check all the boxes. It’s pretty but that’s about it, I wouldn’t recommend it but I don’t not recommend it.
If you want granular control then I’d skip it. If you just want something a cut above the adv, edge os. If money isn’t an issue, ubiquity.
My current router, although capable, has been experiencing issues stemming from firmware updates which I’ve needed to rollback. Even with older firmware I get frequent interruptions on most of the wifi devices. Devices which connect via a hub don’t have as many interruptions, but the delays have increased noticeably over time.
My wife and I are likely to relocate within 6-12 months to be closer to family. The move would potentially include our son and his 4 children living with us. That would mean even more connected devices.
If I take the Unifi 6 AP, you are right that I do not need a Ubiquiti router. I’ve read several posts from users suggesting other brands. And most of those describe a certain amount of customization to setup for their needs. I am confident that I could read and understand much of the required setup procedures, but would like to avoid dedicating so much of my time hands on for; maintenance, customization, and expansion. When users post that they “set it and forget it” with non-integrated hardware, I tend to not put my faith in the recommendation.
I would rather stay with integrated products as much as possible, and Ubiquiti seems to more recommended than others.
I went from residential router to Ubiquity Edgemax pro. I have two ubiquity switches, 1 6 port poe for wireless and 1 24 port for wired. I have the 3 AP in the house - (this was the reason I went with ubiquity) Easy expansion via AP. I also have a cloud key but you can install that on an always on computer and not buy the dedicated unit.
Reasons to go with Ubiquity.
The quality is better than normal residental routers.
Allows routing that a residential router will not.
Equipment is tightly integrated.
Frequent updates to the OS - Upgrading is as simple as possible.
Contraindications:
Setting up can be difficult.
Equipment is not inexpensive.
My router is up for months without issue. Longest uptime without a reboot is over 6 months and The switches are the same. The software lets you know when you have updates available. The AP give me coverage over my entire property and within 1000’. The cost is high but there is a good amount of value. I have set most of my devices to have a configured static IP. No more changing IP address. This is really handy for network printers. Am I still as dumb as a post to fully utilize the router - yes. Can I upgrade, monitor and get the router to do what I want - yes.
For staying with integrated products as much as possible using the Ubiquity-brand is fine and I can recommend it using Ubiquity equipment for years now for myself but also for countless client installations, residential and business networks alike.
But I advise you to stay away from the “I want to be always on the bleeding edge firmware-temptation” many users are victims to (not only when it comes to networking devices). Better stay with the "if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it-habbit. With this approach you definitely will avoid dedicating much of your time hands on for maintenance, customization, and expansion.
Since ~2 years firmware releases for Ubiquity devices are more or less crappy at best and it looks like the company is using their community as beta testers. Just browse and read through Ubiquitys official Release Forum and you’ll know what I mean.
… Ubiquiti gears might not be your perfect fit either. It is not minimal maintenance, and even with Ubiquiti everything, it is still not problem free (see crappy firmware remark above, plus the recent failed security breach cover-up.)
Is there other good alternatives I could recommend? I have none.
You didn’t say whether you are using PoE or vlan or IDS. But are you using those today? What makes you think you’d need Ubiquiti to begin with?
I mean, as soon as you start using those, be prepared to say goodbye to those quotes above.
I don’t, and won’t ever, use a proprietary router again. Most are rubbish and crap themselves with over 20 to 30 connections.
Though not as cheap to run, I use a low power four core embedded AMD motherboard and run OPNsense, open source software which can run a reasonably sized organisation. Any x86 64 bit mobo will work and, for the home, works impeccably.
The config can be saved, after an update usually, and if any of the hardware fails, simply replace it. If the HDD/SSD fails, replace it, install OPNsense, upload the config file and everything you need is inract, particularly permanent IP leases. Connect access points and a great network is yours.
It has an anti-virus plugin, a nice UI, is configurable, great documentation, helpful forums, and is as state of the art as you will find anywhere. I should have made the change years ago, not 12 months ago.