I resisted Unifi mainly due to cost. But my Google Wifi was really causing me some challenges. I started with a UXG-Pro to replace my old Asus router. Over time I've added 3 wifi 6 APs. At some point I will likely replace my switches, but so far my current Netgears are still meeting my needs.
The Unifi stuff is definitely not for the faint of heart. There is a lot more configuration needed than with a standard plug-and-play router system. That said, I'm pretty happy with mine... other than the expense.
when i first started i was using TP-Link switches. the benefit of going full Unifi is having the single portal to manage everything. if your network works and you don't mind going in to different portals/logins to update everything, then keep it as is. of course that does get annoying when you're creating multiple VLANs and testing different things, and you find out the issue is you forgot to configure one of the switches along the route with the proper VLAN
honestly, if i could do it all over again, i would probably just use unifi for their APs, and maybe the switches, but do a different firewall. at this point, i'm kinda locked in since i have my offsite stuff also on Unifi (creating site-to-site VPN is so simple when all sites managed on one controller)
Their firewall is underwhelming. This is why I always build one from pfSense or Untangle. Depends on the clients needs I am just mad that Untangle cancelled the home pro license offering and now has a $50/year plan with like their basic services and then the full suite for $150 /year. Moving the captive portal and othesr into the 150/year plan was a bad move.
First, I really appreciate this thread as I'm trying to decide on a new router and possibly new APs and a new switch. Another thread I started here asks about the router because while my current Peplink Balance 30 LTE does a great job, it has one big drawback that I need to solve, and am wondering if a Unifi system can address it.
I just got Starlink, and the wifi router they send is, as expected, basically useless. But the one thing it does provide is access to the Starlink diagnostics at 192.168.100.1. Well, it seems you can access those same diagnostics at that address without their router, but ONLY if you can set up a static route to that address (which is basically a statis route out to the WAN). The Peplink can't, as they don't allow a static route out to the WAN on the Balance series. So... Can anyone confirm that this is possible using the UDM (preferred, I think) or the USG?
Also, we have three buildings on our property and I have two ASUS routers in AP mode and three small, unmanaged switches used to connect things like hubitat (one in each building). Will I need to replace all of that if I go to Unifi? I've heard they don't "play well with others", but these are about as "dumb" as other devices get. Thanks for advice and experienced help.
Agreed. I'll have to look into what @erktrek post. For now my "workaround" is having a Google domain set up Dynamic DNS sub domains (FW123.MyDomain.c0m). Each client's Untangle deployment gets a specific subdomain. Untangle supports updating Google DDNS, so I can always get to the URL even if the external ISP IP changes. After changing the default GUI access ports, and using LastPass to create 30+ digit passwords, I'm ok exposing it a bit. Suboptimal, but functional.
Wired back to the main network, or meshed in?
That sound like an inexperienced excuse to me, unless your trying to mesh with others, forget it, but that goes for lots of brands. I would never recommend cross brand meshes.
That said, if you know your IP scheme, or better yet use DHCP reservation for all your infrastructure devices, they work fine with other units. As @dadarkgtprince said, it gets old jumping around a ton of different management nodes, but saying they "don't play well with others" sound like a copout. They work fine with others, I ran Unifi/Asus/Engenius network here for months without trouble (while waiting on wi-fi 6). It's all IPv on the inside ~ bad joke!
Now that I've opened this bag of worms, lets talk about Unifi Protect. Do any of you use this? Here are my thoughts. Are you tired of my thoughts yet?.
I was thinking of updating my security cameras. My choice is Reolink. The problem with the Unifi system is the cost. If I were to go with Unifi, I would have to upgrade to the UDM Pro, add another WAP because the UDM provides a WAP. I would have to buy a hard drive and even with 4 of the $80 cameras which are only 1080P I would have more money in this setup than if I bought a Reolink system with 4 4K cameras. The Unifi 4K camera costs $450. I think it is pretty ridiculous, what do you think.
i have a love/hate relationship with the protects:
pros:
local storage
app does load faster than the nest app so makes it nice when motion is detected and i can actually see who is approaching the door before they ring the bell.
g4 doorbell is nice
people/car detection with g4 series (recently introduced)
cons:
app has plenty of bugs (note: i am on the beta track so that probably has a lot to do with it)
no ability to schedule on/off for cams
bugs range from occasional logouts to clips/events not running when clicked on. they do release constant updates that fixes the issues but then it returns with another app update.
microphone noise
i am currently expanding my protects. i plan on getting the g4 4k when they come back in stock. i still have my nest cams. price considered, they are both comparable. protect app loads faster then the nest, but nest app allows scheduling. because protect allows for local storage… i lean to them for that reason.
I've got a UniFi Dream Machine (UDM) Pro for my gateway/router/firewall. It also has the network controller and video monitoring server built in (also has their other services built in like "Talk"). I then have several different switches from a small 5 port in my sofa to a 48 port in my garage. I have a few of their Pro AP's and a mixture of G3 and G4 cameras for surveillance.
As far as protect is concerned, I only have the G4 doorbell. Ditto what @jkp says. I love it more, than I hate it. I also like the built in "night light" feature, and it looks MUCH nicer than the competition.
I read somewhere you can upload custom mp3 to the G4, but I have not played with it yet. We just pipe fun sound effects out via Porch Sonos triggered with a Sage door bell sensor. Good times lol.
The G4 doorbell was my gateway into the unifi Protect world. It replaced my Ring doorbell and to me, it's FAR superior. The picture quality, object detection, the speed it loads up on motion events, how early it catches motions, the smoothness of the recorded video...all superior experiences for me. The only downside for me was the speaker quality. It is good enough but not better than the Ring.
Once my foot was in the door with Protect, I quickly started replacing my Amcrest indoor cameras and I even got an unboxed 4K G4 Pro for 250 on OfferUp. So far, I am very happy with the entire ecosystem.I even replaced my Wyze cams with the similarly priced but much better quality G3 Instants.
I also have it integrated with my Hassio box and I receive instant motion alerts via my camera as well. No longer need any outdoor motion sensors.
