Ubiquiti ER-X-SFP - high performance router from Ubiquiti Inc.

The American brand Ubiquiti Networks Inc, or rather Ubiquiti Inc. provides many types of networking solutions for home, business and professional applications for ISPs to the global market. Among the equipment from Ubiquiti is the EdgeMax line of products for wired networks, which includes the simple and powerful ER-X-SFP Router discussed today. These are compact, affordable devices with advanced configuration capabilities and good performance thanks to the EdgeOS operating system and optimally selected components. A Gigabit SFP module combined with five also Gigabit Ethernet ports creates a multitude of usage possibilities. Explore the details of this device and check out the configuration options. Find out the advantages of the Ubiquiti ERX-SFP router in comparison with the competitive MikroTik HEX S product line.

The Ubiquiti Edge Router X SFP has compact dimensions of 142 mm x 75 mm x 23 mm and weighs just 215 grams. It comes with a standard 24 VDC, 2.5 A power supply and power cord, as well as a user manual. The device has ESD/EM protection air: ± 24 kV, contact ± 24 kV. It can operate according to specifications in temperatures from -10 to 45°C and maximum humidity of 90% without condensation. The design allows for wall mounting due to the arrangement of the LEDs informing about the status and network ports of the device.

The interior of the device hides an efficient configuration of components responsible for effective operation and performance for packets at Layer 3 level:

• 130 kpps - packets of 64 Bytes,
• 1 Gbps - packets of 1518 Bytes.

Dual-Core 880 MHz MIPS1004Kc processor, 256 MB DDR3 RAM and 256 MB NAND Flash memory. Combined with 5 Gigabit Ethernet ports and passive PoE support with a maximum power consumption per port of 12 W 24 V, a total of 50 W 24 V creates a flexible solution for many applications

A dedicated advanced EdgeOS operating system based on the refined Vyatta router software is installed on board. It provides high performance and stability as well as extensive management capabilities. EdgeOS in the Ubiquiti ER-X-SFP router provides a web-based GUI for configuration as well as CLI access. Interestingly, it is also possible to access the command line interface from the WEB interface when advanced configuration is required. Management is possible in accordance with SNMP, NetFlow, LLDP, NTP, UBNT Discovery Protocol or Logging protocols. The Ubiquiti X SFP Router can also be centrally managed with the UNMS ™ Ubiquiti® Network Management System, which allows you to control all your EdgeMax® devices within a single interface. You can manage EdgeMAX® devices that are registered in multiple locations.

The ERX-SFP router supports the protocols and standards you would expect from an advanced contemporary device in this class, which are stable versions of the OSPF routing protocol, also in version three, as well as BPG, RIP or static routing. It supports IPv6, including DHCPv6, BGP, firewall for this version of the Internet protocol. Ubiquiti ER-X-SFP also provides stateless/statefull firewall functionality, IEEE 802.3ad aggregation, 802.1q VLAN support, GRE and SIT. Full current supported specifications can be found on the manufacturer's website, as the device has the possibility of software updates, so the functionality may change slightly.

Physically creating a planned network topology should not create a problem. The ports on the Ubiquiti ER-X-SPF router are easily accessible and properly labeled, and the included power supply and cable plug into a standard electrical outlet.

The EX-X-SFP router does not have a DHCP server running in its default factory configuration. It provides a default static IP address of 192.168.1.1 on the eth0 port, while eth1 is set to DHCP client mode. The remaining ports eth2-5 do not have the DHCP client function active in the default configuration. Before starting to change settings on the device, it is worth to update its operating system to the latest version. Updating the Ubiquiti ER-X-SFP software is not complicated, and the manufacturer regularly releases new versions of the system, responding to possible problems.

Complete documentation allowing to configure all features of the ER X SFP device is available on the manufacturer's website. Documentation is currently available for EdgeOS version 1.9.x, while new firmware is currently released in higher version 2.0.9-hotfix.1. Basic functionality is available virtually out of the box, with router startup settings and router configuration wizards for the most common application scenarios.

Users and administrators of Ubiquiti devices share information on their advanced configuration within various communities.

Configuration of ER-XSFP router within UNMS after registration enables the introduction of static routing tables, OSPF configuration or DHCP servers. It also provides real-time access to statistics, usage logs and a CLI panel that allows introducing advanced devices.

Devices from the Ubiquiti Edge Routers series are dedicated primarily to smaller business solutions, although their use is scalable well thanks to the possibility of centralized management using the Ubiquiti Networks Management System. ER-X-SFP router thanks to its ability to power devices from Ethernet ports works well with AirMax series devices, such as NanoStation or NanoBeam to create point-to-point connections to customers for ISPs. As a simple and efficient router, it will also meet the needs of SOHO customers, small businesses or demanding home applications. Creating an advanced configuration requires specialized knowledge, so it is not a good router for people without skills in configuring network devices.

When considering the purchase of a router of this class like the Ubiquiti Edge Router X SFP, it is worth to compare other devices with similar solutions from other companies. A good competitor is a series of routers from MikroTik HEX S. Analysis of the differences shows that despite them being a similar class of devices they will find slightly different applications, depending on the needs:

• The processor used in the ER-X-SFP devices has the same capabilities as the HEX S, while the HEX S PoE has a weaker, single-core one,
• ER-X-SPF has better performance in routing than hexS/hexS PoE, it works stable and reliable,
• The ER-X-SPF allows one more device to be powered by PoE, but only supports 24V passive PoE, where HEX S PoE is compliant with IEEE 802.3af/at,
• In terms of price, the HEX S is the better choice, especially as it is also available in a cheaper version without PoE support for those who do not require power for devices connected to the router,
• Edge Router X SFP has more simple wizards for popular configurations, but for complete configuration the MikroTik interface is simpler,
• Ubiquiti ER-X-SPF works with UNMS and MikroTik works with DUDE, where the UNMS seems more convenient to use.

It is obvious to choose a device of the Edge Max line if you have other Ubiquiti equipment, as it significantly simplifies the management of networks.

Ubiquiti Edge Router X SFP is a good proposal for people with specific requirements, familiar with the configuration capabilities of Ubiquiti devices from the Edge Max line. Although you can find some disadvantages in this solution, the list of advantages is also long. The inability to power the router via PoE or the lack of PoE 802.3af/at support is only painful in specific situations. Although the EdgeOS documentation is quite sparse and the web GUI is, in the opinion of some, unintuitive and overly complicated, the necessary information can be found after a deeper familiarization. In the ER-X-SFP router many features cannot be configured in any other way than through the CLI or Config Tree, which requires good knowledge of the EdgeOS system.

Passive PoE covers most of the power needs for basic network devices. Convenient six types of basic settings configurators allow for intuitive configurations. High performance in routing for small 64B packets and the ability to work with UNMS are other features that support the device. Gigabit connectivity through SFP and Ethernet ports combined with the ability to configure them for switching creates a wide range of implementation possibilities. When considering the advantages and disadvantages of the device it is worth remembering that the Ubiquiti ER-X-SFP router is an extremely stable and efficient network device with Gigabit eth and SFP interfaces for less than 400 PLN, so you can not expect the full functionality of professional routers for several thousand zlotys from it .