Ubiquiti Inc. - shopping guide | Part 1 | gateways, switches, access points.

Ubiquiti Inc. (formerly Ubiquiti Networks Inc.) is a well-known American technology company founded in San Jose, California in 2003 by Robert Per. It is currently headquartered in New York City. Ubiquiti Inc. offers a whole range of products for both wireless and wired solutions, and the products themselves are dedicated to enterprises, homes, and ISP operators. The product lines are divided into the following brands: UniFi, Amplifi, EdgeMax, UISP, LTU, AirMax, AirFiber and UFiber.
Of course, the most popular is the UniFi line, which focuses on business and home wired and wireless networks. EdgeMax is a product line dedicated to wired networks and includes only switches and routers. UISP is a new range of products dedicated to ISP operators. AirMax is a line of products designed for point-to-point (PTP) and point-to-multipoint (PTMP) connections. AirFiber and UFiber are used by Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISP) and Internet Service Providers (ISP), respectively.

In this article, we come to the aid of all those who would like to purchase a Ubiquiti Inc. solution, but do not know what products are needed for a specific network topology, and also do not know which products are simply "old" and not worth buying. We will describe all product groups of Ubiquiti Inc. below, with a detailed division into security gateways and routers, UniFi switches, UniFi access points, EdgeMAX series of devices and UISP, airMAX, airFiber and LTU, and finally we will get acquainted with VoIP solutions and DVRs. Of course, individual product groups have both new and old products that will be described in detail below. This will probably help in choosing the right ones for your needs. Ok, let's get to work!

All three products are based on modern ARM processors and the new UniFi OS software from Ubiquiti Inc. While you can't create custom json configuration files for them, you can use Linux commands via SSH connections.

Now that we're familiar with the new security gateways and routers from Ubiquiti Inc. it's also useful to have an idea of what products are considered older models that are still on sale. Some are also considered EOL, meaning they are retired from the production line. The following products have MIPS processors, while underneath them is the Vyatta-based EdgeOS. You can create custom json configuration files for them, which gives you the kind of flexibility that the UDM and UXG line of devices lack.

Let's move on to the next product group - UniFi network switches. We have to admit that a lot has changed in this segment. There are a lot of new products, so it is worth to know which models belong to the new section, and which are no longer in production, or are simply considered old. Below there is a detailed list of individual models of UniFi switches. We will start with new products.

Desktop switches (small)

Rack mount switches

• Gen2 and Gen2 Pro rack mount switches. (2019/2020)
• Models start with the name USW
• All models have quieter fans, a small touch screen on the left side with UniFi AR support. This option allows you to virtually see what devices are connected to specific ports.
• Gen2 models such as USW-16-PoE and USW-24-PoE have no fans, offer fewer ports and a smaller PoE budget, compared to first generation counterparts.
• Gen2 Pro models have many PoE ports and a large power budget, support redundant power via USP-RPS, and have limited L3 features such as static routing and DHCP server.

Of course, Ubiquiti Inc. still sells virtually all first-generation UniFi switch models. They are admittedly older, but can sometimes be better options for certain types of networks. Unlike the USG/USG-Pro, first-generation switches are free of major performance constraints. Below is an overview of first-generation switches.

Desktop/Small Switches

• US-8, US-8-60W i US-8-150W
• The smallest switches of the first generation
• USW-Flex-Mini, USW-Flex or USW-Lite-8 / USW-Lite-16 are newer options

Rack-mounted switches

• First-generation switches designed for rack mounting. Model names start with US (2016/2017)
• Most first generation PoE switches have a larger power budget than an equivalent second generation model. Of course they are still a good buy as they have PoE out on all ports. The downside can be loud fan operation.

• XG series: US-16-XG, US-XG-6POE
• Older devices, but the only option with 10Gbit LAN ports from the UniFi series. Still very good high bandwidth distribution switches.

Of course, the entire family of UniFi series access points also deserves recognition. Extremely efficient and aesthetically pleasing Access Points, which will find their application in business solutions, as well as perform well for individual customers. There are really a lot of products, so I will briefly introduce the series.

Wi-Fi 6 series (2020 and 2021)

• UniFi 6 Lite (U6-Lite) - The smallest, cheapest AP UniFi Wi-Fi 6.
• UniFi 6 Long Range - The long-range version of UniFi 6. 4x4 5GHz radio, greater range and much higher throughput in comparison with UniFi 6 Lite. At the moment, this is the best Wi-Fi 6 access point.
• UniFi 6 Pro - Early Access - The centerpiece of the UniFi 6 line, the U6-Pro is a dual-band WiFi 6 (802.11ax) access point that represents the next generation of competitively priced, high-performance wireless technology for home and enterprise users. Delivering lightning-fast over-the-air speeds of up to 5.3 Gbps in both 5 and 2.4 GHz channels, the U6-Pro will maximize the Wi-Fi experience in any residential or office deployment
• UniFi 6 Mesh - Early Access - The UniFi 6 Mesh Access Point is a Wi-Fi 6 access point that delivers aggregate radio speeds of up to 2.7 Gbps over 5 GHz (MU-MIMO and OFDMA) and 2.4 GHz (MIMO) radio communications. It can be placed on a desktop or mounted on a pole, wall or ceiling*.
• UniFi 6 Extender (similar to BeaconHD) - suitable for US outlets. The discreet but powerful Wi-Fi 6 amplifier with 4x4 MU-MIMO plugs into a wall outlet. The fastest way to extend Wi-Fi 6 coverage and increase bandwidth.
• UniFi 6 In Wall (similar to In-Wall HD) - a Wi-Fi 6 access point that can be mounted in a standard wall outlet. Includes 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports for wired connectivity, one of which offers PoE capacity for an 802.3af device. The U6-IW provides a combined radio transmission rate of up to 2.7 Gbps with 5 GHz (4x4 MU-MIMO and OFDMA) and 2.4 GHz (2x2 MIMO) radios
• UniFi Building Bridge - 60GHz point-to-point radio with 5GHz failover. Designed to connect two points over distances up to 500 meters.

AC Wave 2 Series (2017 to 2019)

• FlexHD - 802.11ac Wave 2, 4x4 MU-MIMO Access Point. It is designed for desktop or shelf mounting and can also be used outdoors. It also works in Mesh topology.
• NanoHD - It is the cheapest 802.11ac Wave 2 access point, offering 4x4 MU-MIMO 5 GHz
• BeaconHD - if Ethernet is not available, this is a good access point for a mesh network. It plugs directly into an electrical outlet.
• AC-HD / AC-SHD - Access Points dedicated to high-density networks. AC-HD / AC-SHD is the best option for supporting many wireless clients in a small area.
• In-Wall-HD - Wallmount Access Point, 4x4 MU-MIMO, 5 Gigabit Ethernet ports, wireless transmission speed up to 2000Mbits.
• UAP-XG - High performance access point designed for 10Gbit/s networks. Dual 4x4 5GHz and 4x4 2.4GHz radios support up to 1500 clients. If you want to work in 10Gbit network, it is worth to buy this access point.
• UWB-XG - This model is not suitable for home use. Equipped with 1 gigabit RJ45 port, 1 10Gbit port, 3 radios 4x4 MU-MIMO 5GHz, up to 1733 MB/s each, power supply 802.3bt (60W). This Access Point is ideal e.g. in stadiums.

It is also worth mentioning the first generation Access Points, which still deserve our appreciation and are also efficient access points.

AC Wave1 Series (2016) - older, still sold and supported

• AC-Lite - One of the oldest devices that will generally work well in most wireless networks. 2x2 MIMO for 2.4GHz up to 300MB/s, 2x2 MIMO for 5GHz up to 876MB/s. Like all UniFi second generation or newer access points, it can operate as a mesh access point using wireless networking.
• AC-LR - This access point has a more sensitive antenna and higher transmit power than the AC-Lite. This significantly increases range and improves performance for clients that are far away. It also has a slight advantage in 2.4 GHz performance as it supports 3x3 SU-MIMO.
• AC-Pro - The UAP-AC-Pro is the flagship model of the Wave1 series. It is equipped with two 3x3 SU-MIMO radios for both 5GHz and 2.4GHz. Additionally, it has a second Ethernet port for connecting to another device. While it can be mounted outdoors, I believe it should be located at least under a roof, not necessarily in an area subject to direct rain or snowfall. It also has a USB port, which was used to support the speaker, in the discontinued EDU series. Probably the best 802.11ac Wave1 access point.
• AC-Mesh - outdoor access point, dedicated for networks based on mesh topology. It's also worth to know that all second generation UniFi access points (Wave 2) can also work in mesh topology. The models with "mesh" in their names are the best for such solutions, having antennas best suited for mesh topology. UAP-AC-M is the cheapest (and the oldest) mesh AP from Ubiquiti.
• AC-Mesh-Pro - Much more efficient in comparison with AC-Mesh. This Access Point is equipped with two 3x3 MIMO radios for 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands, additional Ethernet port and omnidirectional "Super Antenna", providing 360° wireless coverage while ensuring symmetrical communication up to about 180 meters.
• AC-In-Wall - Actually, not knowing why, this product has not been withdrawn from production yet. Much better solution is AC-In-Wall-HD.

End of Life - End of Production
There are also products of Ubiquiti Inc. , which have ended their life and are no longer manufactured. Therefore, it is worth knowing which products are already EOL, due to the fact that they are no longer supported by newer controllers and will no longer work with newer access points.

• UAP-AC-EDU (EoL from March 2021)
• UAP-AC-In-Wall-Pro (March 2021 )
• UAP-LR (March 2021)
• UAP-Pro (March 2021 )
• UAP-In-Wall (March 2021)
• UAP-Outdoor, Outdoor5, Outdoor (March 2021)
• UAP
• UAP-v2
• UAP-LRv2
• UAP-AC
• UAP-AC-v2
• UAP-AC-Outdoor

I believe at this point it is time for a recap. I will describe the other product series such as EdgeMax, Airfiber, Airmax, UISP and UFiber in the next article (part 2). As you can see, in this article, I have covered each series of security gateways, switches and access points in great detail. There is so much that it's worth having an idea of which product has which features. It different network topology, we will need a different solution. Therefore, when choosing the right device, it is necessary to have at least basic knowledge. This will greatly simplify network design and the deployment of, for example, access points or edge switches. There is a lot of devices. Both those belonging to the second generation, as well as to the first. It is very important that End of Life (EOL) products work with old controllers, to which in turn newer devices cannot be connected. With this knowledge, we can easily choose a device that will be suitable for us, and at the same time compatible with those we currently have in our network. As you can see, there are a lot of products from Ubiquiti Inc., so I hope that this guide will help a little in choosing the right device. I invite you to visit www.batna24.com and observe our sections: Device Tests, Guides and Blog, where new, equally interesting publications appear every now and then.

Author:
Leszek Błaszczyk