Ubiquiti Networks UniFi Review

July 6, 2016November 4, 2016 Ryan Networking, Routers, WiFi

This is a review of the Ubiquiti Networks UniFi system as a whole. This includes the UniFi Switch 8, UniFi AP AC Pro and the UniFi Cloud Key. The three pieces come together to form a very robust business, or advanced home network.

Ubiquiti's UniFi Series — Ubiquiti’s UniFi Series

Gear

First thing to note – the UniFi family of products is pretty. It doesn’t look like your run of the mill networking equipment. It seems like Ubiquiti took some notes from Apple when designing the UniFi family of products. All of the elements have a sleek white or metallic finish which is really pleasing to the eye. The AP AC Pro and the Cloud Key both feature a blue / white status light which compliments the white casing nicely. All things considered, this is some of the most aesthetically pleasing networking gear that you will ever see.

All of the equipment in the UniFi series feels solid and well built. The metal casing on the Switch not only make it look cool, but also gives it a rugged feel.It comes with mounting brackets in case you want to mount it on a wall or desk. This switch is built like a tank and definitely seems like it will hold up for a long time.

The AP AC Pro can be used both indoors and out. However, it is not all-weather – it must be in a covered area and not directly exposed to water if it’s mounted outside. It’s made out of a sturdy plastic and seems very durable. Mounting it to the wall or ceiling is very easy with the brackets that are included. It also comes with a power injector in case you’re not running a PoE system.

The Cloud Key comes with a very short, very rigid and bulky patch cable. If you’re going to include it in a rack, it may make sense to replace it with a standard gauge patch cable so that you can tuck it to the side and it doesn’t stick directly out.

Setup

As I mentioned earlier, this equipment is best suited for a business, but if you have the money, interest and desire, you can use it to create a pretty amazing home network as well. Setup was way easier than with most managed networking gear – this is in large part due to the UniFi Cloud Key.

Plugging the Cloud Key into the switch gives you almost instant access to all of the devices on your network without having to provision a computer to do so. As is to be expected, there is some configuration required, but within 10 minutes of having all of the gear un-boxed, I had a wired / wireless network up and running. To take full advantage of the Cloud Key management suite, which includes remote management, you’ll need to sign up with a Ubiquiti account.

Another great aspect of the UniFi equipment is that it all supports PoE (Power over Ethernet). So, you can place an access point anywhere that you can run ethernet cable, without the hassle of drilling holes and running wire for power.

One thing to note: If you’re looking to replace your current home router with a system like this, you’ll need some type of security gateway in addition to the 3 elements in this review. You can buy a dedicated device from Ubiquiti, or simply use your existing router with the wireless radios turned off.

Performance

The AP AC Pro is not just a pretty face. It also delivers on performance. As described on the Ubiquiti’s product page – “The UniFi AC Pro AP supports simultaneous dual-band, 3×3 MIMO technology in the 5 and 2.4 GHz radio bands.” That means blazing fast speed for every connected client. I’ve run speed tests in multiple locations in my house and have seen my full ISP bandwidth transmitted on both the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands.

The footprint of the AP is pretty huge too. Just one Access Point covers almost my entire 2,500 square foot house with strong 5 and 2.4 GHz signals. My Nighthawk has a bigger footprint with stronger signals, but this thing is pretty close, which is amazing considering the AP has no visible, external antennas. Expanding your wireless network is as easy as plugging in an additional Access Point and adopting it in the Cloud Key management suite.

Ubiquiti’s Switch 8 performs admirably as the backbone of the network. With simultaneous high data volume from multiple devices (both wired and wireless), I’ve never seen an issue with data getting where it needs to go – no service interruptions, no data collisions, no lost packets.

Disclaimer: The manufacturer provided a samplein exchange for areview. I have no personal or financial interest in the company or in anyone employed there.