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Setting up a Ubiquiti UniFi Access Point [Guide]

Ubiquiti is a company that makes low cost easy to use enterprise network equipment. Their UniFi line of products is wireless aimed at prosumers and enterprises. Their interface is easy to use and expendable.

1. The units

1.1. Indoor Units

1.2. Outdoor Units

1.3. A closer look at the UniFi AP

2. Installation and Configuration

2.1. Hardware Side

2.2. Software Side

2.2.1. Controller

2.2.1.1. Controller Installation

2.2.1.2. Controller Software

2.2.2. Control Panel

2.2.2.1. Control Panel - Setup

2.2.2.2. Control Panel - Using it

2.2.2.3. Control Panel - Adding an AP

3. Conclusion

 

1. The units

 

Ubiquiti has a few different kinds of Wireless Access Points:

 

 

1.1. Indoor units

 

UniFi AP

  • Range: ~ 122m / 400ft
  • Bands: 2.4GHz
  • Standards: 802.11 b/g/n
  • Speeds: 300Mbps
  • Price*: ~ 60 EUR / 50 GBP / 80 USD
UniFi AP LR
  • Range: ~ 183m / 600ft
  • Bands: 2.4GHz
  • Standards: 802.11 b/g/n
  • Speeds: 300Mbps
  • Price*: ~ 75 EUR / 60 GBP / 105 USD
UniFi AP Pro
  • Range: ~ 122m / 400ft
  • Bands: 2.4GHz, 5GHz
  • Standards: 802.11 a/b/g/n
  • Speeds: 450Mbps (2.4GHz), 300Mbps (5GHz)
  • Price*: ~ 190 EUR / 160 GBP / 265 USD
UniFi AP AC
  • Range: ~ 122m / 400ft
  • Bands: 2.4GHz, 5GHz
  • Standards: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
  • Speeds: 450Mbps (2.4GHz), 1300Mbps (5GHz)
  • Price*: ~ 265 EUR / 220 GBP / 365 USD
1.2. Outdoor units

 

UniFi AP Outdoor

  • Range: ~ 183m / 600ft
  • Bands: 2.4GHz
  • Standards: 802.11 b/g/n
  • Speeds: 300Mbps
  • Price*: ~ 110 EUR / 95 GBP / 155 USD
  • Replaced by the Outdoor+, but still available
UniFi AP Outdoor (5G)
  • Range: ~ 183m / 600ft
  • Bands: 5GHz
  • Standards: 802.11 a/n
  • Speeds: 300Mbps
  • Price*: ~ 110 EUR / 95 GBP / 155 USD
UniFi AP Outdoor+
  • Range: ~ 183m / 600ft
  • Bands: 2.4GHz
  • Standards: 802.11 b/g/n
  • Speeds: 300Mbps
  • Price*: ~ 135 EUR / 115 GBP / 185 USD
UniFi AP AC Outdoor
  • Range: ~ 183m / 600ft
  • Bands: 2.4GHz, 5GHz
  • Standards: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
  • Speeds: 450Mbps (2.4GHz), 1300Mbps (5GHz)
  • Price*: ~ 415 EUR / 350 GBP / 575 USD
* Prices are taking from Varia Store with 19% VAT.

 

1.3. A closer look at the UniFi AP

The unit has a clean look at the top, other then the LED ring, there is not much to see.

At the back, we find the sticker with the serial number, the Ethernet connector and a reset button.

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2. Installation and Configuration

 

2.1. Hardware Side

 

The installation of the unit is very easy, plug the cable from the Access Point into the POE injector, plug the POE injector into your network and plug the POE injector into a wall socket.

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2.2. Software Side

 

The software side is also very easy. You need a system that will run the controller software, this system does not need to be online all the time, only when you want to edit something to your access point(s).

 

2.2.1. Controller

2.2.1.1. Controller Installation

 

Installing the controller software is easy and goes fast.

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2.2.1.2. Controller Software

To access the control panel, you need to run the UniFi software.

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2.2.2. Control Panel

2.2.2.1. Control Panel - Setup

Once the software is running, you can go to https://127.0.0.1:8443/

On first run, you will get to see this setup.

First you select your language and country, then you select your access point(s), then your SSID (name of your WiFi) and the password, you also have the option to have a second WiFi network, just for guests, but we are not going in depth on that here. And finally, you choose your admin username and password.

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2.2.2.2. Control Panel - Using it

After you finished the setup you can login into the control panel.

You will see a map of a house, you can upload your own floor plan or get your house on Google Maps or you can just stick with this and don't bother.

You can see your Access Point(s) at the left side, you can drag them on the map to place them.

You can check the Statistics tab to see usage statistics of your Access Points over time.

You can also see a list of your Access Points and of the connected users (with usage).

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2.2.2.3. Control Panel - Adding an AP

To add another Access Point to your network, you simply connect it to your network. Then go into your control panel, you will see at the top that 1 Access Point is pending. Simply click on it and it will open the window for that AP. Simply click Adopt at the bottom, wait a few minutes and you are done. You can add an alias to an AP so you know which is which.

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3. Conclusion

I am very impressed by the ease of use of the units and the price point that are at (especially the lower end models). I have been using them now for about 3 months and I haven't had any problems so far. The throughput of these units is also impressive, I'm getting quite a bit more then the AP's I was using before. The only thing I was not so impressed with was the range, it is good, but not the range I had hoped for. 1 unit is indeed enough for our household to have coverage everywhere, but not with the throughput I would have wanted. I placed 2 extra AP's in the house and now it is a lot better.

If you have questions about this guide, feel free to ask them. I will in the near future so a similar guide for the Ubiquiti EdgeRouters series and the Ubiquiti AirVision series, but I am still waiting for it to arrive.

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Holy shit, you are the best guide maker on the forum ;O 

[CPU: AMD FX-6100 @3.3GHz ] [MoBo: Asrock 970 Extreme4] [GPU: Gigabyte 770 OC ] [RAM: 8GB] [sSD: 64gb for OS] [PSU: 550Watt Be Quiet!] [HDD: 1TB] [CPU cooler: Be Quiet! Shadow Rock Pro Sr1]  -Did i solve your question/problem? Please click 'Marked Solved'-

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guys i recommend buying the UniFi AP LR its the best bang for the buck only go with the AC if u really need AC speeds

 

if your in a nosiy environment (too many wifi around)  go with the 5ghz model

If your grave doesn't say "rest in peace" on it You are automatically drafted into the skeleton war.

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Added a link under the video to your setup guide. Awesome post!

 

Thanks

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Best wireless gear on the market apart from Aerohive, but Ubiquiti take the cake on cost effectiveness, and their controller software is excellent. We have around 1100 of their AirMax units deployed at a carrier level.

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I've redone some of the screenshots, should all look nice and tidy now.

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once i get enough money and my dad lets me change stuff i will buy one of those 

If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough it will be believed.

-Adolf Hitler 

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Good good let the non consumer equipment flow through you :)

This subforum will be empty in few years due to everyone using undying equipment and knowing how to set it up :D

Something wrong with your connection ?

Run the damn cable :)

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I am somewhat confused by the naming of this product. Is it a router or just a wireless "access point"? Will it get a WAN ip from my ISP and assign IP addresses? I'm sorry if this seems like a stupid question but I just need to clarify because Linus never calls it a router, but rather a wireless access

Point

The best way to predict the future is to invent it

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I am somewhat confused by the naming of this product. Is it a router or just a wireless "access point"? Will it get a WAN ip from my ISP and assign IP addresses? I'm sorry if this seems like a stupid question but I just need to clarify because Linus never calls it a router, but rather a wireless access

Point

 

It is just an access point, not a router. I will be doing my guide on the EdgeRouter soon (after it has arrived).

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So theoretically, I can use this with a wired router for optimum performance?

The best way to predict the future is to invent it

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If I got this product, I would probably get the AP-LR (long range N).  Then I would just plug it into my existing router or switches (consumer grade asus and linksys) and disable access point on the existing wifi router?  Or, should I also upgrade to an enterprise grade router to get full benefit of this access point?

 

In short, what is the advantage of this Access point vs the access point built into a consumer grade wifi router?   throughput and seamless feature, coupled with longer range?

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More clients, stability, reliability.

On top of that you can have more than one SSID from 1 AP and split them via VLAN's, for example one AP provides a normal network and a network for guests which is restricted etc...

Something wrong with your connection ?

Run the damn cable :)

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So theoretically, I can use this with a wired router for optimum performance?

 

Yes.

 

 

If I got this product, I would probably get the AP-LR (long range N).  Then I would just plug it into my existing router or switches (consumer grade asus and linksys) and disable access point on the existing wifi router?  Or, should I also upgrade to an enterprise grade router to get full benefit of this access point?

 

In short, what is the advantage of this Access point vs the access point built into a consumer grade wifi router?   throughput and seamless feature, coupled with longer range?

 

It would work with your existing router, no need to upgrade there.

 

The advantage from this compared with the WiFi that is build in, stability, ease of use, throughput, range, ...

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It would be interesting if you setup an old computer as a router with pfSense and then plug this into that custom made router

The best way to predict the future is to invent it

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It would be interesting if you setup an old computer as a router with pfSense and then plug this into that custom made router

 

Done

 

Well, it's not an 'old' pc and the AP is technically plugged into a switch, not directly to the pfSense box.

 

I actually got the controller software installed and running in FreeBSD (pfSense) but it was kind of flaky. More pics in sig (I've since replaced the Supermicro board with an Intel D2500CC).

 

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I'm probably going to install the controller software on my primary PC I guess

The best way to predict the future is to invent it

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Quick question.

 

I currently have the RT-56u, which is the one and only router in my house. Although its range is really good, I'm having a bit of trouble using it in my home theater where a NUC is shows the blue ray quality videos from my NAS and recently, Steam in Home streaming. I was thinking of replacing the whole router with the new Netgear R7000, but instead of doing that, I'm highly considering buying either the UniFi AP Pro or the UniFi AP AC. Can I just turn off the wireless of my RT-N56U and hook one of these bad boys up with ethernet or will I need a different router? I plan on upgrading the router to something different in the near future? Will this be enough for streaming from the NAS or Steam in home streaming?

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Quick question.

 

I currently have the RT-56u, which is the one and only router in my house. Although its range is really good, I'm having a bit of trouble using it in my home theater where a NUC is shows the blue ray quality videos from my NAS and recently, Steam in Home streaming. I was thinking of replacing the whole router with the new Netgear R7000, but instead of doing that, I'm highly considering buying either the UniFi AP Pro or the UniFi AP AC. Can I just turn off the wireless of my RT-N56U and hook one of these bad boys up with ethernet or will I need a different router? I plan on upgrading the router to something different in the near future? Will this be enough for streaming from the NAS or Steam in home streaming?

 

You can do this, I'm not fully aware on how you disable WiFi on that model, but should be pretty straightforward. I don't know if the bandwidth will be enough, this depends on the distance your HTPC is from the AP. But you can always expand the wireless.

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You can do this, I'm not fully aware on how you disable WiFi on that model, but should be pretty straightforward. I don't know if the bandwidth will be enough, this depends on the distance your HTPC is from the AP. But you can always expand the wireless.

But what I want to know is if this will be a very solution vs getting a full wireless router.

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But what I want to know is if this will be a very solution vs getting a full wireless router.

 

What do you mean "very solution".

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What do you mean "very solution".

 

Very *good* solution maybe?

 

 

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What do you mean "very solution".

 

Sorry, I was typing on my phone. I meant "very good solution" if not, better solution vs getting a dedicated Netgear R7000 router?

 

 

Very *good* solution maybe?

Yup, thanks lol. I was typing on my phone.

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  • 11 months later...

Hello everyone,

 

I just bought myself three of the basic AP unit and I am attempting to set them up. However I run into problem while trying to launch the controller software after installing it. It tells me after sitting on the "Starting UniFi controller" for a couple of minutes that "The server took too long to start". None of the guides I've read actually covers this issue and I am in a loss what to do next and what the issue is.

 

The way I am trying to set things up is: The modem is plugged into my Asus RT-N66U router, from which the LAN slots goes into the PoE brick of the AP and onto the AP itself.

 

Is there any ports I need to forward? Or what am I missing here? :(

 

Edit. I attempted plugging the Ethernet cable directly into my computer without going through the routher. The setup still fails on the exact same place.

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