Unifi Dream Machine Vs Unifi Setup Vs Amplifi

[Richywilson]

Hey everyone. 

 

I'm wondering what your thoughts are on the new Unifi Dreamteam and how it relates to purchasing the components individually and also in relation to the Amplifi HD. 

I've been looking into a new network set up for awhile but I don't really have the ability to put the Unifi access points throughout my home (It's a renting thing) so I ordered the Amplifi HD last night but it looks like Ubiquiti have just released this: https://store.ui.com/products/unifi-dream-machine

I'm wondering what you guys think of it vs the performance of the Amplifi system and the Unifi systems with their individual components like the gateway, switch, APs etc. I think you can add APs to this as well. I'm thinking this may be a good compromise for someone like me who wants the unifi system but can't do the full setup. 

[21rkosta]

My worry would be not being able to upgrade individual components if they don't work for you well. Personally I'd rather go with a singular AP and router unless your house is like really big

[Richywilson]

1 minute ago, 21rkosta said:

My worry would be not being able to upgrade individual components if they don't work for you well. Personally I'd rather go with a singular AP and router unless your house is like really big

The issue is I have no place to mount it. The AP would need to sit on my desk which is why the all in one popped out at me. I think you can still add AP's to this but if the internal components fail that'd be the issue. 

[21rkosta]

Just now, Richywilson said:

The issue is I have no place to mount it. The AP would need to sit on my desk which is why the all in one popped out at me. I think you can still add AP's to this but if the internal components fail that'd be the issue. 

You could always velcro it to wall right above desk or something. I had mine setup like that for a while and it didn't look too bad. I personally just think this model is pretty expensive and may possibly be lacking in features like reaching symmetrical gigabit but I'm not sure

[Richywilson]

4 minutes ago, 21rkosta said:

You could always velcro it to wall right above desk or something. I had mine setup like that for a while and it didn't look too bad. I personally just think this model is pretty expensive and may possibly be lacking in features like reaching symmetrical gigabit but I'm not sure

Yeah there's no real reviews on it so far although i doubt ubiquiti would push out something trash in their unifi line up based upon everything I've read. No big reviews on it yet. 

[brwainer]

The Unifi Dream Machine is based on a new operating system, which means it shares nothing on the backend with prior Unifi equipment (prior Unifi Routers, Switches, and APs you could SSH into them and make lots of extra changes, because they used the same OS and basic hardware as the Edge* devices). The frontend, the Unifi software, is still the same and is compatible with other Unifi devices. What this means is the UDM is limited to ONLY what is available in the UI, whereas the older devices can do more if you were willing to do it via command line.

 

They are developing a new Unifi device called “Beacon” which plugs directly into an outlet (it covers the whole outlet plate, which I think makes it very limited) and is intended to be used as a mesh node with the UDM. They also recently released the FlexHD for the same purpose. You can also do mesh with any of the other Unifi APs.

 

In terms of Amplifi vs Unifi (with or without the UDM as the central device), it comes down to how much tinkering and learning you want to do (either required to do, or able to do). A minimal working setup isn’t hard with Unifi, but it is harder than Amplifi. By the same token, if you want to dig into it, Unifi has more for you to do so.

[Richywilson]

35 minutes ago, brwainer said:

The Unifi Dream Machine is based on a new operating system, which means it shares nothing on the backend with prior Unifi equipment (prior Unifi Routers, Switches, and APs you could SSH into them and make lots of extra changes, because they used the same OS and basic hardware as the Edge* devices). The frontend, the Unifi software, is still the same and is compatible with other Unifi devices. What this means is the UDM is limited to ONLY what is available in the UI, whereas the older devices can do more if you were willing to do it via command line.

 

They are developing a new Unifi device called “Beacon” which plugs directly into an outlet (it covers the whole outlet plate, which I think makes it very limited) and is intended to be used as a mesh node with the UDM. They also recently released the FlexHD for the same purpose. You can also do mesh with any of the other Unifi APs.

 

In terms of Amplifi vs Unifi (with or without the UDM as the central device), it comes down to how much tinkering and learning you want to do (either required to do, or able to do). A minimal working setup isn’t hard with Unifi, but it is harder than Amplifi. By the same token, if you want to dig into it, Unifi has more for you to do so.

What about performance? I know Unifi is better than amplifi but the UDM i assume is also better than it. Just looking for good coverage which can handle 50+ clients (mostly home automation clients so a lot of talking going on) with future proofing I read the Amplifi starts having trouble around 70 clients. 

[brwainer]

33 minutes ago, Richywilson said:

What about performance? I know Unifi is better than amplifi but the UDM i assume is also better than it. Just looking for good coverage which can handle 50+ clients (mostly home automation clients so a lot of talking going on) with future proofing I read the Amplifi starts having trouble around 70 clients. 

I would try to have less than 20-30 clients per AP by placing the APs strategically, regardless of which system you go with. I don’t have a lot of insight or opinion on the systems beyond that. The UDM is comparable to the USG Pro in terms of routing capability, so in terms of the connection to the internet I’m sure it is stronger than Amplifi.

[Richywilson]

8 minutes ago, brwainer said:

I would try to have less than 20-30 clients per AP by placing the APs strategically, regardless of which system you go with. I don’t have a lot of insight or opinion on the systems beyond that. The UDM is comparable to the USG Pro in terms of routing capability, so in terms of the connection to the internet I’m sure it is stronger than Amplifi.

As the UDM is set to be a stand alone, it sounds like the amplifi might be the better bet since i cant mount aps for a full set up, they'd need to sit on desks. 

[brwainer]

1 hour ago, Richywilson said:

As the UDM is set to be a stand alone, it sounds like the amplifi might be the better bet since i cant mount aps for a full set up, they'd need to sit on desks. 

The UDM is a Unifi product, and you can connect other Unifi APs to it via Mesh. If you want to place things on desks, go with the FlexHD. If you have spare power outlets, go with the BeaconHD (which apparently just released today, I found out since my earlier posts: https://store.ui.com/collections/wireless/products/uap-beaconhd). The only limitation with the Unifi system is that APs other than the Mesh, Mesh Pro, and BeaconHD have to be first connected by ethernet and have the "Allow meshing to another access point" feature enabled, before you can unplug the ethernet and put them in other parts of the house/apartment.