Ubiquiti/Unifi Alternatives?

[fnberzerker]

Been thinking about this for a while... there are some threads out there, but most are a bit older.

 

I have a full Unifi setup right now, USG, Cloud Key, Unifi PoE switch, AP-AC-Pro(s), etc. but I’m looking at upgrading as some of those are starting to get a bit long in the tooth. My initial thought is to go for a Dream Machine Pro and update my AP’s, but I’m wondering if there are any other options close to Ubiquiti prices for near enterprise performance.

 

Network:

-1Gbps fiber 

-Ethernet throughout home (Cat6)

 

Budget:

- ~$1000

 

Req’s:

-Router

-Firewall

-AP’s

-Switch(es) (if moving away from UBNT)

 

Caveats:

-I’ll be keeping my switches unless I move to a different brand.

-I’m not a pro by any means, but I know enough to REALLY screw myself over... that said, I’m not afraid of cli configs or anything within reason.

 

I appreciate any info you guys can give!

 

[Guest]

17 hours ago, fnberzerker said:

SNIP

 

Honestly I wouldn't bother - perhaps swap out the USG with a UDM / USG Pro if you're wanting to do anything beyond stateful firewall on gigabit. Replacing the AP's, gateway and switches on a $1k budget means you're going to end up with a similar position to where you are now. Also look at moving that controller either onto the UDM or onto its own VM. The CloudKeys were more of a novelty than anything useful. 

[fnberzerker]

18 hours ago, Windspeed36 said:

Honestly I wouldn't bother - perhaps swap out the USG with a UDM / USG Pro if you're wanting to do anything beyond stateful firewall on gigabit. Replacing the AP's, gateway and switches on a $1k budget means you're going to end up with a similar position to where you are now. Also look at moving that controller either onto the UDM or onto its own VM. The CloudKeys were more of a novelty than anything useful. 

 Yeah, that was the main reason I was consider the udm-pro, it’s got the controller in it, high throughput with stateful inspection, and ability to run a drive for cameras. Honestly, it’s low priced enough to allow me to upgrade some ap’s also.

 I’ve been happy with ubnt, I just wanted to get input to make sure I wasn’t overlooking other good options. I guess some day I could get a compatible box and run pfsense or ipfire, but further down the road.

 Thanks for the input!

[Falcon1986]

5 hours ago, fnberzerker said:

I’ve been happy with ubnt, I just wanted to get input to make sure I wasn’t overlooking other good options. I guess some day I could get a compatible box and run pfsense or ipfire, but further down the road.

 Thanks for the input!

Ubiquiti provides something that is unique in this type of arena. Until now, you don’t have to pay a yearly license/subscription to use their equipment or controller. As a matter of fact, Ubiquiti still allows you to use a locally-hosted controller whereas many other brands do this in the cloud, hence the annual charges.

 

Of course, this comes with a few caveats. Support directly from the company is limited, but you can get good support from the public online community. Brand alternatives usually include support with your subscription. If you’re a home user, I don’t quite see the need for paying annually; it makes more sense for businesses who have to upgrade large volumes of hardware on a frequent basis.

 

With regards to a firewall, the USG, UDM-Pro or EdgeRouter are very capable machines, but a pfSense box will give you finer controls and better performance for CPU-intensive tasks.

 

Ubiquiti recently released their PoE and non-PoE versions of the Switch Lite, and also WiFi 6 APs (nothing available to the public yet with regards to WiFi 6e), so you can look into those. If you have WiFi 6 adapters, there should be a small increase in throughput which should help you take better advantage of that gigabit internet connection.

[Biomecanoid]

On 1/28/2021 at 6:50 AM, fnberzerker said:

Been thinking about this for a while... there are some threads out there, but most are a bit older.

 

I have a full Unifi setup right now, USG, Cloud Key, Unifi PoE switch, AP-AC-Pro(s), etc. but I’m looking at upgrading as some of those are starting to get a bit long in the tooth. My initial thought is to go for a Dream Machine Pro and update my AP’s, but I’m wondering if there are any other options close to Ubiquiti prices for near enterprise performance.

 

Network:

-1Gbps fiber 

-Ethernet throughout home (Cat6)

 

Budget:

- ~$1000

 

Req’s:

-Router

-Firewall

-AP’s

-Switch(es) (if moving away from UBNT)

 

Caveats:

-I’ll be keeping my switches unless I move to a different brand.

-I’m not a pro by any means, but I know enough to REALLY screw myself over... that said, I’m not afraid of cli configs or anything within reason.

 

I appreciate any info you guys can give!

 

Try Mikrotik

[Darren]

On 1/30/2021 at 12:33 PM, Biomecanoid said:

Try Mikrotik

I wouldn't, their software is terrible for even advanced users.

 

PfSense is not as bad, but it's also far from great IMO, I run this currently and I hate using it but I also can't be bothered replacing it unless it breaks.

 

Would be interested to hear what OP's requirements are and if there's anything the UBNT suite is not meeting currently. Put the $1,000 into something else.

[Biomecanoid]

9 hours ago, Darren said:

I wouldn't, their software is terrible for even advanced users.

 

PfSense is not as bad, but it's also far from great IMO, I run this currently and I hate using it but I also can't be bothered replacing it unless it breaks.

 

Would be interested to hear what OP's requirements are and if there's anything the UBNT suite is not meeting currently. Put the $1,000 into something else.

pfSense and Mikrotik work with zero problems and you forget they are there. As for the GUI and software its a matter of personal taste you can get used to it, its easy and it just works every time. 

 

pfSense is the best free router software our there + paired with Mikrotik for their excellent WiFi capabilities you have a match made in heaven.

 

[Guest]

12 hours ago, Biomecanoid said:

d Mikrotik work with zero problems and you forget they are there.

My recent experience with  CSS326's forgetting their admin credentials until you reboot them would suggest otherwise

 

Plus the UI is hot garbage - make changes to the VLAN's page, go to another page, make more changes, hit save and only part of the changes save. Currently ripping out a heap of Mikrotik kit and replacing it with Meraki MS & MX

 

[Biomecanoid]

5 minutes ago, Windspeed36 said:

My recent experience with a series CSS326's forgetting their admin credentials until you reboot them would suggest otherwise

 

Plus the UI is hot garbage - make changes to the VLAN's page, go to another page, make more changes, hit save and only part of the changes save. Currently ripping out a heap of Mikrotik kit and replacing it with Meraki MS & MX

 

The UI is personal preference. I have been using Mikrotik for a decade now with no issues.  I have used them in long range wireless links my best was 6km, I have used them in Maritime, in office and home setups. Rock solid.

 

Since most of my installation were remote. I had to connect over the internet to maintain them, so I just used CLI.  

 

The only other thing to match the reliability and performance of MIkrotik over the years was pfSense. So I tend to combine them, pfSense for router, Mikrotik for WiFi.