Help with Ubiquiti

[RTX 3090]

Old Configuration :

- 2x Unifi AP's

- Unifi Controller on spare Windows PC (i3 3rd Gen, 4GB RAM)

 

New config :

- 1x Ubiquiti Aircube ISP

- 1x Unifi AP

 

Problem : before I was able to install the Unifi App on my PC to use it as a controller, however does Unifi App recognise the Aircube ISP, if not how do I install UISP on the Windows PC, which is also used for other pruposes such as MS office, printing etc. It has a i3 3rd Gen, so not powerful enough to run a Linux VM, but I can't run native linux as I need windows installed on it. 

Any advise is appreciated, many thanks

[Falcon1986]

1 hour ago, RTX 3090 said:

however does Unifi App recognise the Aircube ISP

It doesn't. Completely different line of product.

 

1 hour ago, RTX 3090 said:

if not how do I install UISP on the Windows PC,

You don't. It's the software running on the appliance itself, but it should also allow cloud management.

[RTX 3090]

5 hours ago, Falcon1986 said:

You don't. It's the software running on the appliance itself, but it should also allow cloud management.

According to this guide I have to install it on Ubuntu 

https://help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/115012196527-UISP-Installation-Guide

Do I only have to use UISP for remote management ? It would be nice to have it, but at least I would have something in the meantime until I find a Pi to put it on.

 

Also can I run UISP in an ordinary website host ? I pay for namecheap shared hosting and was wondering if I can install it on there as it uses linux

[Falcon1986]

3 hours ago, RTX 3090 said:

According to this guide I have to install it on Ubuntu 

https://help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/115012196527-UISP-Installation-Guide

Do I only have to use UISP for remote management ? It would be nice to have it, but at least I would have something in the meantime until I find a Pi to put it on.

 

Also can I run UISP in an ordinary website host ? I pay for namecheap shared hosting and was wondering if I can install it on there as it uses linux

My experience is with the more versatile Ubiquiti airCube-AC. The aircube-ISP is intended for use with other WISP CPE hardware from the airMax line.

 

Just like the airCube-AC, the aircube-ISP can be managed locally by navigating to it's LAN IP or remotely via UNMS. UISP, as the name implies, is a system meant for ISP-level remote management in WISP setups for a large number of these devices. Does this describe your situation or are you a home user with a single aircube-ISP?

 

If the latter, then you don't need UISP; just use local or UNMS if you want remote management. If the former, you can use UISP on mobile to get started, then transition to have it hosted remotely or locally.

 

Unlike your dedicated AP, the airCube is not UniFi, despite being from the same Ubiquiti, so it doesn't require hosted controllers to set up and maintain configurations. You'll still need a hosted controller somewhere for your UniFi AP.

 

Out of curiosity, why did you choose to use this setup over the old one? This looks like a downgrade from my PoV.

[RTX 3090]

10 hours ago, Falcon1986 said:

Out of curiosity, why did you choose to use this setup over the old one? This looks like a downgrade from my PoV.

The Unifi AP does not have a 5ghz band, and even on the 2.4g I get a maximum of 40mbps, even though the internet is 100mbps. I thought it would be an upgrade as it is not discontinued and newer ?

 

10 hours ago, Falcon1986 said:

Does this describe your situation or are you a home user with a single aircube-ISP?

I am volounteering at a charity, and they had 3 floor, the router would only cover the main floor so I bought them 5 Unifi AP's. One for the basement, one for ground floor, and one for upstairs, and 2 for expandabilities in the future. I found through the U-AP's that I was only getting 40mbps, and on router Wifi I was getting 80, and 100 on ethernet, so decided to buy them a Ubiquti ISP cube for the main floor, where it is used the most. 

 

10 hours ago, Falcon1986 said:

Unlike your dedicated AP, the airCube is not UniFi, despite being from the same Ubiquiti, so it doesn't require hosted controllers to set up and maintain configurations. You'll still need a hosted controller somewhere for your UniFi AP.

Understood, is it possible to host it on ordinary web hosting using cPanel or will I also need to buy a Pi Zero or something ?

 

11 hours ago, Falcon1986 said:

hosted remotely

I need to have a minimum of 10 (non discontinued) devices for that, but I only have 1 Aircube ISP. 

 

I really like the Unifi control panel as I can easily remove unauthorised devices, and see what's on the network etc. I can also edit the WiFi networks for the entire building at once, normally I would have to go to each TP-Link router and edit everything one by one everytime I needed something changing. So far everything from Unifi has been perfect except the speeds

[Falcon1986]

2 hours ago, RTX 3090 said:

The Unifi AP does not have a 5ghz band, and even on the 2.4g I get a maximum of 40mbps, even though the internet is 100mbps. I thought it would be an upgrade as it is not discontinued and newer ?

That’s odd. The older generation APs are the ones with only 2.4GHz antennae (WiFi 4, 802.11b/g/n), which is going to be limiting in speed due to wireless interference/congestion and only 100Mbps ethernet ports. Here’s a list of APs that are being phased out.

 

3 hours ago, RTX 3090 said:

I found through the U-AP's that I was only getting 40mbps, and on router Wifi I was getting 80, and 100 on ethernet, so decided to buy them a Ubiquti ISP cube for the main floor, where it is used the most. 

Not understanding the reasoning here. What internet speeds is the charity paying for?

 

3 hours ago, RTX 3090 said:

Understood, is it possible to host it on ordinary web hosting using cPanel or will I also need to buy a Pi Zero or something ?

What do you mean by “it”? I’m not aware of installation via cPanel.

 

Please read the UISP documentation for UISP setup. Ideally, you’ll need something running Ubuntu/Debian. There is also a phone app for this as well.

 

The UniFi Controller can be hosted in the cloud or locally (your own Ubuntu/Debian/Windows/Mac computer, RPi or Cloud Key) or you can choose to set up via the phone app.

 

3 hours ago, RTX 3090 said:

I need to have a minimum of 10 (non discontinued) devices for that, but I only have 1 Aircube ISP. 

I forgot that they stopped freely hosting less than 10 devices on UNMS. But if you only have a single airCube, do you really need remote access? Why not manage through the device’s firmware?

 

Just to emphasize: UNMS/UISP does not integrate with the UniFi Controller. They’re two different things for 2 different lines of Ubiquiti products. That doesn’t stop you from mixing hardware within the same network, but you’ll have to manage devices separately.

 

3 hours ago, RTX 3090 said:

So far everything from Unifi has been perfect except the speeds

Check the exact model(s) of the UniFi AP(s) that you’re using. This might be the limiting factor with regards to speed.

[RTX 3090]

7 hours ago, Falcon1986 said:

That’s odd. The older generation APs are the ones with only 2.4GHz antennae (WiFi 4, 802.11b/g/n)

Yup, it is the older one afaik. RX and TX speed is 100mbps according to Unifi controller, but internet speed is only 20-40

 

7 hours ago, Falcon1986 said:

Not understanding the reasoning here. What internet speeds is the charity paying for?

 

100mbps air fibre via PPPoe

7 hours ago, Falcon1986 said:

The UniFi Controller can be hosted in the cloud or locally (your own Ubuntu/Debian/Windows/Mac computer, RPi or Cloud Key) or you can choose to set up via the phone app.

I installed Unifi controller on the PC, but I think UISP does not support that as it says Windows and Mac is not supported. 

7 hours ago, Falcon1986 said:

Why not manage through the device’s firmware?

I don't mind accessing tjrough the firmware if I have the same GUI where I can see the topology of the network, devices connected etc, and easily unauthorise devices if needed, or set network limitations to certain networks e,g. guest

[Falcon1986]

1 hour ago, RTX 3090 said:

Yup, it is the older one afaik. RX and TX speed is 100mbps according to Unifi controller, but internet speed is only 20-40

Hopefully, your APs are broadcasting on non-overlapping channels at 20MHz but that's difficult to do on 2.4GHz so your maximum throughput will be limited by your setup.

 

1 hour ago, RTX 3090 said:

but I think UISP does not support that as it says Windows and Mac is not supported. 

It doesn't. Did you read the UISP documentation I linked to earlier?

 

1 hour ago, RTX 3090 said:

I don't mind accessing tjrough the firmware if I have the same GUI where I can see the topology of the network, devices connected etc, and easily unauthorise devices if needed, or set network limitations to certain networks e,g. guest

The airCube firmware interface is nothing like UISP or UniFi. While UISP is Ubiquiti's attempt to make it look like that (supposed to be an upgrade from UNMS), I don't expect there to be significant features to be gained since the airCube is quite a simple wireless router.

 

Have you ever logged into the airCube interface to check out the features?

 

You won't get what you're attempting to do especially since you're mixing UniFi hardware with UISP/UNMS hardware. It's better to stick with one line of products for this to happen. A better solution for a router/firewall with these types of features would be the USG.

[RTX 3090]

1 hour ago, Falcon1986 said:

Hopefully, your APs are broadcasting on non-overlapping channels at 20MHz but that's difficult to do on 2.4GHz so your maximum throughput will be limited by your setup.

It says HT20, would changing to HT40 help ?

 

1 hour ago, Falcon1986 said:

The airCube firmware interface is nothing like UISP or UniFi. While UISP is Ubiquiti's attempt to make it look like that (supposed to be an upgrade from UNMS), I don't expect there to be significant features to be gained since the airCube is quite a simple wireless router.

I don't want any new features, just what I already have with the UAP's if possible

 

1 hour ago, Falcon1986 said:

Have you ever logged into the airCube interface to check out the features?

Delivery is arriving in 2-3 days, so just planning what to do in the meantime

 

1 hour ago, Falcon1986 said:

Did you read the UISP documentation I linked to earlier?

 

I think I need to run a virtualbox with Linux on, but this will be slow on a i3 3rd gen. 

 

[RTX 3090]

1 hour ago, Falcon1986 said:

You won't get what you're attempting to do especially since you're mixing UniFi hardware with UISP/UNMS hardware. It's better to stick with one line of products for this to happen. A better solution for a router/firewall with these types of features would be the USG.

I don't mind using two different softwares for Unifi and UNMS/UISP, however I want to have the GUI for both of them, like I do with Unifi Controller, and also access remotely like unifi.ui.com 

Remote access is a nice addon, but not completely necessary if it makes installation easier. I just need the local GUI, and 100mbps speeds

 

[Falcon1986]

1 hour ago, RTX 3090 said:

It says HT20, would changing to HT40 help ?

Not necessarily. You'll be bonding channels, which increases the potential bandwidth, but can overlap resulting in interference with other APs/networks.

 

I recommend you run a wireless channel analysis to see what the 2.4GHz spectrum looks like at the site in question before making setting changes.

 

1 hour ago, RTX 3090 said:

I think I need to run a virtualbox with Linux on, but this will be slow on a i3 3rd gen. 

Well, that's up to you to execute.

 

1 hour ago, RTX 3090 said:

I don't mind using two different softwares for Unifi and UNMS/UISP, however I want to have the GUI for both of them, like I do with Unifi Controller, and also access remotely like unifi.ui.com 

Remote access is a nice addon, but not completely necessary if it makes installation easier. I just need the local GUI, and 100mbps speeds

If you just need local GUI access, then you don't need to bother with UISP and hosting it on a server. Just use what's available through the airCube's UI. Honestly, I don't think you'll find the amount of control that you're expecting in the airCube to begin with, which negates going through the trouble of attaching it to UISP.

 

Trust me; I've used the sister airCube-AC and, while it works well for someone who needs a compact and solid home wireless router, the features are limited. I only use it in AP mode to fill in edge wireless coverage where the main UniFi APs have difficulty reaching.

 

Again, this is where a USG would have been the better choice. It integrates with the UniFi Controller so you don't even have to use UISP. All you'd need to take care of is somewhere to host the Controller.

 

As a general principle, when you're setting up anyone's network outside of your own, it's a good idea to keep it as simple as possible. This allows posterity to quickly learn and easily upgrade/troubleshoot if necessary.

[RTX 3090]

1 minute ago, Falcon1986 said:

Again, this is where a USG would have been the better choice

Will consider in the future, I mainly choose Ubiquiti cause I got them real cheap (5 u-AP's for £65, 5 POE's for £15, aircube for £21). I will just use locally for now and see if the speed improves. If we get more in the future, I'll probably also get their UISP cameras so i have 10 devices. 

 

Also what would happen if I just don't add 10 devices ? Would be account just get banned, or is the rule there just to throw people off from using only 1 device, or get them to buy more ?

3 minutes ago, Falcon1986 said:

I recommend you run a wireless channel analysis to see what the 2.4GHz spectrum looks like at the site in question before making setting changes.

I ran that and there were a few interfering channels, but mainly cars passing by (it's on a main road). But there is absolutely 0 signal in the basement from any other WiFi source, not even cellular, and I still only get 20mbps. Is there any other checks I can run ? What sort of speeds should I even be expecting ? Is the bottleneck the U-AP, or it's controller, or just misconfigured ?

[Falcon1986]

1 hour ago, RTX 3090 said:

I'll probably also get their UISP cameras so i have 10 devices. 

Ubiquiti cameras are now on UniFi Protect, which will more than likely require a UDM-Pro or at least a UCK-Gen2+ with compatible PoE switch. They are not part of UISP.

 

1 hour ago, RTX 3090 said:

Also what would happen if I just don't add 10 devices ? Would be account just get banned, or is the rule there just to throw people off from using only 1 device, or get them to buy more ?

Account is deactivated after a period of time.

 

It's not a matter of satisfying a +10 device requirement; these devices must also be UISP-compatible. Most of Ubiquiti's devices marketed as being part of the UniFi ecosystem are not going to fall into this requirement. Only their UISP-compatible ones.

 

1 hour ago, RTX 3090 said:

Is the bottleneck the U-AP, or it's controller, or just misconfigured ?

Use a computer or phone and run WiFi Analyzer or WiFiman to get a proper assessment. Run the scan on the different levels where you expect WiFi coverage and post the graphical output for 2.4GHz.

 

Cars shouldn't cause wireless interference on 2.4GHz. However, if they're crossing the fresnel zone of the airFiber, that might cause intermittent drops in the WAN side of the signal, which would translate to slower speeds for clients on the LAN when they try to access the internet.

[aaronf15]

In your case the Aircube-ISP won't work. If you're wanting something that sort of size I'd consider looking into the Unifi Flex HD https://store.ui.com/collections/unifi-network-wireless/products/unifi-flexhd

[Falcon1986]

8 hours ago, aaronf15 said:

In your case the Aircube-ISP won't work. If you're wanting something that sort of size I'd consider looking into the Unifi Flex HD https://store.ui.com/collections/unifi-network-wireless/products/unifi-flexhd

I think the OP intends the airCube to act as router and AP. The FlexHD is only an AP.

[RTX 3090]

10 hours ago, Falcon1986 said:

I think the OP intends the airCube to act as router and AP. The FlexHD is only an AP.

I already have a PPPoe router, which connects to the switch. Does the cube also act as a router ? Would be cool if I can replace the one my ISP has given

 

[RTX 3090]

On 12/28/2021 at 3:54 PM, Falcon1986 said:

Use a computer or phone and run WiFi Analyzer or WiFiman to get a proper assessment. Run the scan on the different levels where you expect WiFi coverage and post the graphical output for 2.4GHz.

This is the speed on my ethernet PC https://www.speedtest.net/result/12537066672

This is the speed on a device with WiFi https://www.speedtest.net/result/12537085791

 

Unifi Wi-Fi scan

[RTX 3090]

On 12/28/2021 at 3:54 PM, Falcon1986 said:

However, if they're crossing the fresnel zone of the airFiber, that might cause intermittent drops in the WAN side of the signal, which would translate to slower speeds for clients on the LAN when they try to access the internet.

But for some reason my ethernet is always fine, just WiFi that is affected

[Alex Atkin UK]

8 hours ago, RTX 3090 said:

I already have a PPPoe router, which connects to the switch. Does the cube also act as a router ? Would be cool if I can replace the one my ISP has given

 

Honestly I would just return the Aircube as its always going to mean you have to manage that device separate from the others, which is clearly not what you want.

[Falcon1986]

10 hours ago, RTX 3090 said:

Does the cube also act as a router ?

Yes, it does. But it should also be able to work in bridge/AP mode.

 

It was really intended to work with other airMAX wireless bridge devices.

 

10 hours ago, RTX 3090 said:

Would be cool if I can replace the one my ISP has given

You should be able to. Check with the ISP.

 

5 hours ago, RTX 3090 said:

Unifi Wi-Fi scan...

While there is a lot of overlap with other 2.4GHz WiFi broadcasts, they're fairly weak to cause significant interference. There might be interference from other sources of 2.4GHz.

 

What are the wireless settings being used on the UniFi AP? Are these speeds measured while in close proximity to the AP, on the same level and no walls in between?

 

1 hour ago, Alex Atkin UK said:

Honestly I would just return the Aircube as its always going to mean you have to manage that device separate from the others, which is clearly not what you want.

Agreed.

[RTX 3090]

17 hours ago, Falcon1986 said:

You should be able to. Check with the ISP.

They have given me a PPPoe username and password, but not many routers support that, but one of my TP link ones does, I was wondering if that was somewhat hindering the performance, maybe blacklisting/rate limiting the IP or something ?

 

17 hours ago, Falcon1986 said:

What are the wireless settings being used on the UniFi AP?

the test results above were right next to the AP, like literally the phone was sitting on top of it

 

17 hours ago, Falcon1986 said:

Are these speeds measured while in close proximity to the AP, on the same level and no walls in between?

the test results above were right next to the AP, like literally the phone was sitting on top of it. Slightly futher away (a floor on top), I was reduced by around 40-50%, which isn't much of a surprise as it is a good 25 meters away. I plan to put more AP's on the top floor if I can get it to give the full speed

 

19 hours ago, Alex Atkin UK said:

Honestly I would just return the Aircube as its always going to mean you have to manage that device separate from the others, which is clearly not what you want.

I am willing to sacrifice remote management if it means that I get my full 100mbps, weather that is done by UniFi or the Cube ISP, I just need speeds. I got it for a pretty good price (£20) so should easily be able to sell it for more than I got it for, as they go for around £40 in the UK, but if it gives good speeds, I don't mind keeping it.

 

Also are Cisco AP's any good ? The used ones on eBay are super cheap, but apparently they need a special lisence (but some guy made a jailbreak for it to bypass this)

I don't mind going full cisco (router, switch, AP's) if it means everything works better, but their lisencing and set-up sounds a bit troublesome unlike UniFi

 

Cisco AP's I have seen :
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203775684355?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/373489114262?

Cisco 1gb switch https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/133694615374?

[Lurick]

15 minutes ago, RTX 3090 said:

Cisco AP's I have seen :

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203775684355?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/373489114262?

Cisco 1gb switch https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/133694615374?

You need a controller or to get an AP with (if I recall) the CAPWAP/controller image loaded instead of the default Lightweight image.

Any old IOS stuff doesn't do smart licensing and it's basically honor system in most cases (aside firewall stuff I think)

 

Meraki stuff on the other hand requires a license to function, there is a 30 day grace period and that's about it. It's a subscription license for the enterprise Meraki stuff. There is also the Meraki-Go line but from what I hear it's pretty bad in terms of features but depending on what you need could get you by and is a single time license.

[RTX 3090]

9 minutes ago, Lurick said:

Meraki stuff on the other hand requires a license to function

Is the lisence just for remote managemnt like Ubiquiti, or will I not even be able to basic set up without it ? Is the lisence cheap for the desired AP's ? I have seen pricing ranging from $50 to $10,000, so not sure how much it will cost for my application

 

11 minutes ago, Lurick said:

You need a controller or to get an AP with (if I recall) the CAPWAP/controller image loaded instead of the default Lightweight image.

So like Unif where I run UniFi controller, only it's an OS instead of an app ? Or do I have to buy their equivalent of the dream machine ?

[Lurick]

1 hour ago, RTX 3090 said:

Is the lisence just for remote managemnt like Ubiquiti, or will I not even be able to basic set up without it ? Is the lisence cheap for the desired AP's ? I have seen pricing ranging from $50 to $10,000, so not sure how much it will cost for my application

 

So like Unif where I run UniFi controller, only it's an OS instead of an app ? Or do I have to buy their equivalent of the dream machine ?

No, license is for functionality of the devices. For the APs you have there is no license needed as they are Cisco branded, only for the Meraki branded switch (which is owned by Cisco) do you need a license. A license for that switch (which is end of support by the way) is about $150/year but multi-year licenses tend to make it cheaper and are sold either in 1, 3, 5, 7, or 10 year increments.

[Lurick]

1 hour ago, RTX 3090 said:

So like Unif where I run UniFi controller, only it's an OS instead of an app ? Or do I have to buy their equivalent of the dream machine ?

Not exactly, you need a controller to program and tell the APs what to do, you can have that controller be a separate appliance OR it can live on one of the APs but only a specific set of APs support being the controller. Unlike Ubiqiuti where you only need it for stats and stuff and can shut it off, the controller for the Cisco APs needs to stay online the whole time since the access points terminate traffic at the controller to be routed to the rest of the network (in default mode, there is flexconnect mode but that's more stuff to deal with)