So Long, Thanks For All The Help

[Tech9]

This one (with 2.5GbE WAN only):

Or this one (with all 2.5GbE ports and NVR storage):

 

[Tech9]

Cloud Gateway Max - Ubiquiti Store

Compact 2.5G Cloud Gateway with 30+ UniFi device / 300+ client support, 1.5 Gbps IPS routing, and selectable NVR storage.

store.ui.com

 

[Tech9]

You want Cloud Gateway Ultra or Max. They have Gateway, Controller and Switch 3-in-1. You only need to add Access Point.

Your RT-AX86U in Ubiquiti gear:
- Cloud Gateway Ultra - $129
- U6 Mesh with PoE injector included - $179

 

[tgl]

To each his own, but if you choose the Gateway Max you still need to bring a controller in one of the other ways I mentioned. If you're looking for low-hassle, the integrated cloud gateways are attractive.

 

[tgl]

edit: it was in a different section. Hmmmm

Yeah, the online store also puts "cloud gateways" and "gateways" under different headings, just like I said above for the tech specs page.

 

[Tech9]

Was actually thinking about exactly what the OP purchased.

Yes, you get 2.5GbE WAN/LAN and 3-band Wi-Fi 7. Check which one of the U7 series APs fits better your needs. There is a choice. Just keep in mind U7 APs have a cooling fan inside and not exactly dead silent. May be an issue for some. There is a fan control in software.

 

[tgl]

I'd not be in a hurry to buy the U7 series just yet. There's an awful lot of complaints in UI's forums leading to the conclusion that they're still getting the bugs out of that hardware and its firmware. The U6 series is far more solid (and no fans). Maybe in a year things will be different.

 

[Tech9]

I'd not be in a hurry to buy the U7 series just yet.

The reason my AP choice was U6 Mesh and the fact they are very small and look really nice. And the RGB light on top, of course.

 

[tgl]

Specs don't really show anything different that would explain why it's labelled "mesh". Marketing?

Yup, pretty much.

None of the UniFi APs are what I would call designed for mesh, because while they can do wireless backhaul, it's not what they are designed for and they're not very good at it. None of them offer a dedicated backhaul radio. If you cannot run wires to everyplace you need an AP, then UniFi may not be the gear for you. Use a wireless UniFi AP only in places where you need low-performance coverage.

 

[Tech9]

Marketing?

Yes. It's an AP like all the others, but marketed as Mesh with outdoor use options as it has IPX5 protection. Most of the time people don't have wires outdoors and... marketing decided to use the Mesh in the name. Otherwise all Ubiquiti UniFi APs support wireless mesh.

and they're not very good at it

Expected dual-band mesh performance. I tested U6 Mesh in wireless mesh and got some 400+ Mbps out of it. About half of 80MHz channel throughput to 2-stream device. If no wires are available it's not bad. For an outdoor party with 2.4GHz network to clients is excellent, actually.

 

[Tech9]

Does cover more SqFt though

U6 Mesh works better than RT-AX86U and on lower power. In my environment beats it in both range and throughput. My AP's are currently set at 22dBm or 160mW for 5GHz band and 20dBm or 100mW for 2.4GHz band. Four APs cover easily approximately 6000sqft area. Max power is 26dBm or 400mW.

 

[tgl]

Otherwise all APs support wireless mesh.

Yeah ... one of the cool things about UniFi is that they manage to support largely the same feature set across their whole range of devices. Wireless backhaul -- check (modulo having to share the radio). Multiple SSIDs -- check. VLANs -- check. And so on. Performance varies, and of course there are differences like "does it have a 6GHz radio". But the software features are pretty uniform.

 

[Tech9]

Just got a notification for UniFi Network Application update 8.6.9:

This is what UniFi changelog looks like in case someone is interested.

 

[GHammer]

Just keep in mind U7 APs have a cooling fan inside and not exactly dead silent. May be an issue for some. There is a fan control in software.

On my U7 Wall APs, there is no fan nor fan control.

 

[Tech9]

On my U7 Wall APs, there is no fan nor fan control.

Must be there. Perhaps it never turns on in your environment?

https://www.reddit.com/r/UNIFI/comments/1f9oh7m/note_for_all_u7_pro_wall_is_sexy_but_fan_noise

Or maybe you have a newer revision of U7 Pro Wall APs, also a possibility.

 

[tgl]

I looked through all the specs and couldn’t find mention of fans either.

UI's spec sheets often omit things you'd like to know. I don't think any of them talk about fans.

If you want to be sure, I'd ask on the community.ui.com forums and get an answer from somebody who owns one of what you are interested in. Plenty of helpful people over there.

 

[Tech9]

I looked through all the specs and couldn’t find mention of fans either.

Not in the specs, but present inside. They don't turn all the time.

U7 Pro Max:

How often do they get updates?

First time getting one after about 2 weeks uptime. You can check update history in forums. There are separate updates for Network Application, Apps like InnerSpace, APs and switches firmware. I'm assuming they don't come all at the same time. Too frequent updates was one of the reasons I removed one UniFi system years ago, let's see how it goes this time around with the new hardware and software.

 

[tgl]

How often do they get updates?

New "official" releases typically every month or two, IME. More details here.

Another thing to know that's much different from Asus practice is that anybody can sign up to get access to "Early Access" (ie, beta, or sometimes it's more like alpha) testing releases. I've had good luck running EA releases on my own APs, but people frequently hit bugs with it.

 

[Tech9]

Gonna bow out for the night and probably order in the morning.

It's quite boring. Once setup it just works and there is nothing to tune and adjust. You'll learn the UI in 2 days, will perhaps play with the options for about a week after. You'll have what you need quickly and may need to find a new hobby. Keep your Asus router...

 

[Tech9]

No, all the devices plugged into this switch including the AP will be seen as plugged into the gateway on the uplink to the switch port. UniFi will try to identify the devices by make/model and display a picture of what is connected. You can change it after along with the device name if you want.