Is Unifi worth the upgrade?

[kuchkovsky]

The only comparable UniFi line device to ASUS home routers is UDR7

While I generally agree with your points regarding firmware, this is simply not true - otherwise, this thread wouldn't exist. Both the UDR7 and UX7 are directly comparable. The new compact consoles (not the old rack-mount ones) plus any single AP are comparable as well, even though it's a bulkier setup than a single home router.

The problem is that their Wi-Fi specs for the Wi-Fi 7 devices (except for the really bulky Enterprise-series APs, probably) generally have worse signal strength, lower speeds, and fewer spatial streams. Asus simply wins in terms of raw performance and coverage. I think a UniFi console paired with a non-UniFi AP would work fine, though - delivering both powerful Wi-Fi and a nice set of router features.

Don't get me wrong - my point isn't that UniFi is bad. It's about acknowledging that it's still not ideal, and that more powerful compact home APs / AIO routers would be a great addition to the current Wi-Fi lineup to match Asus' top-of-the-line hardware. And IPv6 support needs improvement - come on, Ubiquiti, it's not 2012. I can't really blame home router brands for this, but SMB-grade hardware should have top-notch networking features, including first-class IPv6 support - it is the future of the web.

this Honda Civic Type R networking (my term, Tech9®) has one advantage only - it's cheap

The UDR7 is a bit cheaper than the RT-BE88U (both have non-ideal Wi-Fi 7 specs - the former is a mediocre tri-band, the latter is a top-spec dual-band). The UCG Fiber + E7 combo is more expensive than the GT-BE98 Pro, but cheaper than the GT-BE19000AI. Comparable configs aren't that different. UniFi just doesn't have budget devices in their lineup, unlike Asus.

 

[slyx1978]

While I generally agree with your points regarding firmware, this is simply not true - otherwise, this thread wouldn't exist. Both the UDR7 and UX7 are directly comparable. The new compact consoles (not the old rack-mount ones) plus any single AP are comparable as well, even though it's a bulkier setup than a single home router.

The problem is that their Wi-Fi specs for the Wi-Fi 7 devices (except for the really bulky Enterprise-series APs, probably) generally have worse signal strength, lower speeds, and fewer spatial streams. I think a UniFi console paired with a non-UniFi AP would work fine, though - delivering both powerful Wi-Fi and a nice set of router features.

Don't get me wrong - my point isn't that UniFi is bad. It's about acknowledging that it's still not ideal, and that more powerful compact home APs / AIO routers would be a great addition to the current Wi-Fi lineup to match Asus' top-of-the-line hardware. And IPv6 support needs improvement - come on, Ubiquiti, it's not 2012. I can't really blame home router brands for this, but SMB-grade hardware should have top-notch networking features, including first-class IPv6 support - it is the future of the web.


The UDR7 is a bit cheaper than the RT-BE88U (both have non-ideal Wi-Fi 7 specs - the former is a mediocre tri-band, the latter is a top-spec dual-band). The UCG Fiber + E7 combo is more expensive than the GT-BE98 Pro, but cheaper than the GT-BE19000AI. Comparable configs aren't that different. UniFi just doesn't have budget devices in their lineup, unlike Asus.

I have to disagree with you on that. On paper, ASUS routers might look faster when you compare their specs, but that doesn’t reflect real-world performance. I directly compared the ASUS GS‑BE18000 with the UniFi U7 Pro XG. Technically, the ASUS has better specifications—like 4x4 spatial streams on both 5 GHz and 6 GHz compared to the UniFi’s 2x2—but that advantage doesn’t translate to actual use.
In real-world tests, the speeds across my devices were mostly identical, except on the PS5 Pro, where transfer rates nearly doubled when connected to the UniFi. Where the UniFi clearly wins is in stability and reliability. I returned the ASUS after months of frustration: random 5 GHz dropouts, connection drops, AirPlay issues—you name it. Switching to UniFi solved all of that. And as a bonus, the UniFi dashboard feels modern and intuitive, unlike ASUS’s interface, which looks straight out of 2010.

 

[kuchkovsky]

I have a direct comparison between ASUS GS-BE18000 and Unify U7 Pro XG. FIRST device technically have better specs like for example 4x4 spatial streams on 5ghz and 6ghz vs 2x2 on Unify.

Well, maybe UniFi devices perform differently even if they have the same Wi-Fi specs on paper. The UX7 is definitely worse than the Asus. I suspect the UDR7 is too. Maybe the U7 Pro XG is better.

I returned the ASUS after months of frustration: random 5 GHz dropouts, connection drops, AirPlay issues

It probably depends on the model. I've never had issues with the RT-**88U or RT-**86U lineup - both the Wi-Fi 6 and 7 models. I have around 20 devices connected, including plenty of IoT ones.

ASUS’s interface, which looks straight out of 2010

It looks dated, but that doesn't say anything about the quality of the software. For example, Xiaomi's dashboard looks fancier, but their routers are complete crap - even worse than the rest of the Chinese junk.

 

[tgl]

You have to remember that UniFi's APs are designed to be used in multiples, perhaps even one-per-room, while consumer gear such as ASUS really tries to be one-per-household. (Yes, I'm familiar with AIMesh. Never worked that well for me.) That accounts for a number of differences, such as lower max Tx power; and to keep the costs down, yup UniFi's individual APs aren't necessarily top-spec. UniFi users tend to be more interested in aggregate performance for a bunch of client devices than peak speedtest for a single client. When you look at things that way, the reason for using multiple APs is clear: more radios spread across different channels can pass more data in total, even if your super-duper consumer router has better numbers for its one radio. So I don't think simple comparison of spec-sheet numbers is a particularly useful way to look at this.

I do agree that UniFi's weak support for IPv6 is kind of embarrassing. But like @Tech9 , I have no need for that currently.

 

[Tech9]

Don't get me wrong

@kuchkovsky, you demonstrate low knowledge of what UniFi purpose actually is and unclear understanding of what good Wi-Fi actually is. Please, read one of my old posts here explaining some differences between AIO router and multi-AP system.

ASUS lied to you. Significant part of what they advertise as main functionality is either not working, either partially working, either with conditional compatibility. Your device with broken bwdpi has not only non-working Adaptive QoS, but also broken Traffic Analyzer and Parental Controls, perhaps AiProtection is affected too. Dual WAN and Load Balancing are as basic a possible, USB file share is as basic as possible, AiMesh is in total mess even ASUS can't explain, AiCloud breach was the reason behind recent mass firmware updates, twice. Some unlucky people with AX-class devices have lost their routers! This is the quality of the software behind 2010 style UI. It's just the bare minimum so the device can sell. You are lucky there is a person making it better. Most folks around buy ASUS routers just because of this person. Unfortunately, Asuswrt is not entirely open source and proprietary components issues are carried over.

Most customers will appreciate user experience before specs on paper. There is no comparison between UDR7 and the dud RT-BE92U, between AiMesh and SMB multi-AP setup, between Ubiquiti and ASUS product lines. Ubiquiti targets customers with higher networking knowledge and lower false advertising tolerance. ASUS in contrast targets customers with lower networking knowledge and higher false advertising tolerance. This difference alone reflects on the quality and reliability of the products. Companies like TP-Link do both with consumer Archer/Deco and business Festa/Omada product lines and are successful on both markets.

 

[Tech9]

unlike ASUS’s interface

ASUS is coming with similar UI in so called Asuswrt 6.0, but far less customizable. Currently available on ExpertWiFi products.

In current state looks more like Omada SDN Controller, less like UniFi OS Network application. There is a Demo here:

ExpertWiFi Demo WebUI | Official Support | ASUS Canada