Is Unifi worth the upgrade?

[conflictednetworks]

Just to eliminate the obvious ... all these APs were running the same firmware version, right?

yep, updated the moment it appeared on the network management console.

 

[tgl]

The game changer is definitely the u7 pro wall.

[ scratches head... ] Makes no sense at all. Should be largely the same hardware as the u7 pro saucer AP. And I've not seen any traffic on Ubiquiti's own forums suggesting that there's a major performance difference.

Grasping at straws: UI's saucer APs are typically made to have max signal strength around 45-60 degrees off-axis, because they are intended to be put on the ceiling of a room that is probably quite a bit wider than it is high. The in-wall APs do not have a similar bias against clients directly in front of them (cf radiation patterns documented here). I wouldn't expect that to translate to a major performance difference for nearby clients ... but I'm running out of other ideas.

 

[conflictednetworks]

[ scratches head... ] Makes no sense at all. Should be largely the same hardware as the u7 pro saucer AP. And I've not seen any traffic on Ubiquiti's own forums suggesting that there's a major performance difference.

Grasping at straws: UI's saucer APs are typically made to have max signal strength around 45-60 degrees off-axis, because they are intended to be put on the ceiling of a room that is probably quite a bit wider than it is high. The in-wall APs do not have a similar bias against clients directly in front of them (cf radiation patterns documented here). I wouldn't expect that to translate to a major performance difference for nearby clients ... but I'm running out of other ideas.

yeah I'm not sure to be honest. Asthetically more pleasing for the u7 pro wall as the design is much more minimalistic. The crazy thing is that they cost MORE than even the u7 Pro XG so that's a bit of a letdown. Was truly hoping for a cheaper more cost effective solution but I guess form factor does play a part in the cost. Looking at the UI store for Canada the u7 XG wall is $400! Newer more modern design language that aligns more with the UCG Fiber chassis look and a 10GBE port on it. Fanless design from the looks of it too but beyond that, I'm not sure that's worth $100 more for those minor differences.

I will hook up my u7 pro xg that I was going to return tomorrow to the in wall wiring and power it using the POE ++ switch I have and see if that makes any difference. I doubt it would b/c the ceiling XG AP was plugged straight into the POE + port of the UCG Fiber that has enough power to properly power it so I doubt plugging into my POE++ switch will matter much.

 

[Tech9]

I know little about the testing methodology and can't tell where the measured performance difference is coming from. The specifications of U7-Pro, U7-Pro-Wall and U7-Pro-XG are very close with minor differences. In my opinion U7-Pro-Wall looks nicer than the rest for home setup. Whatever the issue was as I understand it is resolved now and @conflictednetworks is happy. This is what matters.

 

[Tech9]

my POE++ switch

I just purchased a TPlink 5 port POE++ 2.5 GBE switch for $140 CAD

I would get USW-Flex-2.5G-5 for CAD65 with 2x UACC-PoE+-2.5G adapters for CAD54 instead. Comes cheaper, integrated in Network application and with individual port VLAN configuration options. If more ports are needed just add another USW-Flex-2.5G-5. Still not sure why you need 10GbE Gateway. It only increases the project cost. If you get >2.5Gigabit ISP service you have to replace what's behind this Gateway anyway.

 

[conflictednetworks]

I know little about the testing methodology and can't tell where the measured performance difference is coming from. The specifications of U7-Pro, U7-Pro-Wall and U7-Pro-XG are very close with minor differences. In my opinion U7-Pro-Wall looks nicer than the rest for home setup. Whatever the issue was as I understand it is resolved now and @conflictednetworks is happy. This is what matters.

Happy I am indeed! I would wholeheartedly agree that the wall APs look nicer. That being said I am reluctant to return the u7 pro XG because I know that my basement will need a ceiling AP where I can mount it properly on the ceiling. Decisions decisions… lol. It’s addictive to want unifi equipment though I feel like a traitor to the well performing says rt-be96u as it did exceptionally well as a stand alone router that coveeed 99% of our home and 6Ghz range on that was incredibly crazy. Not sure how it did it but wife still grumbles at the cost of unifi.

 

[Tech9]

Not sure how it did it but wife still grumbles at the cost of unifi.

I'm pretty sure your wife doesn't care about MB/s and Mbps. What she'll most likely appreciate is set-and-forget reliable home network running common these days learn-from-home, work-from-home, entertainment, etc. None of it requires equipment with 10GbE ports. Your chasing of ISP speed, investing in speed test numbers and perhaps the itch for something new are the factors increasing the cost. And it doesn't directly translate into user experience improvements. I guess the entire upgrade idea started with simple ISP plan upgrade with "savings". The rest was all your... decisions, decisions.

 

[conflictednetworks]

I'm pretty sure your wife doesn't care about MB/s and Mbps. What she'll most likely appreciate is set-and-forget reliable home network running common these days learn-from-home, work-from-home, entertainment, etc. None of it requires equipment with 10GbE ports. Your chasing of ISP speed, investing in speed test numbers and perhaps the itch for something new are the factors increasing the cost. And it doesn't directly translate into user experience improvements. I guess the entire upgrade idea started with simple ISP plan upgrade with "savings". The rest was all your... decisions, decisions.

lol absolutely true on all accounts

 

[Tech9]

Don't ask how do I know and with much more expensive products.

 

[Micgang]

I posted elsewhere in the fall that I was starting the switch from an Asus mesh setup to a Unifi setup. I started with a Cloud Gateway Ultra as the router and kept the Asus AX devices in AP mode until I could get some Unifi APs. That let me learn how to use the Unifi OS and research which APs I wanted.
For Christmas I got myself a U6 mesh and two Express 7 devices. As a side note, Microcenter is a great place to get Unifi devices. I got the two Express 7 devices as open box and saved $40 on each.

So the set up is CGU attached to the fiber ONT, Ethernet connections to the three APs scattered around the house. Works great. I love the stability and the user experience for my family has been great. I think I’ve found the optimal locations for the APs, but will monitor. I have a lot of the radio settings on Auto. Curious if folks find they get better results by making manual tweaks.

 

[Micgang]

During the transition I also upgraded to Verizon Fios 2gbps plan. I never intended to keep it, just try it over the holidays and then return to 300 gbps speed. The main reason was is I wanted Verizon to upgrade my very aging ONT to the latest version and they also switched my connection to the new NGPON-2 line at the street. I’m back on the 300 Mbps plan but am getting more like 480 Mbps max. Not too shabby…

 

[Tech9]

two Express 7 devices

My only complaint about my Express devices (Wi-Fi 6 version UX, used as wireless bridges to wired clients) is the fact the LCD screen is no more customizable. It was customizable few Network application updates back (schedule on/off), but disappeared in newer versions. If I ever reset the UX devices to factory defaults the LCD screen will enter the default 10PM-8AM schedule. What's the situation with your UX7 units? Look at both Network application and UniFi App. Sometimes there are different options available. Thank you!

 

[Micgang]

My only complaint about my Express devices (Wi-Fi 6 version UX, used as wireless bridges to wired clients) is the fact the LCD screen is no more customizable. It was customizable few Network application updates back (schedule on/off), but disappeared in newer versions. If I ever reset the UX devices to factory defaults the LCD screen will enter the default 10PM-8AM schedule. What's the situation with your UX7 units? Look at both Network application and UniFi App. Sometimes there are different options available. Thank you!

I don't see any options to change the screen behavior on the Express 7. For reference I went to the U6 mesh and I can see how to change the LED color and brightness. I cannot find anything similar for the Express 7...

 

[Tech9]

Same issue then. On older UX firmware releases and Network versions there was option to change the LCD screen on/off schedule similar to Console settings for your Gateway LCD screen. This option is also available on UX(7) when the device is in Gateway mode. Got lost when the device is in Access Point mode, unfortunately. You have better chance to see it fixed on newer UX7 devices. Cosmetic issue, nothing critical, but uncommon for UniFi with their Apple-like attention to details.

 

[Micgang]

My express 7 devices are in locations where it won't really matter (office and basement). Being able to turn off the LED ring on the U6 mesh was way more important for me, as that one is in a bedroom.

 

[Tech9]

My U6-Mesh APs in the main residence setup are wall mounted with LED rings on maximum brightness white. The boss wants them to look like light fixtures. Hope you understand, I have no choice...

 

[Micgang]

My U6-Mesh APs in the main residence setup are wall mounted with LED rings on maximum brightness white. The boss wants them to look like light fixtures. Hope you understand, I have no choice...

Yes sir. The sleek UniFi APs are way more tolerable for the Mrs. than the Asus routers I had scattered about. She always wanted to hide them behind stuff in the same way she turns up the radio in the car when it's making a noise she doesn't want to tell me about...

 

[Tech9]

I actually have 9x U6-Mesh APs in different setups, the rest are table/desk positioned and with very faint 10% brightness blue light... after some negotiations. Some say RGB is useless... can be life saving feature.

 

[tgl]

So the set up is CGU attached to the fiber ONT, Ethernet connections to the three APs scattered around the house. Works great. I love the stability and the user experience for my family has been great. I think I’ve found the optimal locations for the APs, but will monitor. I have a lot of the radio settings on Auto. Curious if folks find they get better results by making manual tweaks.

The conventional wisdom on the Ubiquiti forums has always been to avoid auto power and auto channel. Auto power has generally equated to "high", which you seldom want in a multi-AP setup, because it tends to fool clients into hanging onto a far-away AP instead of roaming to a nearer one. Auto channel has been seen to do very stupid things too, like putting adjacent APs on the same channel. It's possible that UniFi has made these algorithms better in very recent firmware releases, but I'd take that theory with a grain of salt.

If you don't observe any problems in your setup, then great, leave it as-is. But if you do, manual selection of power and channel settings is likely to help.

AFAIK, UniFi's defaults for other stuff are mostly pretty sane, and they don't provide as many weird options as ASUS in the first place.

 

[Tech9]

Auto channel has been seen to do very stupid things too, like putting adjacent APs on the same channel.

It's AI engine driven now. May be useful for large sites with many APs. The APs firmware was updated as well in order to provide the necessary data for this AI engine. I don't use it, not needed for home setup.

https://community.ui.com/releases/UniFi-Network-Application-9-5-21/92266721-6758-4f33-b3bc-9d8b66f3c96e

like putting adjacent APs on the same channel.

This is not an issue for small setups. I don't use DFS channels for reliability. The only options in North America for 80MHz wide channel are Ch.42 and Ch.155. In Europe the only option is Ch.42, everything else is in DFS. When high enough channel bandwidth is available few APs sharing the same channel doesn't hurt the user experience. The difference is in simultaneous Speed Test from few clients.