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Ubiquiti Dream Machine

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Johno

Regular Contributor
I'm considering getting a Ubiquiti Dream Machine for my home network to replace a couple of old Asus routers configured as an AiMesh system. Reviews of the UDM are very much glowing but a few reviews on Amazon mention fan noise, so I was wondering if anyone in these forums have a UDM and could report on their experiences with it?
 
@Johno - No direct experience here, but as a general point of caution, if you haven't already, I would keep tabs on the latest firmware releases over in the UI forums (1.9.3 as of now), and read at least several pages of feedback to gage quality and stability for yourself. It's been well over a year since release and Ubiquiti still seems to be having a rough time getting the platform stable enough to call it even "mostly reliable" for a home setup (let alone a business). That of course hasn't stopped most from just rolling the dice, but it appears a portion of those who did are now reverting to other gateway solutions, UniFi or otherwise.

Also, on the wifi performance front, I would also make sure you plan to spec at least a UDM plus one or two more APs alongside, as the UDM has the equivalent of one FlexHD AP built in (with sub-500mW power output), and on its own won't give you anywhere near the total capacity or range of your two Asus units (even in AiMesh, which lowers total WLAN capacity). I presume you've already planned for that, but if not, I would do so, including any cabling work required to provide additional ethernet port(s) for the additional AP(s).

TL;DR - In case you're not aware, business-grade APs (the UDM included) are purposely designed with lower power-output per AP (to serve higher client densities), so to create equivalent performance across a given area versus over-amplified consumer boxes, you'll need a tighter density and higher overall numbers of APs. In a typical house, this may only mean one more AP, but still, you want to account for that upfront, so you're not left wondering why your new, fancy setup seems "worse" for overall wifi performance.

As far as potentially making a better product suggestion for you, are you running anything out of the ordinary with your Asus gear, like OpenVPN, certain Merlin scripts, etc, that you'd like to have in the new solution? Or are you just simply looking or more reliable distributed wireless? If you can detail any of that, it would help to confirm whether a UDM or something else would be a best-fit for your needs.
 
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@Johno - No direct experience here, but as a general point of caution, if you haven't already, I would keep tabs on the latest firmware releases over in the UI forums (1.9.3 as of now), and read at least several pages of feedback to gage quality and stability for yourself. It's been well over a year since release and Ubiquiti still seems to be having a rough time getting the platform stable enough to call it even "mostly reliable" for a home setup (let alone a business). That of course hasn't stopped most from just rolling the dice, but it appears a portion of those who did are now reverting to other gateway solutions, UniFi or otherwise.

Also, on the wifi performance front, I would also make sure you plan to spec at least a UDM plus one or two more APs alongside, as the UDM has the equivalent of one FlexHD AP built in (with sub-500mW power output), and on its own won't give you anywhere near the total capacity or range of your two Asus units (even in AiMesh, which lowers total WLAN capacity). I presume you've already planned for that, but if not, I would do so, including any cabling work required to provide additional ethernet port(s) for the additional AP(s).

TL;DR - In case you're not aware, business-grade APs (the UDM included) are purposely designed with lower power-output per AP (to serve higher client densities), so to create equivalent performance across a given area versus over-amplified consumer boxes, you'll need a tighter density and higher overall numbers of APs. In a typical house, this may only mean one more AP, but still, you want to account for that upfront, so you're not left wondering why your new, fancy setup seems "worse" for overall wifi performance.

As far as potentially making a better product suggestion for you, are you running anything out of the ordinary with your Asus gear, like OpenVPN, certain Merlin scripts, etc, that you'd like to have in the new solution? Or are you just simply looking or more reliable distributed wireless? If you can detail any of that, it would help to confirm whether a UDM or something else would be a best-fit for your needs.
Thanks for the very sensible advice, I'll check out the UI forums. On the Asus router I am running an OpenVPN server but nothing else like custom scripts etc, so I believe the UDM has that covered, not OpenVPN (I think), but I've seen the demos of setting up VPNs from iOS, Windows and MacOS).

I was running just one of the Asus routers for a week or so to see if coverage was seriously affected and it's not. My house isn't that big so I'd presumed - after reading the reviews and specs - that the UDM's WiFi coverage would be better than the Asus RT-68AC and so I'd be able to just use that. The AiMesh I'm running with the second Asus via ethernet backhaul in the loft is more of a nice-to-have than a necessity, but if the UDM was lacking in WiFi coverage, I'd probably invest in a UB access point. Cabling isn't an issue, my home is cat5e cabled throughout including the loft space.

I'm attracted to the UDM by the fact that management is very easy, especially for stuff like VLANs (for future IoT devices such as camera floodlights and others) which I can't easily do with the Asus router unless I do some command-line diving, and even then it's tricky. Also, I get the odd issue where web pages and apps don't load content and give up with a "server couldn't be reached"-type error which, according to my wife, didn't happen with the Billion 802.11n router (which the Asus replaced) so I was thinking this might be a good time to check out the UDM, especially as she often encounters those errors when internet shopping and gets very annoyed that "the internet just doesn't work" :)
 
@Trip I've been reading through the UI forums and there does seem to a few issues with the UDM, particularly spikes in memory and CPU usage which cause the fan to spin up for extended periods. I'll be holding off on the UDM for now I think...
 
Very welcome. And roger that on holding off; I don't fault you.

Just an FYI on specific differences in output power between the UDM and your AC68U: UDM goes up to 485mW in 2.4Ghz, 385mW in 5Ghz; AC68U up to 770mW 2.4Ghz, 960 in 5Ghz. So the UDM, (aka FlexHD/NanoHD) is roughly 40% less powerful. So more than likely, you'd have to plan on a second AP in the loft (at least).

All-in-one appeal of the UDM aside, have you considered a pre-built Netgate SG-series, Untangle z-series or Firewalla Gold for the gateway, then running UniFi switching and wireless behind it? That may be the ultimate combo for you, and would only be two control UI's total.
 
Just an FYI on specific differences in output power between the UDM and your AC68U: UDM goes up to 485mW in 2.4Ghz, 385mW in 5Ghz; AC68U up to 770mW 2.4Ghz, 960 in 5Ghz. So the UDM, (aka FlexHD/NanoHD) is roughly 40% less powerful. So more than likely, you'd have to plan on a second AP in the loft (at least).
Now that's interesting. Most of the reviews I've seen or read seem to think that the UDM provides better coverage than your Asus and TP-Link etc home routers, but I guess the power output figures speak for themselves.

Thanks for the suggestions on other devices, they're expensive though and most importantly, they fail the aesthetics test. I replaced a Billion 7800n router with the Asus because my wife kept complaining about the appearance and size of the router. Aside from the 802.11ac support, the relative attractiveness, smaller size and vertical-stand orientation of the RT68-AC was a major selling point.
 
Most of the reviews I've seen or read seem to think that the UDM provides better coverage than your Asus and TP-Link etc home routers, but I guess the power output figures speak for themselves.
Well, raw output power isn't everything, but by and large a UDM is not going to give you the same coverage.
Thanks for the suggestions on other devices, they're expensive though and most importantly, they fail the aesthetics test. I replaced a Billion 7800n router with the Asus because my wife kept complaining about the appearance and size of the router. Aside from the 802.11ac support, the relative attractiveness, smaller size and vertical-stand orientation of the RT68-AC was a major selling point.
Roger that on aesthetics. What if you did a mini ITX DIY build inside a white/silver case?
 
Hi I’m using a little UDM along with a NanoHD to cover my property.
I am on the latest build firmware wise and have no issues with memory or fans spinning up.
It’s true the UDM does not have great coverage like say the RAX120 I have so I needed another AP to cover my property. I run that in mesh and i have lowered the output on both regarding the transmit power. Placement is more critical when running the mesh setup but no complaints as long as the restricted throughput is acceptable.

so far it’s been stable, no real issues but the UI is a tad messy as they move towards the new one so you end up swapping between 2. Saying that once it’s set up it seems to do the job nicely for me.

The IOS app is good for basic stuff and seeing what’s going on quickly too.

It has its quirks for sure but so far I’m happy with it.

What I don’t like is the fact it fails to pick up my PPPoE on setup so I have to do it the old fashioned way and with the .52 firmware that was on the unit you needed to SSH in to update but after that you receive updates over the air depending on your preference.
 
did you made a decision in this subject
I have enough pvp :) with Asus and as i already put in 10+ location EdgeRouters and no1 called for most than half year planning myself move to it in few month when I change apartment.

UDM is truly not advice because of stability and it is very hard to add extra functionality, soft etc.
I would go with UDM Pro if they would allow the same flexibility as EdgeRouter

Therefore I am going with Edgerouter ER-12 and Access Point U6 LR. What I cannot understood that EdgeRouter 12P PoE cannot supply power for AP points (only for Ubiquiti UAP AC LITE)
It is strange company policy that I would need to buy PoE injector or Unifi Switch to supple power to AP.
 
The U6 is WiFi 6 on 5Ghz only. Lots of chat about them out there before making your mind up.
still no issues with my UDM, it just keeps on plodding, really happy so far.
they have a few PoE standards but I believe with the U6 you will need to purchase one extra if memory serves me right.
 

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