*** Official Ubiquiti Discussion Thread ***

[the-evaluator]

The 2 will be fine but the database changes that happen whern you upgrade the controller will be a lot quicker on the 3. Once you're up and running I didn't notice any difference between the 2 and 3.

I'd idtended to get a Cloud Key but decided against it, I like being able to run the bleeding edge versions of the controller which is a pain fi you're using a Cloud Key.

 

[Voicon]

The 2 will be fine but the database changes that happen whern you upgrade the controller will be a lot quicker on the 3. Once you're up and running I didn't notice any difference between the 2 and 3.

I'd idtended to get a Cloud Key but decided against it, I like being able to run the bleeding edge versions of the controller which is a pain fi you're using a Cloud Key.

Cheers, will just use a pi 3, better for future proofing on newer software versions.

 

[ChrisD.]

What's the cloud key do? I have two spare Pi's sat doing nothing.

 

[Voicon]

What's the cloud key do? I have two spare Pi's sat doing nothing.

It's the controller so you don't have to run it on a PC, you can export the configuration from the PC and upload it to the controller on Pi or the Unifi Cloud key, if you want to leave it running this is a cheaper (electricity) way of doing it.

 

[ChrisD.]

Ah, my iMac is always on as it never wakes from sleep so probably not worth it for me.

Thanks.

 

[WJA96]

You only need to power up the controller when you want to view the system(s) or configure something. You definitely don't need to have it running all the time.

What the cloud key gives you is access to multiple systems independently, so if you have 5 networks for 5 different clients you plug a cloud key in at each location and you can access each of them independently from one central login (your Unifi account). Each independent client can see their own system but only you can see all of them.

Yes, you can run a laptop or a raspberry pi or a Dell blade server but the Cloud Key is the official solution. If you're buying a USG Pro 4, a SW-48-500 and a 5-pack of AP-AC-Pros then the £55+VAT for a Cloud Key is almost negligible compared to the cost saving in time setting up anything else.

 

[Kol]

Apologies as I'm confident this had been answered but no combination of search is getting me a quick answer.

Would it be an upgrade or a downgrade going from an ER-lite to a USG? I want the graphs but is it worth it? My ER-lite has been bullet proof so far compared to the AirPort Extreme it replaced.

 

[DIABLO]

The USG has the same hardware as the Lite, but it would be a step back in terms of software functionality as the settings you can change with the UniFi controller are a lot less then you can do with the Lites software, but if you don't use those features and just want a basic router then you wouldn't miss anything going to the USG.

 

[Kol]

Thanks @DIABLO

 

[Burned_Alive]

What's the general approach with these systems for residential purposes? Are people using the APs in place of a wifi router (by turning wifi off) and then placing additional APs around the house? Or do you retain the Wifi router and add an AP? I was ideally looking for a full Mesh solution.

I currently have a BT HH5 and our house is L shaped with the router sitting in the furthest corner away from the rest of the house in the short side of the L. All our walls are breeze block. I just purchased and tried BT Whole Home Wifi but the second disc only gets a good signal just outside the room the first disc is in, which is quite frankly pointless. Once we've extended I would probably end up needing 6 BT discs and at the minute they only support 3. It also does not lend itself to being installed on a wall or ceiling.

 

[bremen1874]

Generally you'd disable the router's wireless and add one or more access points. It works well but you've got to be willing to run a network cable to each location. They aren't targeted at the domestic market and you don't get the level of hand holding you might expect.

The mesh systems are still quite new. The concept is sound, and given time they should fix most domestic issues.

I haven't had chance to play with one of these mesh systems yet. Is there any chance that it's just a setup issue and both discs were only talking back to the base router and not each other?

 

[Voicon]

Apologies as I'm confident this had been answered but no combination of search is getting me a quick answer.

Would it be an upgrade or a downgrade going from an ER-lite to a USG? I want the graphs but is it worth it? My ER-lite has been bullet proof so far compared to the AirPort Extreme it replaced.

The USG has the same hardware as the Lite, but it would be a step back in terms of software functionality as the settings you can change with the UniFi controller are a lot less then you can do with the Lites software, but if you don't use those features and just want a basic router then you wouldn't miss anything going to the USG.

I thought they both had the same functionality, although the unifi controller has limited GUI settings they can all still be accessed via CLI if needed?

I haven't used the ER-Lite but I have the USG and love the flashy graphics in the controller

 

[WJA96]

Apologies as I'm confident this had been answered but no combination of search is getting me a quick answer.

Would it be an upgrade or a downgrade going from an ER-lite to a USG? I want the graphs but is it worth it? My ER-lite has been bullet proof so far compared to the AirPort Extreme it replaced.

They're basically identical functionally, just the USG is Unifi enabled. It would be a side-grade step if anything.

What's the general approach with these systems for residential purposes? Are people using the APs in place of a wifi router (by turning wifi off) and then placing additional APs around the house? Or do you retain the Wifi router and add an AP? I was ideally looking for a full Mesh solution.

I currently have a BT HH5 and our house is L shaped with the router sitting in the furthest corner away from the rest of the house in the short side of the L. All our walls are breeze block. I just purchased and tried BT Whole Home Wifi but the second disc only gets a good signal just outside the room the first disc is in, which is quite frankly pointless. Once we've extended I would probably end up needing 6 BT discs and at the minute they only support 3. It also does not lend itself to being installed on a wall or ceiling.

Unfortunately, the only way around this to run a cable. These access points are very good, they just don't work miracles. Home hub 6 is probably just as sensitive as an AP-AC-LR and I don't have my AP-AC-HDs yet (middle of May delivery) but they should be a little bit better again. I started out by running two cables outside the house. You drill a hole in the wall where your internet comes into the building big enough to take 2 cables and then you drill a second hole roughly where you want to take the Internet. They you run the cable round the outside of the building and at each point fit a double RJ45 socket. CCS make a tool-less keystone module with faceplates so you don't need a punchdown tool. Two pattress boxes, 200m cable and two loaded keystone faceplates should be under £100. Any semi-competent handyman or aerial installer will be able to do it. Or, if you want to really spend money, you can use the AP-AC-Pro or -LR in a mesh configuration (they call it uplinking) where the first one is wired then the others are meshed into it, but they still have to be powered so you still need a PoE injector for each unit. The best option is to just bite the bullet and run a cable.

 

[the-evaluator]

What the cloud key gives you is access to multiple systems independently, so if you have 5 networks for 5 different clients you plug a cloud key in at each location and you can access each of them independently from one central login (your Unifi account). Each independent client can see their own system but only you can see all of them.

That facility isn't specific to the Cloud Key, it's part of the controller software irrespective of the hardware it's running on. Also, you don't have to do it through the cloud account, you can have multiple sites connected to a single controller. I've got an Ubuntu VM at work that's got about 6 sites connected to it.

Yes, you can run a laptop or a raspberry pi or a Dell blade server but the Cloud Key is the official solution. If you're buying a USG Pro 4, a SW-48-500 and a 5-pack of AP-AC-Pros then the £55+VAT for a Cloud Key is almost negligible compared to the cost saving in time setting up anything else.

Ubnt will support the controller on Windows, Mac and certain flavours of Linux. The CK is no more 'official' than the controller I'm running on an Ubuntu VM.

 

[the-evaluator]

I thought they both had the same functionality, although the unifi controller has limited GUI settings they can all still be accessed via CLI if needed?

I haven't used the ER-Lite but I have the USG and love the flashy graphics in the controller

You can add config to the USG by the CLI but it'll get overwritten when the USG checks in with the controller. If you want the config to stay you need to add the config to a configgateway.json file that resides on the controller, that'll get read in when the USG provisions. The CLI implementation on the USG is awful.

As the controller moves on (I'm in 5.6.3) there's more functionality becoming available in the GUI.

 

[DIABLO]

I thought they both had the same functionality, although the unifi controller has limited GUI settings they can all still be accessed via CLI if needed?

I haven't used the ER-Lite but I have the USG and love the flashy graphics in the controller

The version of edge OS on the USG is quite a lot older than what is on Lite and what settings you can change via the CLI don't persist a reboot unless you manually download a json file from the router which you then put in the controllers site folder.

 

[Voicon]

You can add config to the USG by the CLI but it'll get overwritten when the USG checks in with the controller. If you want the config to stay you need to add the config to a configgateway.json file that resides on the controller, that'll get read in when the USG provisions. The CLI implementation on the USG is awful.

As the controller moves on (I'm in 5.6.3) there's more functionality becoming available in the GUI.

The version of edge OS on the USG is quite a lot older than what is on Lite and what settings you can change via the CLI don't persist a reboot unless you manually download a json file from the router which you then put in the controllers site folder.

Thanks, I haven't had to make any changes via CLI yet but that may change soon.

 

[the-evaluator]

The version of edge OS on the USG is quite a lot older than what is on Lite and what settings you can change via the CLI don't persist a reboot unless you manually download a json file from the router which you then put in the controllers site folder.

They're making good progress on the USG. The latest USG firmware (4.3.41) is using Edge OS 1.9.7 which I believe is more recent than the current release version of Edge OS.

 

[the-evaluator]

Thanks, I haven't had to make any changes via CLI yet but that may change soon.

If it's a permanent change you want to make then you'll need to mess about about a file on the controller. If it's a temporary change than stop the controller, make your change and start the controller again when you're finished. A few minutes later that config you added will be automatically removed.

 

[WJA96]

That facility isn't specific to the Cloud Key, it's part of the controller software irrespective of the hardware it's running on. Also, you don't have to do it through the cloud account, you can have multiple sites connected to a single controller. I've got an Ubuntu VM at work that's got about 6 sites connected to it.

But can each site see only their own site or do they all have to run separate controllers locally?

Ubnt will support the controller on Windows, Mac and certain flavours of Linux. The CK is no more 'official' than the controller I'm running on an Ubuntu VM.

The software is the same software, but the only hardware with a UBNT logo on it is the Cloud Key so in my view that makes it the official solution.