*** Official Ubiquiti Discussion Thread ***

[bledd]

Maybe not, but try and push 20mbps UDP through it and your going to get some serious packet loss. A £20 TP-Link router would have none.

I just tested mine through iPerf, if it's under about 5Mbps (way less than any game uses), then I get ~0 packet loss.

Yes, it needs fixing, but you wouldn't notice the difference in performance in normal usage (imo).

CS for example uses about 0.05Mbps.

 

[Voicon]

They don't support the full r and k spec but Ubiquiti has taken parts of the spec and implemented them one of them being quick handoff.

Article https://community.ubnt.com/t5/blogs/mobileblogarticlepage/blog-id/Blog_UniFi_Beta/article-id/122

Yeah, I read that before purchasing and it gave me a little more confidence it would do what I needed, not that bothered about loosing a few milliseconds of a call I just didn't want it to drop and it doesn't.

 

[ChrisD.]

Maybe not, but try and push 20mbps UDP through it and your going to get some serious packet loss. A £20 TP-Link router would have none.

But I would never in any situation have that kind of usage so it's a moot point. I could do yes > /dev/null & yes > /dev/null & yes > /dev/null & yes > /dev/null & on any of my *NIX systems to create high CPU usage but I wouldn't ever do that so why bother?

 

[the-evaluator]

Whilst I also wouldn't need to push 20Mbps of UDP traffic I don't agree that it's a moot point. There *is* an issue with these routers and Ubnt should fix it ASAP.

 

[Steveocee]

Whilst I also wouldn't need to push 20Mbps of UDP traffic I don't agree that it's a moot point. There *is* an issue with these routers and Ubnt should fix it ASAP.

I find Ubiquiti really are king for affordable wifi solutions. In general though for routers whilst the graphs are quite spangly I'm not sold on the routers.

USG is a great add on for a Unifi system
ERL could be spectacular but only having half of the functionality via GUI is going to hinder them.

A £45 MikroTik router can perform on par with the ERL now so they really need to pull their socks up and it can do everything from CLI, WebUI and GUI via Winbox.

 

[the-evaluator]

The USG and ERL have great potential I believe. The USG was released before it was ready and Ubnt did themselves no favours there. Why release a router that you can't do simple stuff like add a static route to? They're adding stuff all the time but I believe they were too keen to get the product to the market.

Certainly the CLI implementation on the USG needs a serious rethink, it's a complete mess right now. If they could sort that then I'd be a very happy man.

Agreed entirely about the wifi kit, it's fantastic stuff. It performs very well and the price point is quite frankly amazing. I've got AC-Lite's that are out performing Cisco and Meraki kit that cost a lot more.

 

[WJA96]

Whilst I also wouldn't need to push 20Mbps of UDP traffic I don't agree that it's a moot point. There *is* an issue with these routers and Ubnt should fix it ASAP.

Agreed (also with Bledd's post). UBNT are getting away with this because most users of this equipment are not seeing these extreme situations, but where you are (eg. gaming) then it must be a real issue and they do have to fix it. And I'm not sure they will simply because it's been well over a year and it's still not fixed.

 

[WJA96]

The USG and ERL have great potential I believe. The USG was released before it was ready and Ubnt did themselves no favours there. Why release a router that you can't do simple stuff like add a static route to? They're adding stuff all the time but I believe they were too keen to get the product to the market.

Certainly the CLI implementation on the USG needs a serious rethink, it's a complete mess right now. If they could sort that then I'd be a very happy man.

Agreed entirely about the wifi kit, it's fantastic stuff. It performs very well and the price point is quite frankly amazing. I've got AC-Lite's that are out performing Cisco and Meraki kit that cost a lot more.

Yes, as the somewhat underwhelmed owner of a USG Pro 4 (the company was footing the bill and I wanted 19" rack mounting) I really can't see what we paid all that money for. Their switches and access points, on the other hand, are superb value. The US-16-XG in particular is gobsmackingly cheap. Even allowing for the fact that two of the four RJ45 ports don't always work depending on which firmware is installed!

 

[Psycho Sonny]

I'm still on the fence on what to but I've been reading small net builder reviews and tbh the Ubiquiti stuff doesn't review highly at all. It is cheap though if you just buy the basic stuff, but then it's not user friendly for the home user either. I just want an easy, powerful plug and play setup my SH3 from VM needs rebooting once a month and doesn't have the strongest wi-fi signal but it's better than the £200 third party router i tired and returned so I'm thinking of a mesh system.

Apparently google wi-fi is a very good and cheap solution with no need to run wires. I'm thinking of downgrading myself from 200MB I don't need all that speed tbh and 100MB is more than enough, it's handy to have but I can always leave PC on overnight for downloads. Main usage is streaming and gaming and you don't even need 50MB for that so 200MB is overkill atm.

I'm thinking google wi-fi will have the best software given time and has a easy to keep on top of upgrade path when newer versions are released. I already have google Nest products. I think i'm being swayed down that road. Plus I would need to pay someone to run wires for access points, etc which adds to the expense.

Ubiquiti excels at having hundreds of devices connected to it. When your using a handful residential routers actually perform better by the looks of things. Also running wires isn't my forte. I think I'll keep with the SH3 for a year and wait for google wi-fi V2 and go for that. In the mean time I have my ASUS wireless extender RP-AC68U for the part of my home struggling with wi-fi signal so I want to get my moneys worth out of that before I opt for a mesh solution. you can always run a wire into the wifi extenders for more performance. i will never get max performance but fast enough which is why i'm thinking it's probably best to downgrade to 100MB

 

[bledd]

Agreed (also with Bledd's post). UBNT are getting away with this because most users of this equipment are not seeing these extreme situations, but where you are (eg. gaming) then it must be a real issue and they do have to fix it.

In my post I said that you would never meet these conditions whilst gaming. Heavy continued upload is where it happens. Gaming uses very little bandwidth.

But yes, it does need fixing.

 

[WJA96]

I'm still on the fence on what to but I've been reading small net builder reviews and tbh the Ubiquiti stuff doesn't review highly at all. It is cheap though if you just buy the basic stuff, but then it's not user friendly for the home user either.

The stuff we're talking about mainly here is not really aimed at the home user. The Ubiquiti Amplifi HD range is the consumer product.

I just want an easy, powerful plug and play setup my SH3 from VM needs rebooting once a month and doesn't have the strongest wi-fi signal but it's better than the £200 third party router i tired and returned so I'm thinking of a mesh system.

Unifi and Amplifi both can operate in a mesh configuration although that is not the way Unifi is meant to run.

Apparently google wi-fi is a very good and cheap solution with no need to run wires. I'm thinking of downgrading myself from 200MB I don't need all that speed tbh and 100MB is more than enough, it's handy to have but I can always leave PC on overnight for downloads. Main usage is streaming and gaming and you don't even need 50MB for that so 200MB is overkill atm.

From what I have read Google WiFi looks to be about the same price as Unifi and a bit cheaper than Amplifi HD for less performance.

I'm thinking google wi-fi will have the best software given time and has a easy to keep on top of upgrade path when newer versions are released. I already have google Nest products. I think i'm being swayed down that road. Plus I would need to pay someone to run wires for access points, etc which adds to the expense.

You're not really comparing Apples with Apples. A wired-in multiple AP Unifi setup will do the job properly. With almost anything else you will still get dead-spots and security weaknesses.

Ubiquiti excels at having hundreds of devices connected to it.

Agreed.

When your using a handful residential routers actually perform better by the looks of things. Also running wires isn't my forte. I think I'll keep with the SH3 for a year and wait for google wi-fi V2 and go for that. In the mean time I have my ASUS wireless extender RP-AC68U for the part of my home struggling with wi-fi signal so I want to get my moneys worth out of that before I opt for a mesh solution. you can always run a wire into the wifi extenders for more performance. i will never get max performance but fast enough which is why i'm thinking it's probably best to downgrade to 100MB

I think if you don't want to run wires then you can run a multitude of solutions, none of which will be as good. Ultimately anything wireless is always a bit flakey. Look at mobile phones. They're REALLY good compared to what we used to have but if you want guaranteed 100% no drop and perfect call quality you will alwys have to default to a wired phone connection. Even DECT will drop out in a domestic environment. A proper wired solution is always sthe answer, but if you can't or don't want to pay for wires then the Amplifi HD is a good consumer product but I would recommend biting the bullet and going Unifi AC mesh even if it is a bit harder to configure out of the box.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

unifi mesh and amplifi HD get worse reviews than google wi-fi on small net builder

 

[WJA96]

unifi mesh and amplifi HD get worse reviews than google wi-fi on small net builder

Well, that's your decision made then!

 

[sparkymark75]

unifi mesh and amplifi HD get worse reviews than google wi-fi on small net builder

Those were the two I was looking at. I was planning to get two of the AmplifiHD base units as you can "mesh" those. But it's not released in the UK yet and doesn't seem to get any better reviews than the Google Wifi kit so I just went for that. Been faultless in the couple of weeks I've had it up and running. It's light on features but it's designed that way so if you're a "tinkerer", it might not be for you.

I have one "puck" plugged into my Virgin SH2 (in modem mode). I then have a Netgear switch plugged into the main puck and then the second puck plugged into the switch. I could have left it in a wireless setup as it said my connection between the pucks was good but I already had the cable so I used it. My son games on his Xbox quite a bit and has never complained.

 

[Voicon]

The Mesh stuff wouldn't work for me with a building that won't get wifi from the main house, it's good for people who want a simple install though especially with little networking knowledge.

 

[WJA96]

I think we all know that nothing is perfect. In an ideal world we'd all just use a BT Home Hub and we'd get good signal throughout our homes. That just didn't work in my case and I like to think I'm an enthusiast, so I went a bit mad and bought Unifi. Then I bought it for my parents and office as well. And now I've become a sort of network overlord sitting in front of my screen watching all the bubbles stay green.

Everyone is happy. It's super-stable and no-one complains about bad signal or slow speeds.

Would I trade that for Google WiFi? Not on your life!

And do bear in mind that people in reviews really rate the BT Home Hub!

 

[Psycho Sonny]

I think we all know that nothing is perfect. In an ideal world we'd all just use a BT Home Hub and we'd get good signal throughout our homes. That just didn't work in my case and I like to think I'm an enthusiast, so I went a bit mad and bought Unifi. Then I bought it for my parents and office as well. And now I've become a sort of network overlord sitting in front of my screen watching all the bubbles stay green.

Everyone is happy. It's super-stable and no-one complains about bad signal or slow speeds.

Would I trade that for Google WiFi? Not on your life!

And do bear in mind that people in reviews really rate the BT Home Hub!

I'm not talking about Jimmy down the road here. I'm talking about small net builder. Why don't you look at the extensive tests they have carried out? The likes of which most people will have never seen before never mind attempted.

They say ubiquiti stuff doesn't really work that well for the home environment. yes it's stable and it's good in terms of speed but for the home user there are faster options out there that are just as stable.

 

[WJA96]

I'm not talking about Jimmy down the road here. I'm talking about small net builder. Why don't you look at the extensive tests they have carried out? The likes of which most people will have never seen before never mind attempted.

They say ubiquiti stuff doesn't really work that well for the home environment. yes it's stable and it's good in terms of speed but for the home user there are faster options out there that are just as stable.

I looked at the test. There is a picture of the test setup in the AP review. He has done two odd things in that picture. First, the AP is mounted on what looks like a China cup and second, it's secured with a piece of tape. I don't know why he did those two things but personally I'd rather he'd left it on the bottom of the box or better still fixed it to the top of the box (in both cases it then has a ground-plane). And he's not comparing Apples with Apples. Google WiFi is an AC2 device so you would expect better performance than AC1. So he really ought to test it against the AP-AC-HD. And you can have 3 AC-Lites for the cost of a Google WiFi. And I still know what I'd rather have.

[EDIT]The piece of tape holds the unit in one place while the test is carried out at various angles of rotation. The Snack Bowl was apparently "used to ensure the test antennae received an optimum signal" but he may have inadvertently reduced the performance of the AP by robbing it of a ground plane. I understand that he has this test chamber but actually, he has to adapt the test chamber to how the equipment under test is used, not adapt the mounting of the test unit so it fits his test chamber.[/EDIT]

[EDIT2]Actually, looking at how the test is carried out, it's clearly not designed to measure APs. The device under test is placed on a turntable and measured from the side. That's fine with a conventional router/AP device because it eliminates the effect of the test antennae being closer or further away from the measuring antennae but it's much less useful for measuring an AP that is firing its signal down or across from itself. Basically, the get the same performance the Small Net Builder is measuring you'd need to have your connected system on the ceiling or hard up against the wall. The AP is a flying saucer shape for a reason. It primarily pumps out the signal to the flat of the unit, not the thin side edges which is what Small Net Builder has measured. And by raising the AP up so the edge is almost in line with measurement antenna the test has been carried out in the worst possible orientation. I'm not saying that the test is unrepresentative but I'd like to see the result with the AP mounted on the ceiling of the test chamber firing down at the measurement antennae. [/EDIT2]

 

[Psycho Sonny]

I looked at the test. There is a picture of the test setup in the AP review. He has done two odd things in that picture. First, the AP is mounted on what looks like a China cup and second, it's secured with a piece of tape. I don't know why he did those two things but personally I'd rather he'd left it on the bottom of the box or better still fixed it to the top of the box (in both cases it then has a ground-plane). And he's not comparing Apples with Apples. Google WiFi is an AC2 device so you would expect better performance than AC1. So he really ought to test it against the AP-AC-HD. And you can have 3 AC-Lites for the cost of a Google WiFi. And I still know what I'd rather have.

yes but if i buy say 2 AC-lites, I also need to buy a router then also a POE switch or use injectors. I also then need to run wires everywhere. the costs now start to rack up.

doesn't make any sense to do all that when my main server/htpc is in the same room as the router so will be hard wired in anyway. the only other things i care about are 2 consoles and a gaming PC, and ping isn't an issue, neither is speed with google wi-fi.

also those access points are designed with 50 devices being connected in mind. not 10. it excels where you need 50 devices connected, if you only need 10 then it's pretty pointless.

like i say the small net builder reviews don't exactly scream out to me that i need to go out and buy ubiquiti gear. also i was thinking about CCTV then i would definetely go down the POE switch route but again it's overkill for my usage. I don't need CCTV either.

i'm going to leave my setup as is for now. nothing atm is screaming out as a must buy. i fixed my wifi range issue with the use of a asus wireless extender which my gaming pc and consoles are hardwired into.

 

[bledd]

They are for two different markets.