UniFi gateway routers, like the Dream Machine or next-gen Gateway Lite, appear simple until you dig below the surface. There are two categories and a few models in each. Ubiquiti also have UISP Routers and EdgeRouters, which may be a better option for more advanced networks. UniFi is separate from UISP, and this guide focuses on UniFi. Built-in 128 GB SSD and SD card slot for UniFi Protect motion recording, with a 512 GB SD card pre-installed. Both the UDM-Pro and UDM-SE are great choices as the heart of your home/office network. By not integrating a Wi-Fi Access Point (WAP), you are free to mix and match any number of WAPs as needed.

In 2019, the UniFi Dream Machine ( UDM) and UniFi Dream Machine Pro ( UDM-Pro) were released. They were not straightforward replacements for the USG and USG-Pro.If you don’t need PoE-enabled Ethernet ports at all, the UDM-Pro will probably be fine. But do note that its WAN Ethernet port is limited to 1 Gigabit Ethernet. Automatic camera detection in UniFi Protect makes it easy to install and deploy cameras. All of the camera settings are integrated into the software. You can also configure, reboot, or upgrade the firmware on any camera from within the UniFi Protect interface. Ubiquiti is still going to be offering the modular options for those customers who still need it as in some use cases, having everything under one device isn’t actually practical. But for a small business or home environment the UDM covers a lot of needs and isn’t that expensive when comparing the individual UniFi components and the UDM-Pro isn’t much more on top of that. The main differences between the two are the access point the UDM has, the dual WAN the UDM-Pro has as well as its ability to run UniFi Protect, UniFi Access, UniFi Talk and UniFi LED on top of UniFi Network.

The beauty of the UniFi system is that you can mix the type of UniFi Access Points used, for example, deploying the highest-performing Access Points in high-traffic areas while providing cost-effective Wi-Fi coverage using cheaper devices in lower-traffic areas. There’s always a cost-effective upgrade path with this system. Trying to provide high-quality Wi-Fi coverage and performance in a typical home using the single Wi-Fi router/hub provided by broadband providers is an impossible task. While mesh systems such as NETGEAR’s Orbi and BT’s Whole Home Wi-Fi can certainly improve on the typically woefully inadequate range of a single Wi-Fi router, all these systems simply cannot match the performance of a properly configured set of Wi-Fi Access Points that are connected to the router via Ethernet. Run the same Unifi Applications (Network, Protect, Access, Talk) and one other but we'll ignore that.What also sets the UDM Pro apart from many other routers (including Ubiquiti’s own EdgeRouter series) is an exciting set of features. The in-built UniFi Controller software allows the provision and management of a range of UniFi devices, which include best-in-class Wi-Fi Access Points, through a single, centralised interface. For wireless testing we connected a set of UniFi nanoHD access points to the PoE switch and added them to our cloud account. Once online, they started broadcasting our predefined SSIDs and guest networks, with details automatically appearing in the portal’s wireless experience graph. While the USG and USG-Pro are older, they have some features which have not shown up in the newer products. Namely, any feature which requires manually editing the JSON config file on the USG is not possible with the UXGs or Dream Machines. The newer hardware doesn’t have the same underlying architecture, and does not have the same JSON config file workaround. You are limited to what features are exposed in the web interface.