I finally got tired of the poor performance of my old standard mesh Wi-Fi network and replaced it with a UniFi setup. I wish I had done this years ago. UniFi might have been brutal to set up, but it was so worth it in the end.

Standard mesh networks have too much overhead

Power and Ethernet are too much for some install locations

For quite a while, I ran an eero mesh Wi-Fi network in my house. I had three nodes, and it provided whole-home coverage just fine.

The problem is, eero’s own software is quite lacking in the advanced features department, which was a bit of a letdown for me. However, the bigger pain in the neck was the power requirements.

You see, most mesh networks require AC power—that is, a wall outlet—in order to function. This is fine if you have a wall outlet somewhere, but there were places I wanted to put my nodes that I didn’t have an outlet.

So, I had to compromise on where the nodes would go. This meant that I had subpar coverage compared to what I could if it could just go somewhere that I could run Ethernet to. Ethernet is quite easy to run, while running AC power requires a new circuit.

Eventually, I knew there had to be a better way and that’s when I really started to look into UniFi. Once I made the switch, I knew there was no going back.

UniFi’s networking setup unlocks many advanced features

But the setup is definitely not for the faint of heart

Credit: Patrick Campanale / How-To Geek

If you’ve never heard of UniFi, it’s Ubiquiti’s networking lineup that used to be geared almost exclusively toward higher-end clients like small/medium business or enterprise installations. Recently, however, Ubiquiti has started to gear down its products to the consumer level with more affordable options.

The option I went with for my network is the UniFi Dream Router 7. It honestly does offer enterprise-grade performance and capabilities in my home without spending an insane amount of money.

In fact, by the time I picked up my Dream Router 7, two more access points, and a PoE switch, I still came in at under what it would have cost for an eero Pro 7 setup.

While UniFi’s gear is becoming more accessible, I will say that the setup is still on the more difficult side. There are so many options that a beginner will likely get overwhelmed trying to figure out what everything does. UniFi optimized for features at an enterprise level, not entry-level users, after all.

It probably took me a week or two of tinkering with my network—and a few phone calls to a good friend of mine that used to do UniFi installs professionally—to get everything where I wanted it. But, once I had everything settled out, I have been extremely happy with the results.

If you’re planning to go with a UniFi networking setup, just be ready for a brutal configuration window and don’t expect to have everything completely configured within 30 minutes. It might take a bit longer than that.

I now have better Wi-Fi than I ever have

Zero dead zones and fast speeds everywhere

Credit: Patrick Campanale / How-To Geek

Since all of my UniFi access points are PoE (Power over Ethernet), I’m able to just run low-voltage Ethernet to them for power, no AC required. This allowed me to put the access points in ideal locations, like a closet in my main bedroom, or above the kitchen cabinets.

Being able to actually place the nodes where they need to go has allowed me to achieve a home with zero dead zones for Wi-Fi. I’m able to take full advantage of my network easily. I also love how upgradable UniFi’s system is.

I have the Dream Router 7 as my primary access point, but I found two people on Reddit’s r/homelabsales who were selling older access points for about $50 each, which allowed me to pick them up to start off with. Now, if I ever need faster wireless networking in the areas where my access points are, I just unplug the existing APs and plug new ones in—that’s all it takes.

Everything is run by the same controller system, which, in my case, is the Dream Router 7 for now. I couldn’t imagine not running my UniFi setup at this point, because it has solved every networking issue I had in my house—both in the homelab, and just for normal networking needs.

If you’ve been putting off upgrading your Wi-Fi network to UniFi, it’s worth it. It might be a bit painful on the setup side of things, but it’s worth the hassle.

9/10

Brand

Unifi

Range

1,750 square feet

Wi-Fi Bands

2.4/5/6GHz

Ethernet Ports

4 2.5G

The Unifi Dream Router 7 is a full-fledged network appliance offering NVR capabilities, fully managed switching,a built-in firewall, VLANs, and more. With four 2.5G Ethernet ports (one with PoE+) and a 10G SFP+ port, the Unifi Dream Router 7 also features dual WAN capabilities should you have two ISP connections. It includes a 64GB microSD card for IP camera storage, but can be upgraded for more storage if needed. With Wi-Fi 7, you’ll be able to reach up to a theoretical 5.7 Gbps network speed when using the 10G SFP+ port, or 2.5 Gbps when using Ethernet. 

While not a simple network upgrade, UniFi is definitely worth it

I definitely could have gone with a much simpler networking setup. Other companies offer PoE-powered access points, or I could have just kept using eero or something similar.

The problem is, as my networking setup is getting more complex, my networking infrastructure needs to match. With nearly 150 devices on my network, and with that number growing each month, I needed something that was more capable of handling that workload with more advanced features than simpler setups.

UniFi was absolutely worth the hassle in my home network, and I definitely think it’s worth it if you need the extra capabilities that it offers over other networks.