Ubiquiti - Dream Machine (UDM)

Ubiquity is great value with enterprise features. Dream Machines. Best if you use the whole platform with APs and stuff

I’m not so familiar with home equipment over 1gig, but i think some of the Dream Machine products do that. I’ve had a couple versions of Ubiquity, most recent the regular Dream machine…the round one that looks like a coffee can. I’m an enterprise guy and this thing has really nice features and visibility right in the phone app. Surely does more than your typical linksys and other residential devices. For that space it should be fine alone with its built in wifi6. Check Amazon.

Do not put a deco mesh system into your 32,000 sqft mansion.  You should be looking at higher end systems like UniFi, HpE, Ruckus. I’m not super familiar with engenius.  You need a centrally managed system and with an estate of this size a high end system will be a drop in the bucket of your build budget.

Yeah. I did. Along with hpe and ruckus. A number of my wealthy clients specifically request UniFi and in my experience they stay happy with it and I rarely have to touch anything. It’s also commonly used at resorts, hotels, etc What’s your beef with UniFi?

Ubiquiti makes UniFi. Yes.

I’d just get a dream machine for the base station. E7 is pretty overkill it’s for enterprise. Also you probably don’t have any devices that support Wifi7 but I understand if you want to future proof.

You can use UniFi either with their router (Cloud Gateways or Dream Machines) or with their controller (Cloud Key) and let your ISP Router manage the routing part. The Cloud Key can manage the network (switches, APs), the surveillance (acts as a camera recorder) and the door access control (can open doors remotely, through rfid tags, cell phone, QR code, local face recognition, license plate, etc. ). All the Cloud Gateways give you full control of the network and can take over your ISP routing functions by putting the ISP router in bridge mode. The most advanced Cloud Gateways, like the UCG-Max and the UCG-Fiber, and the Dream Machines can also do what the Cloud Key does plus acting as a router. Once you try an wireless distribution system like UniFi’s, you’ll never want to revert to single center point systems.

Dream machine should be able to cover everything. Maybe an express can as well and they can be had used for $80

You can easily do this with Ubiquiti UniFi gateways. Often we create a different SSID for IoT and just turn on 2.4GHz for that SSID. Turn off 5GHz etc.

Buy a decent router and get the pppoe settings from Sky. Connect that router directly to the Openreach modem. I use a Unifi Dream Machine as I have IP cameras.

Ubiquiti Unifi, get a Dream Machine or Cloud Gateway, plus a POE switch to fit your setup, plus a couple U7 access points.

UDM is a great choice under ubiquiti. Alternatively I got the following for just around $200: TP link ER 605V2 for under $60 TP link ax1800 for under $65 Arris Surfboard (various models, just look at the speeds you have and what your needs are) between $60-$110 Having learned more about networking I like the separation of hardware/software between modem, router, and access point over all in one combos. Also if one craps out it's less of a financial hit and upgrades are more attainable.

Have you looked into Unifi? It’s not the cheapest and gets hate from the open source crowd because, well, it isn’t open source. It works really well though and they have a huge ecosystem to build out your network.

Just get a Unifi setup at home a UDM and a separate AP Pro will be ~$100 cheaper and better

I bought the original UDM & now have the UDM 7. Love it. I want a UDM but can’t justify the jump when this thing kicks ass as is.

Yeah, par for the course with Netgear, I myself like their hardware a lot, but their firmware, implementation and business practices are so bad I actively steer people away from any of their products any chance I get. I bought one of their wifi 6 routers years ago, it looked like a space ship for like 400 bucks hoping it would be able to serve my house well. It didn't. I had to power cycle the thing at least once a day...called tech support and they blamed my network, if I wanted them to confirm it wasn't my network I had to pay them a "refundable" 90$ for them to even consider a warranty claim. I said no thanks and put back in my old router (which worked perfectly fine, albeit wifi coverage was poor) After doing more research I got an ubiquiti dream machine and it's been rock solid, the only time it turns off is during a power outage or during software updates, it's been a great device. Tldr never buy Netgear and thank yourself later.

Dream machine should be able to cover everything. Maybe an express can as well and they can be had used for $80

I second the recommendation of Unifi. Install a multi AP system, set up two SSIDs, and broadcast to the APs in each apartment. A regular consumer mesh system may or may not be able to do what you need as well or at all.

Unifi dream machine and 5 of their AP 7

I had the UniFi Amplify Alien mesh system and it was ok, but like the other posters said, it’s 1000x better to go wired even if just to one other spot. I upgraded to a dream machine and a few APs and it’s night and day now, especially if you have friends or kids who do a lot of WiFi gaming.

Ubiquiti. I have a ubiquiti dream machine pro but the dream machine has the same interface and just a normal home router, no rack.

For 20+ years I used all sorts of high-end consumer routers from Asus, TP Link, Netgear, Fritzbox. It was a journey of constant optimisation, troubleshooting, custom firmware, and forums to make it work. Then it works and then suddenly stops working and I restart again, switch to another brand, stronger router, etc. The time I spent on these... a lot. Last year I switched our setup to UI.com, Unify. I bought a Dream machine, added a few WiFi 5 hotspots wired, and I have never touched it ever since. It just works. Maybe check out one of their lower-tier devices.

Yeah. I did. Along with hpe and ruckus. A number of my wealthy clients specifically request UniFi and in my experience they stay happy with it and I rarely have to touch anything. It’s also commonly used at resorts, hotels, etc What’s your beef with UniFi?

The question comes down to how much you want to mess with your router? Personally I don't want to mess with it at all, so I went with the Dream Machine along with UniFi access points and switches. It took me 20 hours or so to learn how to set it up correctly and now it has been running for 7 years or so. I have a pair of Raspberry Pis running Ad Guard and act as my network's DNS. Another Pi running Home Assistant with a lot of radios and such plugged into it. Other than keeping them up to date with the latest firmware and software I don't really think about my network at all anymore. Until I want to that is.

au Hikari is a true dual-stack IPv4/IPv6. They don't use v6plus/MAP-E or any 4-over-6 tunneling. However, since they’re using 802.1X (EAP) for their authentication, you cannot easily use a third-party router. They also don't let you enable bridge mode, so one of the most common solutions for people wanting to run their own router is to use https://github.com/jaysoffian/eap_proxy to proxy EAP packets to au Hikari's router while letting a third-party router handle the routing. If you just want a stable Wi-Fi, the easiest solution is to just plug in a Wi-Fi router running in AP mode to au Hikari's router. If you're looking to replace au Hikari's router, most consumer hardware won't be able to route 10Gbps, so forget about Buffalo, ASUS, TP-Link, etc. You need to at least a prosumer equipment. Ubiquiti Dream Machine Pro can (almost) do this when IPS is disabled (it can do ~3.5 Gbps with IPS). Another valid option if you have a networking background is MikroTik CCR2004, which can do 10Gbps routing (but MikroTik is on a very opposite end of user friendly.) For Wi-Fi, Ubiquiti's UniFi is probably the safest choice. For Wi-Fi 7, perhaps something like U7-Pro + at least UCG-Max. If you want to use Ubiquiti on the router side as well, perhaps UDM-Pro + USW-Pro-Max + U7-Pro. Personally, I use MikroTik with static routing and let au Hikari's router handle NAT (see [an old thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/japanlife/comments/1kjtbmf/comment/mrvco1a/?context=3)), though this solution means there's one extra hop to go out to the internet. Most of my network is wired, so I don't care that much about Wi-Fi (currently Aterm WX11000T12), but I'm looking to switch my Wi-Fi to Ubiquiti as well (while keeping MikroTik on the routing side).

You can go with Ubiquity, it supports mesh and would be a great choice for the router. The UDM has a built in AP. But you’re going to regret using mesh in a 4000 sf home. Do yourself a favor and hard wire the AP’s, whatever solution you go with.

In apartment living you'll run into the same issue I have which is an oversaturated wifi network. You could consider supplementing your wifi network with these coax Ethernet adapters so you don't lag while gaming. But IMO the Asus Zenwifi AX XT8 mesh wifi is probably one of the better options out there if you're looking for straight wifi. For me personally I have the Unifi Dream Machine which I crank up my wifi power to max and drown out my neighbor's but that's overkill for most people.

Ubiquiti. It is well worth the investment. You need a Dream Machine and then a handful of access points depending on house size.

I have the regular UDM for my home setup. They can be found relatively cheaply second hand on FB marketplace and give you most of the features of the Pro at a more palatable cost.

I’ll be the UniFi shill here, but try out a dream machine from ubiquiti. You can get into the weeds with what you want to do with it through the web panel. Netgear 100% sucked butts. I’d never buy their stuff again with how many hoops they put you through all the while spamming your email with ads and trying to get you to upgrade your service with their nonsense “security packages” and whatnot. EDIT: as TheEthyr pointed out, UniFi gear can be locally managed. Deleted that line to prevent further confusion.

A house that size I’d probably go with a ubiquiti UDM in the basement, and a couple wifi 7 APs wired with POE on the first floor Ubiquiti has a tool to help design your layout, it’ll map your home with the phone camera and you can pick and choose equipment to see what it will do for your coverage

I'm curious about this too. I have the old UDM-Base and when i'm maxing out just a 220Mbps internet connection for any period of time then the fan noise is noticeable. I'm considering replacing it soon (should hopefully be getting gigabit internet in the next few months and I also want to move to 2.5Gbps for my LAN) and the UX7 is catching my eye over the UDR7 with it being passively cooled (and what little i've seen so far suggests it doesn't get red-hot under load) and I have little interest in apps besides Network.

Unfi all day! I have about 14,000SF of WiFi “covered” area between indoor and outdoor space; over an acre and a basement. I have the dream machine, access points, walls, and mesh. Works seamlessly.

Used Unifi Dream Machine

My Dream Machine just bricked one day after about 4 years. It was good while it lasted but not going back. Had Nighthawk before which sucked. Now TPLink and pretty happy.

ubiquiti unifi dream machine is the move imo if are gonna dive deep into routing regardless of wifi version. Hard wire APs around the house and hardwire any gaming device.

True. I note a swipe at the alleged Dream Machine that goes on its knees with ips/ids enabled.

I like my Fortigate 40F that i went to from Cisco Meraki MX68, when i moved to a place with a faster connection. But i would also recommend a dream machine from unifi.

I use Ubiquity Unifi gear since I’ve used it for almost 10 years. Netgear Orbi is a high quality product, Eero is probably ok too. More a question of how big your space is, is there a way to hardwire access points etc. The standard Verizon router may be totally fine for a small space.

There is no such thing as a "stupid powerful" router. There are some that due to WiFi capabilities (such as MU-MIMO and beamforming) or antenna design can achieve better range. Going through two floors though, especially in an older home, you'll probably get better performance using 2.4GHz than 5GHz. The problem is that 2.4GHz @ 80MHz channel width, there are only three usable channels that might all be subject to contention from other nearby WiFi networks, as well as 2.4GHz devices that don't use WiFi, even things like microwave ovens. The best solution would be to run (or have a professional run) CAT5e or CAT6 cable from the current router location to each floor to install additional AP's. Start off with a Unifi Express UX7 + USW-Flex-2.5G-5 POE Switch, or Unifi Dream Machine wireless router on the top floor, replacing your existing router. Or if you only have and ever expect to use 1gbps Internet, you can use a UDR (WiFi 6) to at a lower cost. Run a cable down to the ground floor and the basement, this generally isn't too difficult if you use good quality tools and components. You might be able to run outdoor CAT5e/CAT6 from the current router location, out, down the exterior of the home, and into the basement, which could be easier than pulling cable down interior walls. Ask if you need help and before buying tools/components, or find a professional network installer (not a general electrician or low-voltage alarm/CCTV installer). An alternative to running cable might be using MoCA2.5 adapters if you have coax connected to both the top floor and basement. Install a Unifi U6-Mesh (flexible mount) or U6-Pro (normally ceiling mount) AP in the basement. A UDR (WiFi 6, 1GbE) costs $199 and a UDR7 (WiFi 7, 10GbE + 2.5GbE) costs $344 ($279 + $65 for the SFP+ 10GbE SFP+ transceiver). A UX7 costs $299 plus $199 for a USW-Flex-2.5G-8-PoE POE Switch, so a UDR7 is cheaper if you don't need the extra ports. Each U6-Mesh AP is $179 and can be placed on a table/desk top, mounted on the wall or mounted in the ceiling. A U6-Pro AP costs $159 and should be ceiling-mounted, but it can physically be placed on a table/desk top or a shelf. The U6-Pro has better 2.4GHz performance than the U6-Mesh, but the signal out the back (mounting side) of the U6-Pro is lower overall.

I mean you could go full ubiquity with a dream machine and multiple access points spread throughout the house. There’s no way a single router is going to cover 3000sq feet with a great signal.