Ubiquiti - Dream Router 7

I’ve had my DR7 for about 45 days now and so far it’s been stellar. This was my first Ubiquiti device and was previously using my standard ISP device. My only issue was that even though I’m in a fairly small 2 bed flat; I found that if I wanted similar coverage in my garden that I used get with my old Sky router I needed to extend my setup with an additional AP. No real big issue.

That's not how that works. I have MLO on and it connects to 6GHz and 2.4GHz. That gets me 900+/900+. I have MLO on a different SSID for testing. You are correct about the 6GHz band being the fastest but the issue is MLO. It actually hurts, not helps speeds.

Unifi Dream Router 7 is under $300 and would be a big upgrade and future proof you to 2.5gb Internet connection.

Unifi is not the way for WiFI mesh and even if you don’t need mesh it’s not for the average joe either. They are expensive but the easiest setup and most feature rich for the average consumer is ASUS.

Unifi Dream Router 7 Thank me later.

I was more concerned about the price point when replying. He’s starting from an old TP-Link Archer and there are current models in that line that are Wi-Fi 7 that cost a lot less than a Dream Router 7. Now, since that one is mentioned, I think it’s not much more expensive than the tri-band Archers and a lot less expensive as a starter than two APs, a switch, a gateway, and something to manage all that.

I can't. Using Open Speed test server on 2.5G network, connected with MLO on wifi7 gets me just short of 1GB. This is with a Samsung s24 Ultra and a UDR7.

UniFi. I just set up mine today. But I’ll tell you, WiFi 7 is amazing but the range sucks. You have to be really close to the AP to get speeds better than WiFi 6.

If you’re going to buy a router in the $300 range go with this, it is quite capable and easily expands. https://store.ui.com/us/en/category/all-cloud-gateways/products/udr7 Otherwise, some $70 BASIC router will work fine.

you mean the UDM Base? Yes the UDR-7 shipped today.

The Eero eco system is pretty rock solid. I had an Eero 6E Pro with a 6 Pro doing mesh on a 1250sq ft apartment and never had an issue. I recently upgraded to a Dream Router 7 because I wanted to separate the IoT devices and have a network running on a VPN and it's been great. Eero is great but somewhat limited which is why I upgraded to the UDR7.

I'd consider the [UX7](https://store.ui.com/us/en/category/cloud-gateways-wifi-integrated/products/ux7) (if only you don't need more ports) or [UDR7](https://store.ui.com/us/en/category/cloud-gateways-wifi-integrated/products/udr7) \- WiFi7, reasonable price, good specs, nice and intuitive interface. For me personally 6GHz is a must in a crowded environment - shorter range means less interference. So I'd stick to 6E or 7. You can scan your apartment to check how many networks you have in range.

That’s a fair take. I only recommend that because it’s built for the average user to install, set up and have a solid experience with not only gaming but better overall experience with their network

I just upgraded from an eero 6e to a UDR7, it’s barely more money and so much better. Eero is pretty set it and forget it but if you want any advanced features at all, or maybe in the future, go with ubiquiti

I just bought a Unifi UDR 7 router. It’s awesome. Comes with built in VPN. You just send a link to the device you want to install it on and the router automatically becomes the exit node. Sooooo seamless. It has a lot of cool admin features too. If you setup wire guard via Nord then you can specify what traffic goes over that vpn. It’s slick.

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.

Ubiquiti Dream Router 7 at the moment. Excellent device with 2.5 Gbe ports, 10Gb SPF+ port, WIFI built in etc.

500mbs is more than enough for couple of people. Even for doing 4k streaming is fine. Don't really see any benefits of 1gig unless you are downloading/uploading tons of data. 2gb is just overkill and definitely not required. Look at review website dongknows to narrow down the choice of routers based on your requirement. Everyone is different so hard recommend, still some are good. Few router recommendations 1. Unifi UDR7. Great all-in-one router with lots of features. 2. Asus with wifi 7 and support for merlin firmware. Check above website for reviews. 3. If you want more control and would like to go DIY route, Any N100 mini pc with dual nic running opnsense/pfsense on it. Maybe directly or virtualized. Add an AP like unifi or omada or something else.

If you're okay with a 300 USD budget, then 100% just go for this: [https://store.ui.com/us/en/products/udr7](https://store.ui.com/us/en/products/udr7) It also it much more expandable for the future, can add additional Wi-Fi APs, Network Switches, CCTV Cameras, VoIP Phones, Building Access Control, IoT Devices and more. The basic setup is pretty straightforward, and if you want to achieve some of the more complex tasks, then arguably the r/Ubiquiti and r/unifi communities are way more experienced and helpful than you'd find for ASUS devices (mainly due to UniFi being a lot more consistent in their products and it often being used for Prosumer and Professional applications). Plus, spec-for-spec, it is superior in almost every detail compared to the RT-AX86U. **Comparison** |Feature|UniFi Dream Router 7|Asus RT-AX86U| |:-|:-|:-| |WAN (Internet) Ports|**1x 10 GbE + 1x 2.5 GbE**|1x 1 GbE| |LAN (Local) Ports|**3x 2.5 GbE**|3x 1 GbE + 1x 2.5 GbE| |Wi-Fi Level|**Wi-Fi 7**|Wi-Fi 6| |Wi-Fi Frequencies|**2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz**|2.4 GHz, 5 GHz| |Wi-Fi Bandwidth|**320 MHz**|160 MHz| |RAM|**3 GB**|1 GB| This is just a quick look at the specs, but generally, I don't see much reason to go for the ASUS options. Plus, UniFi have a decent track record for regular updates and support, which isn't something that can usually be said for ASUS. Also, it is pretty trivial to setup the UniFi Dream Router 7 to act as a VPN Server itself, or to connect to a service such as ExpressVPN and to route certain traffic (which might be interesting since you have a PS5 there).

Spend the extra $100 (or $50 since Microcenter has a $50 off promotion) and grab the Ubiquiti UDR7, it will last you a long time, great build quality, and is extremely customizable.

YMMV, as the only device I have capable of testing MLO is my S24 which is known to have issues with MLO and is limited to 2.4 + 6 as opposed 5 + 6 or tri-band.

I’d go with the UDR7 knowing how much better the UDR is over the Express in general.

You are correct about the UDR-7. All UniFi APs can mesh. None of the UniFi APs have a dedicated wireless backhaul to my knowledge, but wired APs are far better anyway. Do you want a rack mounted system? Or definitely not. That might influence you one way or another on core device choices.

UniFi is designed to work with other UniFi devices, but there’s no requirement to do so. You can use a Dream Router 7 as a standalone device. The whole point in UniFi is that you can make it modular. So you can have as much of the full Network/Protect/Access/Talk/Connect ecosystem as you want, and you can swap components out as better upgrades come along. The Dream Router 7 works well as a landing point for UniFi and, if you buy it, In a few years you might think it’s worth separating out the gateway/switch/AP functionality, and so it goes from there.

Unifi has nothing that compares to actual wireless mesh by the home router competitors. Their accessible products like the DR7 and UE7 don’t use 4x4 antennas, 6ghz or MLO for backhaul which significantly decreases bandwidth. They also don’t have any products with a band for dedicated backhaul, they have absolutely nothing that can compare to a full WiFi mesh from competitors like ASUS, Tplink, Eero or netgear.

Get a dream router 7 from UniFi - you’ll have a way better experience

Ubiquiti is more on the commercial side, but you can buy it for home use. They support their devices for longer than consumer routers. The dream 7 would be plenty for a 1k sf place.

UX7 is a great little beast, much better than its predecessor. If you don't need the ports of UDR7, UX7 is a great choice. Still, I'd get the UDR7 for the Protect support. You might want to add a camera or two some day. The PoE budget is nice also if you need a switch later on.

Fan permanently spinning on mine. Updated to latest firmware, basically idle. Still investigating why.

I’m not a big fan of WiFi integrated in the gateway, although it is cheaper. Usually, the place where I put my gateways isn’t ideal for WiFi reach so I put the AP elsewhere. It’s the raw features of the gateway that attract me, my favorites being the UCG-fiber and the DM Pro Max. If WiFi co-located with your gateway makes sense in your case, then the Dream Router 7 is a good option since it supports 10 Gbps WAN and multiple 2.5 Gbps LAN mixed with WiFi 7 with 6 GHz band support.

I would agree that hardwired is ideal, but I've been having excellent results meshing dream router and ap lite. The distance is only one flight of stairs plus 30 horizontal feet, but device roaming is generally consistent with proximity to the ap. Strangely, some devices have bounced to the ap pro, 150 feet away in a separate building. I expect to see more, more easily with 9.1, probably upgrade tomorrow.

Also depending on the size and layout of your house, it has a single PoE port you can attach a WAP to. It's a great unit and more than most people need ?? Will serve you well for years, my UDR was set and forgot... Seriously didn't think about it after the initial setup, no resetting every couple of days, no BS. Enjoy ??

It's great! Only downside to me is the single PoE port

Tried UDR7 and loving it