Ubiquiti - Dream Machine Series

I am in the minority here: but I'm super disappointed in mine. Coming from Eero Max 7. Best speeds I can get from it are 850/800. Eero maxes out my gigabit connection. And the range comparatively is also bad. Upstairs on my eero with my laptop on wifi 700 I can still damn near max out my gigabit. The dream machine itself barely gives me 300. So I thought: ok, 4x4 on 6ghz isn't fair vs 2x2. So I direct wired an Wall AP7 upstairs in the same room I test from... and at best I can get 650/600 on 6ghx/Wifi 7. I think I'm giving up and returning the Unifi equipment. I ABSOLUTELY HATE the eero and that I'm limited to an app for it and no real control. But I can't give up 30% performance even with dedicated AP's upstairs and downstairs. :(

You would want a cloud gateway of some sort. The UDM Pro Max or SE are solid choices. You will want a PoE switch if you start with the Pro Max since it has better specs, but doesn’t offer native PoE ports. Then you will want APs of some sort. WiFi 6 or WiFi 7…often the latter requires more power, so the SE might not have enough power for many WiFi 7 APs. The Pro APs are nice and the U6-Mesh is a nice table top AP. The product names are sometimes misleading, so read the specs…or ask here.

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.

Ubiquti dream machine. Best choice I've made and I went through all of those consumer devices

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.

From [another thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/Ubiquiti/comments/mcamw5/does_the_unifi_dream_machine_allinone_have_the/) years ago: >"Smart Queues" on all Ubiquiti products is fq\_codel. Yes, the UDM and UDMP have Smart Queues. >Edit: On the UDM/UDMP, there is no noticeable difference between having smart queues enabled or disabled. The UDM can fully saturate its interfaces, while the UDMP can do 9Gb/s. It is only the IDS/IPS feature which substantially reduces throughput, to 850Mb/s on UDM and 3.5Gb/s on UDMP. The UX has Smart Queues but [a different post](https://www.reddit.com/r/Ubiquiti/comments/193ri4d/smart_queue_disappointment_on_unifi_express/) suggests that it makes the UX very slow. The UX doesn't have IDS/IPS by the way. Other than that, the UX and an AP of your choice (with PoE injector) would be a $250 solution for you. I don't think you'll find two APs for $250 any other way in Unifi.

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

UniFi, hands down. I don't know what you consider "similar nonsense", - prosumer and a lot of business will use a controller that manages the configurations and statistics. The Cloud Key is a somewhat older implementation of the UniFi setup where it performed as the controller and an NVR for cameras. They've split that off - you can get gateways (router/controller) that does not have the video incorporated any longer. The "cloud" in some of their hardware doesn't mean it's run from the cloud or whatever, it's simply part of the model name. You can run it all standalone without being tied to their servers (though it's pretty convenient at times). Similarly, they have "mesh" in the name of some of their APs - but all of them can be wirelessly uplinked. It's a matter of them associating through marketing to the massive consumer "mesh" marketing. But it's still prosumer stuff and uses the same controller as the rest. My favorite feature is reliability. It's been rock solid for me through 6 years (I've moved through three upgrades and it's just stable. I love it. Look at the Dream Router 7, UniFi Express models, and Cloud Gateway models for some pretty darned good home solutions. The Dream Machines are great also, they are rack mount though and tilt towards having the video features. Should you choose one of the simpler offerings and want to go video later - there are standalone DVRs - including the Cloud Key+, which is still popular - that you can add. There is other prosumer gear, but Ubiquiti UniFi and TP-Link Omada are the only ones I know of with the unified management.

UniFi, hands down. I don't know what you consider "similar nonsense", - prosumer and a lot of business will use a controller that manages the configurations and statistics. The Cloud Key is a somewhat older implementation of the UniFi setup where it performed as the controller and an NVR for cameras. They've split that off - you can get gateways (router/controller) that does not have the video incorporated any longer. The "cloud" in some of their hardware doesn't mean it's run from the cloud or whatever, it's simply part of the model name. You can run it all standalone without being tied to their servers (though it's pretty convenient at times). Similarly, they have "mesh" in the name of some of their APs - but all of them can be wirelessly uplinked. It's a matter of them associating through marketing to the massive consumer "mesh" marketing. But it's still prosumer stuff and uses the same controller as the rest. My favorite feature is reliability. It's been rock solid for me through 6 years (I've moved through three upgrades and it's just stable. I love it. Look at the Dream Router 7, UniFi Express models, and Cloud Gateway models for some pretty darned good home solutions. The Dream Machines are great also, they are rack mount though and tilt towards having the video features. Should you choose one of the simpler offerings and want to go video later - there are standalone DVRs - including the Cloud Key+, which is still popular - that you can add. There is other prosumer gear, but Ubiquiti UniFi and TP-Link Omada are the only ones I know of with the unified management.

Ubiquiti. Dream router for a simple drop-in replacement of a consumer router, or go full UDM if you want to really dive into their ecosystem.

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.

A real one that only routes like a Ubiquiti Dream Machine. Or just a regular old PC with OPNsense.

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

It's anecdotal, but I had a very terrible experience with a Unifi Dream Machine (before they were called Dream Router). The device I got was fine for about 3 months, and then it would randomly restart a couple times per day. I opened a ticket, and support was extremely slow to respond, and then they pushed an update which bricked the device, and when I asked about an RMA, they told me it had been too long. Now I'm just using a deco mesh 6 and it's rock solid

i used so many of asus router before, I switch from my trusty asus router to unifi on 2021, so far all my houses and office use unifi udm pro/ se now. I would suggest you change to proper unifi firewall/controller like cloud gateway ultra or max or better yet, udm pro. You wont regret it.

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.

Unifi ubiquity stuff is rock solid

>What router are you using. >How large is your HomeKit setup? How many devices? >Has your experience been trouble free? 1. Ubiquiti - Enterprise Fortress Gateway + Multiple U6 Enterprise APs 2. 50+ devices on LAN and WLAN, 40+ Hue lights, 10 Lutron switches, 5 HKSV cameras (Logitech), 4 HomePods, AppleTV, etc. to name a few. 3. No issues with HomeKit. Similar experience with a Ubiquiti Dream Machine Special Edition (SE) + U6 Enterprise APs. It's certainly not 'enterprise', they use that term loosely, but it's great for prosumer home use.

I'd recommend Ubiquiti Dream Machine or Dream Router even for a non-techie.

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

> Ubiquiti Cloud Gateway and their access points. I have my main network, a guest network, an IoT network, and dedicated WFH network. The IoT network is 2.4 only to make setting up those devices easier. After years of trial and error with every consumer brand router under the sun, I have pretty much exactly the same Ubiquiti setup you do. Three access points, multiple virtual networks, and it's been very stable. Still gradually migrating all my IoT hardware to the dedicated IoT network though. I have so many stupid wifi thingies I keep finding new stuff I forgot about.

Seriously considering replacing my dream machine with this device. Had it since 2020. Just always made it a habit to replace routers every 5 years or so. Not sure I need to though.

I have Ubiquity wifi 6 access points and was right under it when I tested. If I do a test over Ubiquity itself it shows that the max transfer to my phone *iPhone 13 Plus*, from the dream machine over WiFi6 is around 400mb down/550mb up. Which lines up with whenever I’d do file transfers. However the isp speed is insanely boosted because of course it is. If I do Fast.com on my laptop which is directly wired to the Dream Machine like you stated, I get like 450mb down. Maybe 600mb max. 800mb in the dead of night at 3am. But if I test it over Ubiquity or speedtest or whatever it’s suddenly 900+mb/s constantly?? Gonna press x to doubt on that one dawg lol. And I know you’re not defending them, no aggression at all, but they absolutely artificially boost speed tests on anything that is nothing more than a web browser page speed test without actual servers that have insane traffic behind it like Netflix, Steam, etc. Just scummy corporation doing scummy things fueled by a economy driven government that turns a blind eye to the scumminess because the economy must prevail over all 🤷🏽‍♂️ https://preview.redd.it/b8jzhvu7unmd1.jpeg?width=1252&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=42e8b81c63e1eb8fedcb4c5160cf72536b87b36e

I love it. I have taken complete control of my network without much effort at all lol. My simplisafe cameras don’t go down anymore because I force them on the proper wifi band, I’ve eliminated all other wifi devices by just making them hardwired via ethernet, which can be done with any modem honestly, but whatever lol. What I really like is that I can tunnel in and just remotely do things at home while out on the road states away since I’m a truck driver. So when my fiancé calls me saying something is up with the internet, I can just tunnel in directly to the router on my phone and observe everything that has happened and fix it. While I’m 1200 miles away 😭😂 And honestly, there isn’t much that the DM can do that other, far cheaper routers can’t do. But it’s the simplicity of how it allows you to do it and user friendly interface that just makes it soo much more worth it for me. Yea I could mess around with raspberry pi and linux and etc etc to get the same results, but that requires time and dedication that I unfortunately just do not have atm between work and a newborn 😭 So, Ubiquity it was lol. And it has been beyond worth it.

I love it. I have taken complete control of my network without much effort at all lol. My simplisafe cameras don’t go down anymore because I force them on the proper wifi band, I’ve eliminated all other wifi devices by just making them hardwired via ethernet, which can be done with any modem honestly, but whatever lol. What I really like is that I can tunnel in and just remotely do things at home while out on the road states away since I’m a truck driver. So when my fiancé calls me saying something is up with the internet, I can just tunnel in directly to the router on my phone and observe everything that has happened and fix it. While I’m 1200 miles away 😭😂 And honestly, there isn’t much that the DM can do that other, far cheaper routers can’t do. But it’s the simplicity of how it allows you to do it and user friendly interface that just makes it soo much more worth it for me. Yea I could mess around with raspberry pi and linux and etc etc to get the same results, but that requires time and dedication that I unfortunately just do not have atm between work and a newborn 😭 So, Ubiquity it was lol. And it has been beyond worth it.

UniFi Dream Machine. (yes, I realize a lot of Ubiquiti haters here, and some of them have good reasons) Jokes aside, lots of great options out there, depends on what you're going to use it for and how much you're willing to spend.

Ubiquiti UDMSE coupled with some UniFi WiFi 6E/7 access points (PoE)

Ubiquity/Unifi, if that's within your budget, way beyond the usual consumer brands, it's a commercial brand, but loved by a lot of prosumers like me.

Since you have cable Internet and it runs into the basement, you hopefully have coaxial cables available to you throughout the house, and usually in key locations. Just look at the area where all the coax ends should meet, likely in the basement where your modem/router is at and plugged into. If you do find this bunch of coax, you can use it with MoCA Adapters to build a wired Ethernet network inside your home. If you can achieve that, then getting good WiFi everywhere will be easy, as well as providing wired capabilities for other devices in needed locations. MoCA Adapters can be a bit expensive, but worth the cost. If you can build this MoCA network, then whatever you choose as the router and Access Points will work very well, including a 3 pack of a reputable mesh brand. For mesh, I use and can recommend eero. But ASUS Zen mesh is also praised a lot, and has more configurability. If you want to go higher end, you can get an Ubiquiti Cloud Gateway router, a Ubiquiti PoE switch, and some Ubiquiti Access Points. It's more expensive, but very capable of advanced setups, and is very stable. I use Ubiquiti at another home and in my office location, and I can recommend them personally as well.

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.

I’m partial to Ubiquity. So advice comes from my experience…. Sure we all want it to be simple get some mesh devices from Costco plug them into to the far corners and hope and PRAY. I even seen a hotel do this. However best practices is you need a bit more advanced… even being a single person in my home advanced is needed. I got myself a Ubiquity dream machine and then in the far reaches wired access points (AP points) those AP devices can literally connect to hundreds of devices. But with their wired backend it’s night and day difference between a mesh network.

I subscribe to the buy once and do it right. What that means is having a semi professional system. For me I got the Unify www.ui.com DreamMachine with a wired access point (AP) that rebroadcasts the wireless signal. So I have an AP on bottom floor and another on top floor of three story townhome. It includes a professional firewall and when I added cameras it had the software to run and manage them. They’ve since come out alternative options but this is just a rock solid system that you don’t have to continuously mess with and constantly curse at.

I have just moved to Unifi from Linksys due to the constant issues with the Velop mesh. All wired and seems to be working very well. Even the Mrs is happy

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.

This. We have a UDMSE with 5 access points around the house. There’s not a dead spot on my property.

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

Ubiquiti Dream Machine + whichever AP's (wifi 6 or wifi 7) suit your fancy + one of their POE switches.

A UDM would be a better choice with the need for cameras, etc.

I replaced my fritzbox (which was rubbish) with a Unifi UDM, which is great. I now have had a generic Vodafone router in bridge mode, with the UDM doing the wifi for several years, and no complaints from family. So it’s my go-to recommendation.

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.

The old UDM (UniFi Dream Machine- non PoE) could handle 1gbps. The new UDR (UniFi Dream Router- same form factor, 40w PoE) maxes out at 700mbps. Are you sure you're thinking about the same product?

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.

Literally just got mine yesterday, going in this weekend. UDM coverage is decent for my house at 3,000 sq feet and outdoors as well. I do have an extender that I will be replacing with a U7 Pro in the near future. As with all WiFi, your mileage may vary based on materials, RF noise etc. I expect a hefty bump going from UDM to UDR7

Id check out the decos then unifi, unifi is pricer but nicer, my parents used decos forever without issue. If you just want some basic QOS/port forwarding you'll be good to go.

Unifi Dream Router for $200! It can't do 1gbps (max ~700mbps) but it's a great router with an excellent ecosystem. You can easily add managed switches and smart APs that are pretty reasonably priced. If you need more chooch, the Dream Machine comes in at $400, but you'll need to add at least one AP.

Like a few others in here I’ve been a full Ubiquity Unifi guy for many years. Great stuff.

Ubiquity. Dream machine + u6 covers 2k square foot home. Warning: buying ubiquity leads to over spending on more ubiquity equipment. “It all starts with a router”!!!

I recommend a UniFi Dream Machine. This is what I use and I very pleased with the overall functionality!

Have a look at UniFi Dream Machine range as they will have 10G solutions (and they are great solutions with a ton of features….)

Ubiquity dream machine and mesh ap. I do over 4 acres and lots a house n garage with it.

So others will steer you into changing everything about your current smart home. And while they aren’t necessarily wrong, I’ll try and help you out with your ask. If a lot of your smart devices are Wi-Fi then you have some options. If you have Wi-Fi devices spread across your entire house and outside, you are going to want to invest in a decent mesh system. Specifically one where you can fine-tune the different Wi-Fi networks. You want a system where you can create different Wi-Fi networks as well as assign the bands to each network. I use a Ubiquiti Cloud Gateway and their access points. I have my main network, a guest network, an IoT network, and dedicated WFH network. The IoT network is 2.4 only to make setting up those devices easier. That network can’t reach into the other networks but the main network can reach into the IoT network. I haven’t worked out all the kinks, as I’m still learning myself and tweaking as I go. Another option would be to find a more consumer grade mesh system where you can have multiple access points, nodes, or whatever the brand you choose calls it. The big thing there is to ensure your 2.4 GHz network is named differently than your 5GHz. The mesh helps with coverage, and the unique name for the 2.4 again makes adding your smart devices a lot easier. You should be able to do this with your google Wi-Fi pucks now. Advice would be to leave the 2.4 network the same so you don’t have to read those devices, it can be a pain, the name your 5GHz something different. Phones and laptops are a lot easier to change networks on. The big thing that will help with speed in the consumer grade setup is having wired back haul capabilities. Google Wi-Fi does, I don’t think Nest does. That changes your access points from repeaters to the same speed as your main router, but in more places in your house. The caveat being you need to have Ethernet access in the places you want to add those wired Access Points. I’m sure others will chime in, and correct anything I got wrong. 🤣 Edited: Because I skimmed and missed that you already have a mesh system capable of naming the bands differently and google Wi-Fi supports wired backhaul.

the dual-WAN failover is a nice upgrade from the original Dream machine (UDM, not SE, not Pro). Is there a comparison tool for Unifi products? Could see a few blogs but nothing super useful and up to date.

So in my experience, you should start with the supplied Nest Wifi Pro units. You will get two from Google, which in mesh will be *plenty* for your 2 story/1400sqft home. I work from home and I'm a fairly heavy user and everything works pretty well from my experience. You're arguably less of a power user than me (previously used a Unifi dream machine) so if you don't need to tinker why use something else? Also importantly, the installer will do all the setup including placement of the two Nest units and make sure it works before they leave.

Dream machine does allow for geocaching. It’s a decent little setup for a home user in fact.

I have unifi with a udmse and 3 wifi 7 access points. I ran 16 cat 6a runs, 3 for aps and a 4th soon. I ran them from the attic down to the crawl space and then over to the garage. I have a 12u raxck mounted on the ceiling innthe garage and the router and two servers in there. Fiber modem is in the living room with a direct run to the garage rack. Fiber is glofiber, 2.5gbps symmetrical. My pcs all have 2.5 gb nics or better. All our tvs have direct ethernet. I get 900+ mbps on wifi on phones and stuff. Its amazing. Also all my aps are power over Ethernet. I have a patch panel with couplers in the attic and crawl space, so I can drop 8 more runs pretty easily. And another patch panel with couplers in the garage. All shielded. I build the servers myself, theyre just 2u cases with consumer micro atx boards in them. One us an 8700g cou, one is 7959x, and one is 5950x. Its my homelab for work. My internet is faster than when im on azure vdis... One ap is in the upstairs haul, the 2nd is in my kitchen, and the thirds in the garage, 4 will go on the deck. All ceiling mounted. Took me many weekends to run all this.

Yes, UniFi can absolutely be used in the home. (You'll find that a majority of the users in this community are using it at home). The main advantage for most users, (even home users), is the ability to customize your installation to your individual requirements. Depending on what your budget allows, I'd recommend one of the UniFi Cloud Routers or Dream machines as your router, a PoE Switch, and one or more APs hardwired back to your PoE switch. If hard-wiring isn't an option, you can set up the APs as a mesh network, but be warned that Mesh pretty much always degrades performance. depending on your use-case though, you may not actually notice the speed difference in everyday usage, so your mileage may vary.