In recent days, I've encountered at least the following issues:
- Removing a fixed DHCP address from a device that is no present requires switching to the old UI.
- Gateway network traffic by client is flat-out broken.
- My particular combination of hardware does not support UniFi's speedtest. Dunno why. They don't care.
- Doing almost anything temporarily disruptive to the network resuts in long-lasting disruption as the controller re-adopts everything.
- Per-port switch settings are janky. They often result in the settings page and the actual applied settings not being in sync. And sometimes the port I want to configure is missing. (Seriously, the ports will be in numeric order except one is skipped. So maybe I have port 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8. Traffic is passing on port 4 just fine, but there is no port 4 as far as the UI is concerned.
- Network ACLs are a serious mess and often simply don't work, although I admit it's been a little while since I've re-tested this issue. (The ones above are all things I've encountered very recently.)
I'm sure I'm forgetting something. UniFi is... sort of featureful but not actually impressive.
Don't buy Ubnt unless you're ready to replace it by something else when things go wrong.
Where's the replacement for those anyway? From what I can tell, the new unifi routers don't even officially support SSH or Serial login, nor do they support the typical configure/commit/abort procedure, nor do they officially support loading/backup up config files, nor running custom cronjobs (which I need as German ISPs require even on FTTH a 24h reconnect, and if you don't schedule one, they'll schedule one for you)
My ISP requires a reconnect every 24h, assigning a new IPv4 and IPv6 prefix after every reconnect. That means after each reconnect I need to update DNS entries via RFC 2136, update the IPv6 range for VPN clients, and reconfigure my DECT basestation with the new IP addresses.
Currently I've got scripts as part of the config bundle that use the vyatta configure CLI to update the configuration after every reconnect, which also run on a crontab timer.
How would I support this use case on UnifiOS?
For consumer, it's overkill. For pro-sumer, it's perfect, imo. You can start pushing the boundaries, here, but most will not for residential. If you are pushing the boundaries, you are probably savvy enough to roll your own solution or get into the actual, hard-core enterprise stuff. For small businesses, it's similar to pro-sumer. For enterprise, use something else. But honestly, you could make it work for any of these, 99% of the time.
I fall squarely into pro-sumer and my setup has been flawless for me. It's got all the bells and whistles I could ever need while not being too overkill nor really that expensive in the grand scheme of things. I am planning on switching over from Synology to a UNAS for the integration with Identity.
It sounds like you are the exception for pro-sumer.
It's far less customizable, and can be maddening sometimes if it doesn't Just Work(tm) - debugging it can be a giant pain. You will also be paying the Ubiquiti tax.
I simply redesigned my overly complex home network to be much more boring, and am okay with that. I don't want to tinker with my home IT stuff much these days - I want it to just work, and changes to be easy.
I've found Unifi Network and Unifi Protect to have come a long way in the past 3-4 years. They still drop hardware duds and software bugs here and there, but overall it's been a rather decent experience for the most part. I understand all the core level technology and configuration bits, but I simply do not have the desire to ssh into switches or whatever to configure a new port these days. Then open source NVR story is also just horrible even today.
It's also great for remote installs for other non-technical people/orgs I help out with. One dashboard I can just click on and go take a look to figure out whatever problem they may be having. And a new setup takes hours vs. days.
I do not know of an alternative stack that does everything like Unifi.
My time is worth a lot more now, my family appreciates very much that it "Just Works" (tm), and -- most importantly -- the cognitive load for me is a fraction of before.
- The fixed DHCP addresses are found under Client Devices. Click the Globe icon above the search box (To the right of the binoculars) to get the DHCP blade. All fixed reservations are listed, even for offline devices.
-For ACLs I've had great success with their new object based model that I believe came in Network 9.3. Settings > Policy Engine > Objects
I'm curious which devices you're using for both the gateway and switching equipment.
This was almost the first thing I tried. It says "No Connected Clients" "Add new clients to see their usage and application data." For fun, I added a made-up client using that UI and there are still no clients. Oh, and the dialog to add a client doesn't ask which "network" to add it to, which is one of several examples of UniFi internal schema not matching reality. (Have fun trying to track down a client that has recently existed on two different VLANs. UniFi clearly has some fundamental architectural problems here.)
> -For ACLs I've had great success with their new object based model that I believe came in Network 9.3. Settings > Policy Engine > Objects
Huh, cute. This one is aware of VLANs. I wonder if it actually works well -- given the number of times I've seen UniFi misapply various security rules, I'm skeptical, but it would be handy if it actually works. It would be extra nifty if it worked seamlessly across wired and wireless networks.
https://www.servethehome.com/minisforum-n5-pro-review-an-awe...
I would say you are almost always better buying this + a mini-pc then a synology at this point, or a Ugreen NAS + TrueNAS if you want to do amost everything a synology can do.
It's creating a void that is getting filled with Ugreen, Minisforum, beelink, Aoostor for invoative platforms from China and classic competitors like Qnap, Asustor, Teramaster, etc for innovation for the small to mid-tier needs. 45drives in the larger spaces for folks wanting to manage things more on their own but have enterprise scale needs. Dell and HP have always competed on the high-end enterprise space and also becoming a better option, even though synology is so easy as an appliance.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/10/synology-caves-walks...
Or after everything, including the gateway trips over itself when I reboot one of the switches.
Or when it decides to run two APs, pretty much next to each other, on the exactly the same channel after a daily scan.
Or when I wake up to the WiFi down because it decided to turn on the automated firmware upgrade.
Yeah, they're almost out of the alpha phase.
I’ve had only a simple / reliable setup experience with a great UX
An elderly friend had high-speed Internet installed in his farmhouse. The lath and plaster walls were reinforced with chicken wire mesh, and ISP’s WiFi router box couldn’t penetrate it. I thought maybe he would need a few UAPs, but a single UAP-LR puck has been serving reliable Wi-Fi for 10+ years with no need for a unify controller. I’ve repeated this installation for other elderly and non-technical friends. I get absolutely zero service calls.
“With intuitive technologies, we optimize IT experiences, secure locations, and seamlessly connect people, places, and things.”
* What they say it means, here: https://blogs.cisco.com/news/the-ai-ready-enterprise-buildin...
That’s not really an alternative.
If we're talking "homelab", consider TP-Link Omada, or maybe Aruba:
https://evanmccann.net/blog/2022/3/tp-link-omada-overview
But for most homes, Eeros.
I’ve tried TrueNAS many times, and I just don’t like the UI/UX. It tries to ride the line between a walled garden, à la Apple, and “do what you want.” That doesn’t work, IMO. I really don’t like how it tries to do everything - I don’t want hyper-convergence, I want you to do one thing, and do it really, really well.
Literally my only hangup. I feel like I’m playing with fire with btrfs on Synology the longer I use it. Having ZFS would put my mind at ease, and I can relegate the Synology to backup duty.
I'm also waiting for bcachefs to mature a bit. It's already pretty great, but needs a bit of polish.
system2•3mo ago
We use Synology with VMware ESXi backups, and it’s a lifesaver. Unless they add VM support, I wouldn’t consider UI. I also wonder what their backup-restore timeline/search looks like.
EDIT: You know what grinds my gears on HN? Getting downvoted for a basic observation and never knowing what I said that sounded wrong to others.
crmd•3mo ago