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1. SkyPun+(OP)[view] [source] 2025-12-05 15:07:04
Unifi is a bit different than Apple to me.

Ubiquiti is one of the few companies doing prosumer hardware - and doing it extremely well. They give you access to advanced, raw configurations without necessarily having to go "full enterprise" deployment. They also have solutions for just about everything.

That being said, I generally have moved towards other Wifi solutions as I've grown weary of tweaking Ubiquiti all of the time. I found that I could get better top-end performance out of Ubiquiti gear, but really struggled to hammer out poor performance in edge cases. Particularly, with jitter and random latency spikes.

My consumer mesh wifi system gets nowhere near it's advertised performance, with little way for me to tweak it. However, I rarely need "full performance" and it doesn't suffer from the same random glitches.

replies(5): >>Furiou+Yw >>r1290+IA >>jonah+XB >>z3ratu+KE >>int0x2+fJ
2. Furiou+Yw[view] [source] 2025-12-05 17:21:05
>>SkyPun+(OP)
I've moved to buying last gen used Ruckus Unleashed APs (usually R720 as they are cheap and very reliable). Way higher quality but steep learning curve for many functions, although if someone is willing to put in some effort it's not that bad.
replies(1): >>ssl-3+Oi1
3. r1290+IA[view] [source] 2025-12-05 17:38:39
>>SkyPun+(OP)
What do you recommend as an alternative?
replies(1): >>SkyPun+JC5
4. jonah+XB[view] [source] 2025-12-05 17:43:34
>>SkyPun+(OP)
I was having issues with Wi-Fi stability but, once the settings were dialed incorrectly, it's been rock solid over a year.
5. z3ratu+KE[view] [source] 2025-12-05 17:56:13
>>SkyPun+(OP)
Where they differ also from Apple, and indeed is insanely amazing for a network hw company is that I'm still getting software updates for my , I don't know, at least 7 years old AP. A consumer device.

This is unprecedented and much appreciated.

replies(1): >>encom+731
6. int0x2+fJ[view] [source] 2025-12-05 18:17:11
>>SkyPun+(OP)
I used to think the same way, and I loved UBNT. Sadly, after 2 different more advanced configs I had caused wild stability issues - affecting APs, a USG and the controller itself to the point of making them less reliable than a random TP-Link router, plus an ERL randomly dying on me without warning and never booting again - I decided to pull UBNT from anything and anywhere.

I now exclusively use open-source projects with a strong history and community - or used high-end enterprise gear that I pick up when it reaches EOL so it's dirt cheap. Stability has been so much better, even with the most advanced configs I ever created.

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7. encom+731[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 19:42:46
>>z3ratu+KE
>7 years of software maintenance is absolutely precedented and expected of any serious networking vendor.
replies(1): >>tevon+F81
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8. tevon+F81[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 20:11:36
>>encom+731
He specifically specified that he was happy with ubiquiti since it was consumer grade hardware
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9. ssl-3+Oi1[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 21:02:20
>>Furiou+Yw
Usually, I use Mikrotik wAP ACs for this kind of thing. They're cheap-enough to buy brand new, and they're designed to be able to work outdoors in the weather.

But I might pick up an R720 just to play with -- that's a different echelon of gear.

Thanks for the tip.

replies(2): >>Furiou+Ro1 >>p_ing+JB1
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10. Furiou+Ro1[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 21:32:29
>>ssl-3+Oi1
For outdoor, the model numbers start with "T". I think the T710 is the equivalent of the R720 for outdoor.
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11. p_ing+JB1[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 22:50:21
>>ssl-3+Oi1
Not that everyone needs it, but it doesn't seem like Mikrotik has any 6E or 7 WAPs? If they do, I'd love to try one
replies(2): >>ssl-3+uG1 >>MrDOS+8H1
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12. ssl-3+uG1[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 23:21:38
>>p_ing+JB1
Mikrotik is pretty lacking in aspects that relate to the newest hotness of wifi standards.

802.11ax ("wifi 6") is as good as it gets, with [eg] their wAP AX.

They get a lot of stuff right, though. They run RouterOS, which is a custom userland for Linux that is intensely flexible. Approximately any routing-esque function a person can dream up that can work with a Linux kernel can be made to work within RouterOS.

The form factor of the wAP AC/AX boxes is really very nice -- they can blend well in on a wall (inside or outside), attached to a pipe, or whatever. I've got a wAP AC on the wall of my living room, for instance. I use another one when "camping" off-grid, zip-tied to the leg of an easy-up awning.

It's ostensibly just an access point, but it doesn't have to be. I mean, like: There's two ethernet ports, but they exist without a preconceived function. Want to use it as a router, with hardware WAN and LAN ports? How about with VLANs and a managed switch instead, so it works with just one cable? Eleventy-five different SSIDs? Bridging networks with wifi? Using station mode to leech bandwidth from the cafe across the street, and perform firewalling and NAT and VPN, so you can use it in your apartment -- with only one box? Sure, no problem. Whatever it is, it works.

Power is flexible. All of the bits to use passive POE are included; or it can just plug in with the included DC connector; or it can use proper 802.3af PoE.

I don't know how it compares to something from Ruckus, but I'm much more pleased with it than the Ubiquity gear that I am presently taking a break from fighting with.

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13. MrDOS+8H1[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 23:25:06
>>p_ing+JB1
Wi-Fi is, ah, politely, not MikroTik's strong suit. They're only just completing their Wi-Fi 6 rollout (while the cAP ax was released a few years ago, the wAP ax was only released late last year, and they've only just launched the hAP ax S). And the performance of their devices is pretty poor by just about any metric. I will continue to buy it, however, because it does what it does very reliably, and history proves they will continue to support existing hardware in the field until the heat death of the universe.
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14. SkyPun+JC5[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-07 18:33:06
>>r1290+IA
IMO, the consumer grade mesh systems are basically commodities at this point.

Wire still wins - especially for backhauls between endpoint. However, it’s really nice being able to stick an AP anywhere you have an outlet to extend the range. I have a few outdoor devices (speakers, lights, TV) that daisy chain though APs while getting just good enough performance for what I need.

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