Basic Ubiquiti Network
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For a while, the common recommendation for a Ubiquiti network for SMB looked like this.
- EdgeRouter (usually Edge Router Lite)
- EdgeSwitch
- Unifi Access Point
For management you'd have to have a Unifi Controller for the access point, and if you wanted a more centralized managment of the EdgeMax stuff, you'd run UNMS.
Is this still the common recommendation? I've dug a little bit into the all-Unifi setup, and it looks interesting, but it still looks like the EdgeRouter 4 is a better choice than the USG Pro. I'm starting to compare / contract the available switches now.
I suppose there may be some value in all-Unifi if you want to manage everything in a single controller, but it seems like a trivial thing to just run two VMs, one for Unifi stuff and the other EdgeMax stuff.
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@eddiejennings said in Basic Ubiquiti Network:
but it seems like a trivial thing to just run two VMs, one for Unifi stuff and the other EdgeMax stuff.
They can run on the same VM. Just you need the web interface for one on a different port. never dug that deep as I had two VM's because they were grown over time as Ubiquiti added the functionality.
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@eddiejennings said in Basic Ubiquiti Network:
Is this still the common recommendation? I've dug a little bit into the all-Unifi setup, and it looks interesting, but it still looks like the EdgeRouter 4 is a better choice than the USG Pro. I'm starting to compare / contract the available switches now.
For an SMB, I would just go with all UniFi to be lazy.
Assuming that the current DreamMachine or WTF ever they call it can do fast enough line speed with various services enabled.
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@jaredbusch said in Basic Ubiquiti Network:
@eddiejennings said in Basic Ubiquiti Network:
UNMS.
Now rebranded as UISP
I saw that. They have a few pages that still call it UNMS.
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@jaredbusch said in Basic Ubiquiti Network:
@eddiejennings said in Basic Ubiquiti Network:
Is this still the common recommendation? I've dug a little bit into the all-Unifi setup, and it looks interesting, but it still looks like the EdgeRouter 4 is a better choice than the USG Pro. I'm starting to compare / contract the available switches now.
For an SMB, I would just go with all UniFi to be lazy.
Assuming that the current DreamMachine or WTF ever they call it can do fast enough line speed with various services enabled.
The Dream Machine looks interesting, but I'm not inpressed with it also being an 8-port switch. I suppose you may have some environments where you wouldn't need more than 8 switch ports, assuming you'd be using the provided PoE injector for your APs.
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A bit outside the scope for the SMB, but the fanless design of the Unifi switches looks like I can have some beyond-just-24v-passive-PoE in my apartment home lab without the whirring of fans.
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@eddiejennings said in Basic Ubiquiti Network:
The Dream Machine looks interesting, but I'm not inpressed with it also being an 8-port switch.
I have not looked at it yet, but are they fixed switch ports, or assignable? The ER-X is an example of this.
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@eddiejennings said in Basic Ubiquiti Network:
A bit outside the scope for the SMB, but the fanless design of the Unifi switches looks like I can have some beyond-just-24v-passive-PoE in my apartment home lab without the whirring of fans.
Damn. I actually didn't realize they were fanless. Mine is an Edgerouter and the fans are loud. I have had to use noise suppression for streaming etc. Might be worth it to upgrade.
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I've found that Ubiquiti's 8 port switches are a little more expensive than other, equivalent equipment from HP. Otherwise looks like a good setup.
I know of someone putting in a Dream Machine at his house, sounds like they are good for smaller setups.
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Heartell this 'chit is the schnizzle from those whose opines I respect. But never used it. So wtf do I know, eh?
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@eddiejennings said in Basic Ubiquiti Network:
@jaredbusch said in Basic Ubiquiti Network:
@eddiejennings said in Basic Ubiquiti Network:
Is this still the common recommendation? I've dug a little bit into the all-Unifi setup, and it looks interesting, but it still looks like the EdgeRouter 4 is a better choice than the USG Pro. I'm starting to compare / contract the available switches now.
For an SMB, I would just go with all UniFi to be lazy.
Assuming that the current DreamMachine or WTF ever they call it can do fast enough line speed with various services enabled.
The Dream Machine looks interesting, but I'm not inpressed with it also being an 8-port switch. I suppose you may have some environments where you wouldn't need more than 8 switch ports, assuming you'd be using the provided PoE injector for your APs.
It's seriously goofy.
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@jaredbusch said in Basic Ubiquiti Network:
@eddiejennings said in Basic Ubiquiti Network:
The Dream Machine looks interesting, but I'm not inpressed with it also being an 8-port switch.
I have not looked at it yet, but are they fixed switch ports, or assignable? The ER-X is an example of this.
The documentation I've seen doesn't tell me much. It seems like the switch ports create just a plain layer 2 switch. They aren't assignable interfaces like the old EdgeRouter Lite's eth0, 1 and 2.
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@eddiejennings said in Basic Ubiquiti Network:
@jaredbusch said in Basic Ubiquiti Network:
@eddiejennings said in Basic Ubiquiti Network:
The Dream Machine looks interesting, but I'm not inpressed with it also being an 8-port switch.
I have not looked at it yet, but are they fixed switch ports, or assignable? The ER-X is an example of this.
The documentation I've seen doesn't tell me much. It seems like the switch ports create just a plain layer 2 switch. They aren't assignable interfaces like the old EdgeRouter Lite's eth0, 1 and 2.
I believe that to be true.
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The one place that the Dream Machine feels like maybe it could have a place that makes sense is in a small home office environment where space is very limited and the needs for flexibility are pretty minor. Like a tech worker working remotely in an apartment environment. Small enough that you are sure that you will never need additional wifi, that correct placement of the AP doesn't matter, that you don't need more than four Ethernet connections, where you don't want to do PoE, etc.
That's pretty limited. I have employees like Valentina where that would make sense as she has like one desk phone (but she would want PoE), a tiny overall apartment, one laptop, a phone and an iPad. She wouldn't saturate the GigE ports, even if she plugged in a gaming console or something basic. And then there is the question of how easy is this to manage in our general pool of Unifi gear because it has its own controller and how well does it alert to being offline, since the controller goes offline with everything else. And how do you justify the cost since getting her a Unifi USG and an AP is more functional, and cheaper, and easy to manage?
But it's rare to find someone who wants a device of this level but only needs four ports!
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@scottalanmiller that's the same conversation I had with a vcto who purchased this for a much larger customer of ours (think geographically large).
Umm sure this is a controller and AP, but the customer already has infrastructure to run APs, VMs, etc... Why waste the money on this?
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@scottalanmiller said in Basic Ubiquiti Network:
@eddiejennings said in Basic Ubiquiti Network:
@jaredbusch said in Basic Ubiquiti Network:
@eddiejennings said in Basic Ubiquiti Network:
The Dream Machine looks interesting, but I'm not inpressed with it also being an 8-port switch.
I have not looked at it yet, but are they fixed switch ports, or assignable? The ER-X is an example of this.
The documentation I've seen doesn't tell me much. It seems like the switch ports create just a plain layer 2 switch. They aren't assignable interfaces like the old EdgeRouter Lite's eth0, 1 and 2.
I believe that to be true.
The old ER Lite were software bridged only and not something you ever wanted to do. Horrible performance killer.
The ER-X and ER-4 have an actual switch chip. You don't have to make each port use it, but it is there.
So you could make eth0 be WAN and eth1 through eth3 be members of switch0
