Are Ubiquiti good enough?

[dgsmith]

I have read alot about Ubiquiti switches here, mostly all positive and it seems there is some shift towards their product line from some in education here. My question is.. are they at the right level now to compete with the bigger boys?

 

I am looking at our existing switches, mostly either 10+ years old or bought refurbished (all procurve, a mixture of 2510/20s, 2610s, 2810s and 2910s with a single 2530G). Our "core" switch is just a 2910 with the 4 SFP linking to other cabs and rear CX4 used for virtual stacking to another 2910 and 2900.

 

I see Ubiquiti have some impressive switches available at even more impressive prices (a 16 port SFP+ 10Gig switch for under £450 and a 48port gigabit poe switch for under £650 are very attractive indeed). The web interface looks somewhat more informative too.

 

But are they hitting the heights of the procurve (or now Aruba) line at the fraction of the price, or do you get what you pay for in netgear/dlink-style economy? In an ideal world, our core would be a chassis but I think it's out of price range and I wouldn't want us to get what is now a really old refurb procurve model anyway for this. The Ubiquiti 16port SFP+ one would be ideal to link every edge switch back directly to a single place, over fiber and 10gig capable, but is it as capable as the better brands and does it seem too good?

[AJWhite1970]

In a word, yes. I have three 16 port SPF+ switches as the core, 20 48 port non POE SPF+ switches linked at 10gb and 20 24 port POE switches that replaced an old procurve infrastructure last summer and the performance enhancement is ten fold. Add in the free management software and couple in the 50 AP's and 20 CCTV cameras I also have as well as two airbeam bridges to remote buildings at 450mb speeds and you can safely say I've gone all in with Uniquiti this year and not regretted a second.

[FN-GM]

It really depends on what you use them for. They are good for smaller deployments. However for us they are lacking features we use. For example: VSS / stacking , dynamic arp inspection, STP root guard & IP source guard.

[FN-GM]

Just to add. I have been researching Ubiquiti recently. I seems for IT pros like us the Edge series is the best way to go and the Unifi stuff is better for the less skilled person. The Unifi system has ben put into a simple web interface. However that has meant for some more advanced features you need to use the CLI. The Edge services seems to have everything in the web interface but it isn't as straight forward as the Unifi system - but shouldn't be an issue for IT techies.

[mdrabble]

I have 21 Edge Lites and for edge switches I cannot fault them. £300 each with 10gb uplinks! - only a handful are using 10gb but it is a start.

 

Even though the 10gb SFP+ switches seem really good money, the fact they are lacking stacking features means at this moment in time I won't be looking to replace my core switches.

 

They are offering a free Beta NMS system for monitoring your Unifi switches which you can use to update firmware etc but you cannot centrally configure switches.

 

Just install 5 Unifi CCTV camera with another 5 planned for the summer all using their free CCTV software - good cameras but again, lacking some features such as ONVIF so you cannot link them to other systems.

 

Currently using Meraki which is up for renewal next June - so I will wait and see what Unif have to offer.

[richbrowncardiff]

I have been using pretty much the entire unifi line for over a year now and don't regret the decision at all.

 

I have 47 switches in use a few spares on the shelf, 81 Access points, 10g edgerouter infinity, 8 of their CCTV Cameras and all my cab locations coming back to 2 "Core" 16 port unifi XG's (with 20gbps between the two xg's) We dont do anything spectacular with the config. I run 8 vlans in total and the whole thing flies! the Edgerouter is part of the edgemax line rather than unifi and you have alot of control on the edgemax range. As others have said the unifi line is more simplified but my own philosphy is we run big networks with little money and my skills and opinions & spend decisions have adaped over the years to make the most of what I have / can afford. if you want alot of control over config Edgeswitches are probably your best bet. I know their is definately a high value for stacking etc but I decided it wasn't worth the extra cost of a big brand for the additional features.

 

To give you some idea of my network on a normal day you will see in excess of 6tb of data shifted across the lan and 800gb+ of data pulled from the internet 1100 devices (lan and wlan) 10+ iscsi connections for the file shares on our Synology box's etc and 1k+ guests on the wifi.

The whole thing works really well.

[Mr_Jiminy]

It really depends on what you use them for. They are good for smaller deployments.

 

Unifi yes.

 

Just to add. I have been researching Ubiquiti recently. I seems for IT pros like us the Edge series is the best way to go

 

Definitely, but the single pain of glass that Unifi offers is pretty cool, obvs check out feature requirements first.

 

Unifi stuff is better for the less skilled person.

 

Bold comment (in jest), not always.

Edited June 7, 2018 by Mr_Jiminy

[caffrey]

We are a Unifi site too, whatever you have learnt about vlans throw it out of the window as Unifi does it in a totally different way. Once you get the hang of it it's easy

[Davit2005]

Ubiquiti EdgeSwitch is the way to go for anything more than a home deployment, forget the Unifi i.e. US-* range IMO and the price difference does not seem that much. Unifi is handy if you have a much smaller deployment as you can manage the whole network from one interface, WiFi, Switches and Routing/Firewall.

 

The New UI for the EdgeSwitch is getting close to the Unifi Controller that you need for the Unifi Range but lacks the features in the legacy UI. With the UNMS software you can manage backups from the EdgeSwitches but not a lot more.

 

The increased functionality of the CLI on the EdgeSwitch range makes mass deployment a doddle.

 

But as @FN-GM mentions they lack some features i.e. true Stacking(VSF etc), VRRP (on Layer3) more complex routing like OSPF. So if you need those features HP might be worth sticking with.

Edited June 7, 2018 by Davit2005

[FN-GM]

 

Bold comment (in jest), not always.

 

Sorry - I didn't mean to offend

[LeMarchand]

seems for IT pros like us the Edge series is the best way to go and the Unifi stuff is better for the less skilled person.

 

Feels inadequate.

 

Wastes good suffering*.

 

*See signature.

[PotNoodleTech]

That's exactly what I am in the process of finding out!!!

 

 

I went to visit @richbrowncardiff as I heard he was wholly embracing Unifi stuff and his school is one of the top rated in Wales (Currently rated Excellent, and with Excellent prospects for improvement, which is fairly unheard of in South Wales).

 

So now am looking at replacing my 45 Cisco APs with Unifi, installing their CCTV cameras instead of our hideously overpriced and underperforming contractor system, and also replacing some of my HP switches. (mixture of 2530 and V1910)

 

First impression are great, the stuff is good quality - the Controller software and interface is fantastic, like a breath of fresh air after using command lines or HP web interface. Also - HP have been going backwards as far as I am concerned, more expensive, worse interfaces, rebranding cheap stuff from other manufacturers (3com?!!).

 

Will be buying some targeted unifi kit to get a couple of areas more POE capacity and upgrade the links to 10Gig over the next couple of months.

[dgsmith]

Thanks for the responses. Yes it's the edge series I have been looking at and I realised the unify line seems somewhat more of a cut-down line. We don't use that many features of our existing switches to be fair, beyond the vlans and QOS so we wouldn't necessarily miss alot I don't think.

 

When I see procurves on ebay for practically at giveaway prices (sub £50 for 48port gig switches and 24 port poes on the 2510 lines upwards), how do we justify Ubiquiti? Also with Ubiquiti, their warranty is a year vs lifetime with HP (well at least for the HPs we bought new anyway). It seems Ubiquiti are offering very good 10gig capable switches at very good prices.. this seems the draw right now.. thinking ahead rather than the now.

 

For the core, we'd want something solid (no surprise there) and more of an aggregation to link all cab switches and the Ubiquiti does seem like the only offering with SFP+ in reasonable quantity, 10gig and great price.. maybe apprehension rather than anything else in considering what for us has been an unknown brand to be the big-dog in the networking infrastructure!

[PotNoodleTech]

maybe apprehension rather than anything else in considering what for us has been an unknown brand to be the big-dog in the networking infrastructure!

 

You mean like HP was back in 2001/2002 when they decided to "go for it" and take on the unbreakable might of Cisco at the high end and 3com at the low end? We all know how that worked out for the underdog right as Cisco are no longer the most valuable company on earth and 3com went bust and we've all got HP switches in our cabs

 

I like underdogs as they often need to be clever and bring new technology and pricing structures to the table in order to break into the market.

Edited June 7, 2018 by PotNoodleTech

[dgsmith]

You mean like HP was back in 2001/2002 when they decided to "go for it" and take on the unbreakable might of Cisco at the high end and 3com at the low end? We all know how that worked out for the underdog right as Cisco are no longer the most valuable company on earth and 3com went bust and we've all got HP switches in our cabs

 

I like underdogs as they often need to be clever and bring new technology and pricing structures to the table in order to break into the market.

 

I guess, but was the quality/reliability then as good as the later ones? I like that Ubiquiti are offering fully gig switches with 10gig uplinks for extremely attractive prices and if they saturate enough of the market, you'd wonder if the others are forced to follow suit. If they truly are wanting to compete, then stacking and more than 1yr warranty is surely something they could be taking a look at too..

[PotNoodleTech]

I guess, but was the quality/reliability then as good as the later ones? I like that Ubiquiti are offering fully gig switches with 10gig uplinks for extremely attractive prices and if they saturate enough of the market, you'd wonder if the others are forced to follow suit. If they truly are wanting to compete, then stacking and more than 1yr warranty is surely something they could be taking a look at too..

 

Its a good question we won't know until 5 years down the line.

 

the HP Lifetime warranty proved to be effectively, worthless as I never had to send one back despite running some 10 yr old 2650s until fairly recently.

 

If unifi can hit the reliability nail on the head then I am not worried about 1 year warranty as I would hope they will last 5 years anyway.

 

I didn't know how reliable HP units were back in 2003 either.....and everyone I spoke to spat on the floor and said I'd be mad to not buy Cisco....

[localzuk]

It all depends on what features you need. For most edge switches, most schools don't need anything fancy to be honest.

 

We're going with Unifi switches in our Trust from now on - put our first couple in a few months back. They do everything we need (we don't need stacking for example, as all our schools are small and have few switches in each cab, so we just connect each one back to the core individually).

 

Schools on the whole don't need STP Root Guard, dynamic arp inspection etc... You're getting into large, public, organisations like large colleges/universities with those sorts of things.

[Ricicles]

IMO they're just "OK" a nice environment as others have said and I use them at home.

 

However in school we've had a couple of their POE switches pop their power supplies, requiring us to send them back for a refund.

 

The fact that HP will send out a replacement next day and collect the old one is a big win for us, and I think we'll stick with them!

[FN-GM]

Schools on the whole don't need STP Root Guard, dynamic arp inspection etc... You're getting into large, public, organisations like large colleges/universities with those sorts of things.

 

How so? Do cyber attacks not happen in schools? It could be argued that they are needed more with students pushing their luck.

[tj2419]

We're looking at the same. Anyone recommend a good supplier who we can build up a picture of what we would need. .e.g. is the cctv literally just the cameras and the Ubiquiti NVR?

[AJWhite1970]

e.g. is the cctv literally just the cameras and the Ubiquiti NVR?

 

CCTV is literally buy the cameras and install the controller software on the platform of your choice. Adopt the camera via the web based software, set the picture quality and motion detect zones and away you go.

 

https://www.ubnt.com/download/unifi-video

 

I purchase all my Unifi kit through MS Distribution but other suppliers are also available.

 

https://www.msdist.co.uk/ubiquiti

[Chris_]

CCTV is literally buy the cameras and install the controller software on the platform of your choice. Adopt the camera via the web based software, set the picture quality and motion detect zones and away you go.

 

https://www.ubnt.com/download/unifi-video

 

I purchase all my Unifi kit through MS Distribution but other suppliers are also available.

 

https://www.msdist.co.uk/ubiquiti

 

If you're buying more than a couple of items speak to MS Dist for a quote rather than just going off the website list prices. We've had quite substantial discounts when ordering quantities from them.

[AlanD]

or do you get what you pay for in netgear/dlink-style economy? ?

 

I’ve used netgear switches for years...decades actually...and I have never quite understood distain those with Cisco and HP switches subject them to.

 

Our 8 switch core is 10gb with aggregated links to edge switches from adjacent stack cores...so ...at least in theory...any port can fail and nothing stops working....

 

In practice no port has ever failed...although, yes we had a succession of netgear modules failing...and replaced them cheap Chinese ones that never seem to fail...despite being a fraction of genuine netgear modules.

 

And the netgear stuff probably cost me 10% of a Cisco or HP solution....and some of it is second hand kit bought for peanuts off eBay...probably priced because of the biased reputation netgear had.

 

Is it perfect? No...and I understand why some peoples experience is poor. The web interface on early smart switches was slow...really slow...used java..and was fussy about which browser was used. Different models have different looking webinterfaces...which is confusing at best...and new netgear models were prone to teething problems with firmware.

 

But..it all works just fine..

 

You rarely get what you pay for...

[dgsmith]

It did take us quite alot of time to standardise on procurve, and that was including refurbished acquisitions too, so now our entire site is procurve. Many of those older 2510/2520 models are plentiful on ebay and the decision to save on a standard 100meg poe switch for IP cams/phones, or a 48 port gig switch for sub £50 is still enticing, even without 10gig uplinks.

 

I guess it is too early to tell if Ubiquiti will change the game as HP did 16-18 years ago. HPs initial switches haven't aged that well, but their kit from ~10 years ago seems as suitable now as it did then. I also agree that HPE/Aruba don't seem to be keeping pace in their current offering.. I am less of a fan of their new kit than I am/was of their old procurve branded kit.

 

The Ubiquiti 16 sfp+ switch seems like a game changer at that price and spec, yet to make it worthwhile, the edge switches would also need to link at 10gig, so we'd have to go all out Ubiquiti to see the benefit. Hence, getting this switch at the core would be a statement of shifting onto Ubiquiti, without there being much to go on past experience/reputation.

 

@AlanD - We had a few NGs prior to the procurves.. they were just "ok" but we were happier swapping their gig switches out for procurve 100meg ones at the time. They generally are a lesser option vs Cisco/HPE.

[Blue_Cookeh]

And the netgear stuff probably cost me 10% of a Cisco or HP solution....and some of it is second hand kit bought for peanuts off eBay...probably priced because of the biased reputation netgear had.

 

https://www.uk.insight.com/en-gb/productinfo/network-switches/0001792240

 

vs

 

https://www.uk.insight.com/en-gb/productinfo/network-switches/0001745967

 

don't be silly now