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Big Features, Small Cost, Mediocre Support
August 22, 2019

Big Features, Small Cost, Mediocre Support

Brandon Patton | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Ubiquiti Networks UniFi

We utilize Ubiquiti Networks UniFi across our entire organization - both in UniFi switches and UniFi access points. All of this is driven by a UniFi Cloud Key, which also provides our camera interface for UniFi Protect cameras from Ubiquiti.

Prior to this setup, we used a "hodgepodge" of networking equipment, ranging from Cisco, Dell, and Linksys technologies. However, we were looking for a solution that provided a single pane of glass into our environment in regards to networking and wanted to ensure our networking utilized a single manufacturer to avoid dealing with troubleshooting networking issues between different manufacturers. The other attractive point of Ubiquiti is its low total cost of ownership, but the high value in features for that low price point.
  • Highly intuitive configuration interface via the Cloud Key solution
  • Low price for high-quality equipment
  • Many networking solutions for a variety of networking scopes and needs
  • Fast setup and deployment of new equipment and replacement devices
  • Support - though they have gotten better in their offerings, it is incredibly hard through normal channels to reach direct support for their products. It's argued that this is what allows their cost to be lower on devices. The preferred method is to work with a reseller that can not only provide the material but the training and support for the product.
  • Disjointed company direction - while I can only provide an example of a single time this has occurred, Ubiquiti has been guilty of selling a solution for a length of time, only to completely abandon the solution with no future plans to revive/re-invent it (mFi monitoring equipment)
  • Hard to find resources - can be difficult to locate release notes of updates or to get a 'pulse' on what the company is working on or addressing - unless you subscribe and regularly monitor the community forums. A monthly email or regularly updated blog page would dramatically help with this.
  • Having a nominal price to have PoE enabled everyone within our company has been incredibly useful.
  • The single pane of glass that the Cloud Key appliance offers has reduced the overhead in manually going to each device to update/configure it.
  • While we would wish for a paid dedicated channel for our equipment, the cost savings have justified us taking a little bit of risk in utilizing the equipment - and thankfully at the time of this writing has not come back to haunt us.
UniFi's system is intuitive in how options are placed and explained throughout the interface. What is not directly explainable within the interface, Ubiquiti does provide several knowledgebase documents explaining best practices and methods of troubleshooting when things don't go exactly right. We've been using them for over three years, and the benefits vastly outweigh any negatives we could come up with on the equipment and system.
Ubiquiti support is minimal, which is said to help decrease the cost of the equipment. However, with many reports of emails going directly to the Ubiquiti support line taking days to hear a response, you're better off either engaging with the community forums for help from fellow UniFi users or reaching out to a reseller that has training on the equipment that can assist.
Ubiquiti Networks UniFi is a fantastic solution for entry-level and mid-level businesses looking for a very cost-effective solution for their switching and access point needs. The design of the solution and management application are intuitive enough that you don't need a ton of networking knowledge to find your way around to perform tasks.

I would be hesitant in certain scenarios in placing UniFi switches in high-end mission-critical environments. I personally feel that while Ubiquiti makes strides in keeping things updated and continuing to add features, the firmware/software updates can be volatile and potentially disrupt the ability to manage devices. I see this more with their firewall offerings, and less with their core networking switches and access points. I'm hopeful this gets improved in future months as they continue to improve the products.