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Tired of streaming services buffering? Unable to use WiFi in all corners of your home? Don’t like the look of those wall outlet range extenders? Then maybe it’s time to step up to the “pro-sumer” goodness that is the Unifi Dream Machine.
What is a “pro-sumer”?
Unifi is a product line from Ubiquiti that is geared towards the “pro-sumer” market. What does “pro-sumer” mean? Between a professional and a consumer lies the “pro-sumer.” This is the customer that is not a networking professional, but is more knowledgeable than the average consumer. They will have experience trying products from multiple companies over the years and finding out what is better than others, and what they are looking for in a network. These consumers probably have experience setting up internal LANs and port forwarding, and they care about traffic and congestion. This customer also understand how WiFi works in a home and what capabilities are available with the current products on the market.
The Unifi ecosystem of products is designed just for that purpose.
The Dream Machine and Dream Machine Pro
The brains of the Unifi system are the OS Consoles which are the Dream Machine (check price on amazon here) and Dream Machine Pro (check price on amazon here). These are both routers in the basic sense of the system, but they are capable of much more than that. The Unifi Dream Machine Pro is a rack-mounted system while the Dream Machine is a product you can install without a rack. The Dream Machine also includes WiFi 6 in the unit itself, while the Dream Machine Pro has no WiFi ability on it’s own. Both Unifi OS Consoles offer a Firewall and VPN out-of-the-box and they both have software for the full-suite of Unifi products.
Why choose the Dream Machine? If you do not care to add wireless access points throughout your home, the Dream Machine would be the choice for you. The built-in WiFi means that you can install the Dream Machine and be up and running very quickly with no extra installation required. You could also choose the Unifi Dream Machine if you do not have a central server rack in your home.
The Unifi Dream Machine Pro on the other hand will require a server rack and the ability to run ethernet cable to locations for wireless access points. It also has a full HDD bay available for storing video from the Protect software package which is geared towards security cameras.
Wireless Access Points
If you are going with the Dream Machine Pro, then you will need Wireless Access Points in your Unifi system. The access points are discreet, especially when installed in a ceiling. You will need to run ethernet to the location of the Unifi Wireless Access Point so there is some work involved. If you have a single-story home, you can go in the attic and run the new cables. A two-story home involves extra work if you need to run wire between floors.
The access points are powered with PoE, Power-Over-Ethernet. This means that each access point will need it’s own PoE injector. The injector takes power and ethernet as an input and outputs both into one ethernet cable. That means data and power are both sent to the Unifi access point powering the unit and transferring data back and forth. If you have a PoE switch in your server rack, you can simply plug the access points in to that PoE switch.
Unifi offers multiple wireless access points depending on need. I would recommend the Unifi6 Pro wireless access points (check price on Amazon here). These offer the latest (as of this writing) dual-band WiFi 6 capabilities. Dual-band means that both 5GHz and 2.4GHz devices can connect to these, and they will switch automatically between the closest access point. Unifi 6 Pro access points can handle over 300 devices at one-time with solid throughput. I still recommend hard-wiring any device that you have the ability to hardwire. However, if you need to use WiFi, these units will handle most households.
Unifi Network Dashboard
Controlling your Unifi network is done through the dashboard. From here you can manage your network setting and client-specific settings. You might not need or use all that this system has to offer, but managing to this level is a plus.
If you want to block a certain device like a phone or tablet, you can open the devices tab, select that device, and the press the “block” button. Now that device can not access the internet with your system. Why would you want to do that? I may or may not block certain family member tablets when they come over for holidays.
Port Forwarding
If you are running Home Assistant for your smart home, you will need to open a port to access it remotely. 1. Press the settings button on the left sidebar.
2. Select the Firewall & Security tab on the settings page.
3. Scroll down to the Port Forwarding section and select “Create New Forwarding Rule”
4. Fill in the settings of your new forwarding rule
Name: Type in the name for the port forward, for example HomeAssistant
Port: Type in the Port that will be open to the outside. For example, 8123
Forward IP: This is the device that you want to access in your Unifi System. For example, the ip address of your Home Assistant server.
Forward Port: This is the port that is open on the device and listening for incoming traffic. Home Assistant by default listens on port 8123.
5. You’re all done! In this example, traffic coming in to your network on port 8123 will be directed to the Home Assistant server listening on it’s own port 8123.
Final Thoughts
This just skims the surface of what the Unifi system can do. I have been using this system for over 6 months and I have not experienced any buffering with 5 streaming devices at the same time. That also has to do with the internet coming in to the house from my service provider, however the traffic within the home is still clear. The more devices that get added in the more a system gets bogged down. I do intend to add some cameras in to this system, so I will review the Protect software at a later date.