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    Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?

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    • scottalanmillerS
      scottalanmiller @wrx7m
      last edited by

      @wrx7m said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

      @jaredbusch said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

      @wrx7m said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

      @jaredbusch said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

      But a cloud key.

      I hate them, but a home user it is not a bad solution.

      Out of curiosity, what is it about them that you hate?

      They can barely run the controller and have limited capacity. Just really useless IMO.

      Thanks for the insight.

      Do you ever use the ios/android app?

      I never have, but I bet that that works pretty easily.

      wrx7mW 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • wrx7mW
        wrx7m @scottalanmiller
        last edited by

        @scottalanmiller said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

        @wrx7m said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

        @jaredbusch said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

        @wrx7m said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

        @jaredbusch said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

        But a cloud key.

        I hate them, but a home user it is not a bad solution.

        Out of curiosity, what is it about them that you hate?

        They can barely run the controller and have limited capacity. Just really useless IMO.

        Thanks for the insight.

        Do you ever use the ios/android app?

        I never have, but I bet that that works pretty easily.

        I can't tell if the app is meant for the UAP AC Lite and what functionality it allows.

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • zachary715Z
          zachary715
          last edited by

          You might consider the Amplifi line. I've not used one but they get good reviews, are more home user focused, and can be configured from a mobile app.

          https://amplifi.com

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • F
            flaxking @wrx7m
            last edited by

            @wrx7m said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

            @jaredbusch said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

            @wrx7m said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

            @jaredbusch said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

            But a cloud key.

            I hate them, but a home user it is not a bad solution.

            Out of curiosity, what is it about them that you hate?

            They can barely run the controller and have limited capacity. Just really useless IMO.

            Thanks for the insight.

            Do you ever use the ios/android app?

            I use the app for my outdoor AP, it's pretty simple, can't imagine needing more than that for home use.

            wrx7mW 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
            • wrx7mW
              wrx7m @flaxking
              last edited by

              @flaxking said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

              @wrx7m said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

              @jaredbusch said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

              @wrx7m said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

              @jaredbusch said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

              But a cloud key.

              I hate them, but a home user it is not a bad solution.

              Out of curiosity, what is it about them that you hate?

              They can barely run the controller and have limited capacity. Just really useless IMO.

              Thanks for the insight.

              Do you ever use the ios/android app?

              I use the app for my outdoor AP, it's pretty simple, can't imagine needing more than that for home use.

              Can you go from out-of-the-box to finished config with just the app?

              F 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • F
                flaxking @wrx7m
                last edited by

                @wrx7m said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

                @flaxking said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

                @wrx7m said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

                @jaredbusch said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

                @wrx7m said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

                @jaredbusch said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

                But a cloud key.

                I hate them, but a home user it is not a bad solution.

                Out of curiosity, what is it about them that you hate?

                They can barely run the controller and have limited capacity. Just really useless IMO.

                Thanks for the insight.

                Do you ever use the ios/android app?

                I use the app for my outdoor AP, it's pretty simple, can't imagine needing more than that for home use.

                Can you go from out-of-the-box to finished config with just the app?

                Yep. Connect to it, update the firmware, setup wireless network. I didn't do anything fancy in my config so I don't know what's missing.

                wrx7mW 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                • wrx7mW
                  wrx7m @flaxking
                  last edited by

                  @flaxking said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

                  @wrx7m said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

                  @flaxking said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

                  @wrx7m said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

                  @jaredbusch said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

                  @wrx7m said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

                  @jaredbusch said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

                  But a cloud key.

                  I hate them, but a home user it is not a bad solution.

                  Out of curiosity, what is it about them that you hate?

                  They can barely run the controller and have limited capacity. Just really useless IMO.

                  Thanks for the insight.

                  Do you ever use the ios/android app?

                  I use the app for my outdoor AP, it's pretty simple, can't imagine needing more than that for home use.

                  Can you go from out-of-the-box to finished config with just the app?

                  Yep. Connect to it, update the firmware, setup wireless network. I didn't do anything fancy in my config so I don't know what's missing.

                  Awesome! That should work well enough. Thanks for the info.

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • brandon220B
                    brandon220
                    last edited by

                    I tried a cloud key for non-home use and it was miserable. I had constant issues with it. Running the controller now in a VM under Hyper-V and have had zero problems. Very fast and easy. I do not recommend the cloud key. They are too under-powered IMO. Why not just install the controller on one of their local machines?

                    JaredBuschJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • JaredBuschJ
                      JaredBusch @brandon220
                      last edited by

                      @brandon220 said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

                      I tried a cloud key for non-home use and it was miserable. I had constant issues with it. Running the controller now in a VM under Hyper-V and have had zero problems. Very fast and easy. I do not recommend the cloud key. They are too under-powered IMO. Why not just install the controller on one of their local machines?

                      Because that is even worse.

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • PenguinWranglerP
                        PenguinWrangler
                        last edited by PenguinWrangler

                        I bet if you ask around you can find someone with an old Core 2 Duo machine lying around somewhere and they will give it to you. Take it, install Debain on it, and then install the controller. Configure the APs. You can then shut down the controller and store the computer away until you need to do something, like add an AP or update the firmware.

                        Edit: I have a store near me called EPC, and they sell recycle older PCs. I think you can pick up something from them for $25 bucks. You might look for a similar store near you if nothing else.

                        JaredBuschJ J 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 1
                        • JaredBuschJ
                          JaredBusch @PenguinWrangler
                          last edited by

                          @penguinwrangler said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

                          I bet if you ask around you can find someone with an old Core 2 Duo machine lying around somewhere and they will give it to you. Take it, install Debain on it, and then install the controller. Configure the APs. You can then shut down the controller and store the computer away until you need to do something, like add an AP or update the firmware.

                          Never do this. This means no updates and unpatched devices.

                          @penguinwrangler said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

                          Edit: I have a store near me called EPC, and they sell recycle older PCs. I think you can pick up something from them for $25 bucks. You might look for a similar store near you if nothing else.

                          Crooks IMO.

                          PenguinWranglerP 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • J
                            JackCPickup @PenguinWrangler
                            last edited by

                            @penguinwrangler

                            Who wants to have to bring out a physical PC every single time they want to do such basic things as add a new AP or push updates? What a ballache just to keep on top of the firmware updates.

                            PenguinWranglerP 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • B
                              bnrstnr
                              last edited by

                              Can't you just setup the APs on the phone app? It looks like there is an option to do so, I just can't do it on mine since my APs are managed by a controller already.

                              JaredBuschJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                              • JaredBuschJ
                                JaredBusch @bnrstnr
                                last edited by

                                @bnrstnr said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

                                Can't you just setup the APs on the phone app? It looks like there is an option to do so, I just can't do it on mine since my APs are managed by a controller already.

                                You can.

                                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • wrx7mW
                                  wrx7m
                                  last edited by

                                  I tried the android app on my existing home network. It only detected my ERX and not my AC AP lite. I wonder if it is because I already have the AP setup via a controller.

                                  B dbeatoD 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • Jame_sJ
                                    Jame_s
                                    last edited by

                                    the controller runs quite well on a raspberry pi. ideal for small networks.

                                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                                    • B
                                      bnrstnr @wrx7m
                                      last edited by

                                      @wrx7m 0_1527873560132_D0979613-89AB-4E9A-B25D-B5EE18F221F6.jpeg

                                      wrx7mW 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                      • wrx7mW
                                        wrx7m @bnrstnr
                                        last edited by

                                        @bnrstnr said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

                                        @wrx7m 0_1527873560132_D0979613-89AB-4E9A-B25D-B5EE18F221F6.jpeg

                                        Well, if I could read on the app, I would have answered my own question. LOL

                                        Thanks 🙂

                                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                        • PenguinWranglerP
                                          PenguinWrangler @JackCPickup
                                          last edited by

                                          @jackcpickup said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

                                          @penguinwrangler

                                          Who wants to have to bring out a physical PC every single time they want to do such basic things as add a new AP or push updates? What a ballache just to keep on top of the firmware updates.

                                          Did I say it was ideal, no.

                                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • PenguinWranglerP
                                            PenguinWrangler @JaredBusch
                                            last edited by

                                            @jaredbusch said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

                                            @penguinwrangler said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

                                            I bet if you ask around you can find someone with an old Core 2 Duo machine lying around somewhere and they will give it to you. Take it, install Debain on it, and then install the controller. Configure the APs. You can then shut down the controller and store the computer away until you need to do something, like add an AP or update the firmware.

                                            Never do this. This means no updates and unpatched devices.

                                            @penguinwrangler said in Ubiquiti Unifi APs - Do You Need a Controller?:

                                            Edit: I have a store near me called EPC, and they sell recycle older PCs. I think you can pick up something from them for $25 bucks. You might look for a similar store near you if nothing else.

                                            Crooks IMO.

                                            I did indicate that you would turn it on and update the firmware when an update came out.

                                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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