Best products from r/Ubiquiti

Boy, Ubiquiti sure doesn't make it easy for the average home user/consumer to get a grasp on their products and offerings. I fumbled my way into a similar situation as yourself, perhaps bits of my ramblings will be helpful for you. I started off with a trusty little ER-X, fully planning to outgrow that little device within a matter of months. That did NOT happen, as it's quite a capable router for the $49 I invested in it. It even handled load-balancing dual WAN connections without breaking a sweat. And there's a PoE passthrough for pairing the router with a wireless access point. After being so thrilled with the ER-X, I decided it was time to bring our wireless capabilities into the 21st century and ended up going with a UAP-AC-LR, which has continued to serve us well over the past ~18+ months, or so. I was getting consistent remarks on just how great the WiFi was all of a sudden after deploying that lovely little UFO shaped device. Do yourself a favor and avoid the CloudKey, unless you have a very specific use-case / need for it. There's dozens of ways to run a UniFi Controller that are both cheaper (free?) and better, IMO. If you just have the single access point (I only have the one) you could potentially even stand it up simply by using the UniFi mobile app to set it and forget it. It only needs to run when you want to make modifications, or changes to your setup, but the options are immense. You can even run the software on your desktop PC, pretty much whatever you have on hand will suffice.

In an effort to give a somewhat complete run-down of your options, there's another line of products, where many folks prefer to go with a pure UniFi setup. The USG is on par with the ER-X, but it's twice the cost with less power and less features. The only added bonus is that you get to manage it from the same menu/interface as your access point(s), so your metrics and charts will fill out more and look a bit prettier, but how often do you really sit around and look at how much data your network devices are pulling? I still prefer the EdgeMAX dashboard over the UniFi Controller interface, especially considering the fact that I'm not wholly convinced the values are particularly accurate, so it may be of little value if that's something you actually need for your use-case, rather than just a pretty toy to view. Hope some of this helps, if you have further questions, please ask away! Below I'll list the absolute bare-bones, budget-conscious way to get into an incredibly stable home network setup, from my experiences. I only recently upgraded my Edgerouter-X with an Edgerouter 12 from the Early Release store, and today is the day my upgraded fiber package gets flipped on. Goodbye 100Mbps, hello Gbps! Sadly, not symmetrical... but that's for another time and place. Best of luck with your decision(s). I swear by my little "hybrid" network with the Edgerouter at the core and the UniFi access point (i've since added a mish-mash of switches, but unless you have a large need for ethernet connected devices, the ER-X should be plenty to get you going. This TP-Link was the absolute cheapest "managed" (smart) switch I could find in my research. I'm not quite sold on the UniFi switches, but I often wish I owned an Edgeswitch Lite, but someday I'll learn more than just the basics of the used Cisco SG300-20 i picked up to be the "core" switch of my network. Both the ER-X and ER12 have the added bonus of built in switching chips, so you get the best of both worlds which gives you quite a bit of flexibility in a home/lab environment.

TL;DR -- Edgerouter-X paired with UAP-AC-Lite with the UniFi Controller software running on pretty much whatever you have on hand (RPi, Google Cloud Compute, AWS, any old PC, etc.) and you will have a rock-solid network core with dreamy WiFi that'll get you compliments for weeks, if not months from your significant other and/or housemate(s).

Alright, here we go:

PLANNING

You mainly need to figure out how many cables you need and where you'll run them to. Obviously you'll need one to each location of an AP or camera, so you need to figure out how many you'll run to jacks for connecting Ethernet devices. The bare minimum is one to each TV location and desk location, in this case you'll connect a switch to the jack if you need to connect more than one device. The ideal number is five to your main entertainment center, and two to every other TV location and desk location. This hopefully eliminates the need for secondary switches. In addition, you should run one Coaxial cable to each TV location including your main entertainment center. Add up all the Ethernet cables you'll be running, and keep this number in mind.

As for the network hub location, the best place for it is the basement, preferably an unfinished part of it near the entry point of your internet service. If you don't have a basement, use a utility room. Just make sure it has some sort of ventilation, you don't want stuff getting too hot.

EQUIPMENT

For the actual Ethernet cable, you'll want to get a 1000 foot bulk spool. Get pure copper rather than copper clad aluminum (CCA) and solid conductors rather than stranded. It needs to be riser rated (pretty much any will be) but plenum rating is pointless unless you'll be running it through air ducts. Your big choice here is the category rating: Cat5e or Cat6. Cat5e is good for gigabit, Cat6 will future-proof you for 10 gigabit. Cat6 is more expensive, thicker, and trickier to terminate as the spec only allows a quarter inch of untwisting rather than Cat5e's half an inch.

Keeping in mind the number of wires you plan on running, you'll need a punch-down patch panel with at least that many ports that matches the category rating of your cable. You'll also need punch-down keystone jacks, these also need to match the category rating of your cable. You won't need them for cables going to cameras or APs, you'll just need one for each other cable. For each location where you'll be installing jacks, you'll need a single gang old work low voltage bracket (or a surface-mount box), and a keystone wallplate. Six ports for the main entertainment center, three for each other TV location, two for each desk location. You'll also want a keystone coaxial coupler for each TV location including the main entertainment center.

You have another big choice to make for the main switch, a managed PoE switch or a dumb unmanaged switch. The managed PoE switch will simplify things a lot as it'll power your cameras and APs, while with an unmanaged switch you'll need to use PoE injectors. A managed PoE switch will, predictably, be much more expensive. Either way, you'll ideally want one with at least as many ports as the total number of Ethernet cables you'll planning to install, plus one for the router. You can get one with fewer ports, but then you won't be able to connect all your cables to it at once, you'll need to just connect the ones you're currently using. If you'll be going with a managed PoE switch, get one of these UniFi switches: 8-port with 4 PoE, 8-port with all PoE, 16-port, 24-port, or 48-port. If you'll be getting an unmanaged switch, any is fine. Just make sure it's gigabit. I used this one in my previous house, for example.

For the router, you'll want the UniFi Security Gateway.

You've got another big choice to make for the APs: Lite or Pro. The main difference is that the Lite has two 5 GHz streams, while the Pro has three. Only high-end devices like Macbook Pros have 3-stream Wi-Fi hardware, so if you don't have any devices with this, the Pro won't give you any benefit. Also, since the Lite is cheaper you can get more of them for the money, as more APs rather than better ones is the best thing you can do to improve your Wi-Fi. Both of these are available in single-packs and 5-packs, the single packs include PoE injectors but the 5-packs don't. If you're getting a PoE switch, consider getting a 5-pack of Lites.

You'll need something to run the UniFi controller. This is the software that you use to manage all the UniFi gear in one place. The easiest thing to do is install it on an Ethernet-connected PC and just run it when you need to make changes or update firmware. If you want a dedicated device for running it all the time, you can use a Raspberry Pi or Cloud Key. The Cloud Key is PoE-powered, so it's particularly convenient if you have a PoE switch.

You'll also need a few RJ45 plugs for the AP and camera cables, a crimping tool for them, a 110 impact punch down tool for doing your jack and patch panel terminations, and something to strip the cable jacket. Normally this will be built into the crimper.

Lastly, you'll need a lot of pre-made Ethernet patch cables to connect everything in your network hub. Get ones that are as short as possible, 1-3 feet. You'll need one to connect each cable you've installed from the patch panel to the switch, one for connecting the switch to the router, and another for connecting the router to the modem/ONT (this one may need to be longer). If you'll be using any PoE injectors, you'll need an additional cable for each one. You could make all these yourself, but this is very tedious and time-consuming, and hard to get right. The wires need to be in the right order and all 8 need to be connected for gigabit to work. Lastly, you'll need one for each actual Ethernet device you currently have, these should be 6 feet or longer if necessary.

INSTALLATION AND SETUP

The first thing to do is run all the cables. Camera and AP lines go to the device's location and get an RJ45 plug, all the others go to a keystone jack box/bracket/faceplate. Whenever possible, leave a foot of slack at both ends in case you need to re-do terminations. I like to terminate each cable after I run it, as it makes things easier to keep track of. For all the jacks, note the port number of the cable at the patch panel, and write that same number on the faceplate next to the jack. When you do the terminations, make sure to untwist the wire as little as possible, particularly if you're using Cat6.

For the APs, install the ceiling mount bracket using the included hardware, connect the cable to the AP, and then just put the AP on the bracket and twist it to lock it in place.

At the network hub, first hook up any PoE injectors you'll be using. Connect the patch panel port for the AP/camera cable to the injector's PoE port, and connect the injector's LAN port to the switch. Plug the injector into an outlet. Now connect the rest of the patch panel's ports to the switch, or if you have a smaller switch just connect the ones you're currently using. Connect the USG's LAN port to the switch, and its WAN port to your modem/ONT. Make sure your APs are getting power, their ring light will be white if they are.

Now, open the UniFi Controller (wherever you have it set up) and go to the Devices page. Adopt everything, and update everything's firmware. Go through it and set up everything the way you like. All the UniFi devices will light up blue once adopted and configured.

Yeah, I bet I know what happened. I'm guessing you probably don't want to wait around on Comcast to fix this? Comcast's tap down at the road is probably fine but there's a decent chance that the lightning fried a splitter in your house. Does Comcast lock the house box in your area? It's your wiring, and you're on the hook for anything that happens to it, but some cable companies are douches and will try to keep you out of the house box. Open up that box and you'll see two things, the cable from the street goes into a device that grounds the outside and connects with a copper wire to the ground rod for your electric service, and a splitter or two hooking up to all of the outlets around your house. With any luck, those two things will be separate, that'll make it simpler. The splitter can be used as a ground block, and there's nothing wrong with that, but we want a separate ground block so we can use a lightning arrestor.

As for the lightning arrestor, TII makes a good one. Really you just want to grab one of the gas tube lightning arrestors, and make sure it's one that has a ground connection on it, not one that just uses the jacket for a ground. This is what you'll probably see grounding your cable right now, you basically just replace this device with the lightning arrestor.

As for the splitter, you may find one, you might have 2 or 3, it depends on the house and how it was set up. You probably have a failed splitter, it's pretty simple to replace but make sure that you replace any splitters with the exact same type of splitter that it had originally. So if there's 2 2 way splitters, don't just replace it with a 3 way splitter and call it good. You want to keep the signal levels where they're currently at. Each splitter essentially splits the incoming signal evenly across the ports so when it was set up the cable installer might have set it up such that your internet connection is on the line that goes straight to a 2 way splitter connected back to the ground block with any TVs hooked up to a 4 way splitter under that 2 way splitter. For TV, you don't have to worry about signal strength balancing too much unless you have like 8 or 10 outlets all around your house, in which case you would probably need an amplifier. The important thing is that your internet connection needs to get the same amount of signal that it's getting now. So if it's getting 25%, less could cause service issues. Counterintuitively, more signal could also cause service issues, just keep it the same, because getting it right might not be easy to measure with your modem and it's more complicated. Just look in the box and go to Lowes or Home Depot or something like that and get an identical splitter. You don't have satellite so as long as the splitter is good for 5MHz to 1000MHz you're fine.

Also, you need all of this to be weatherproof and while the enclosure will keep out rain it won't keep out all moisture. If you take any weather seals off the old splitter or ground block, put them back on the new splitter exactly how you took them off. If the splitter is currently being used as a ground block, you'll need to separate this out to put in the lightning arrestor so don't forget that you need another short coax cable. Make sure it's at least RG-6 and don't just grab a long one, it's not going to fit, You want something real short like just 6 inches. Unfortunately, you're going to have a tough time finding a tiny coax cable since pretty much no one ever needs them. What the professionals do is just make the cable, it's really quite easy once you get the hang of it, and usefull if you ever want to do stuff like add an outlet in a particular room without having to pay an arm and a leg to Comcast or someone else. If you want to make your own cables, you need the tools to do so. Don't get any crimp on tools, they're garbage connectors and they'll frequently pull right out. All of the professionals just use compression connectors, they're only a little pricier, but they actually make a decent termination which is never going to happen with crimp connectors. You need a compression tool, a coax stripper (not strictly necessary, but if you're doing more than a single connection it's totally worth it), and some decent sidecutters or linesman pliers, or even just any old wire stripper. So long as you aren't just trying to use some kitchen scissors it'll work fine. Then for the cable itself you can buy a spool of RG-6 for ~$30 and then just make sure that whatever compression connectors you get are made for the cable you're using so don't try to use regular RG-6 connectors for quad shielded RG-6. Also, you can get quad shielded RG-6, it's better for noise, but I'd recommend against it, certainly if you've never messed with coax before. You'd also need a special tool to prep the cable with quad shielded RG-6 whereas it's just optional with regular RG-6. Really it's optional with quad shielded, but it's such a pain that I wouldn't want to deal with it without it.

Really what it boils down to is that first, replace the busted splitter or call Comcast to do it. Then replace the ground block with a lightning arrestor and if you need a 6" cable, just buy it off Amazon if you don't want to learn how to install coax elsewhere in your house as well. There's also the chance that Comcast's equipment fried so you might wanna just say screw it, call Comcast and have them fix the busted splitter or their equipment.

>How many do I need for this property?

This is dependent on your needs and budget. Are you wanting just to see if someone is outside, or ensure you can get a positive ID when providing the police the footage?

>What is the best place to position them so that I get coverage but minimal false alarms from the neighbors' driveway?

The position is question, but remember that you can also adjust the cameras so they aren't facing areas where you do not want/need to see. There is also the ability to create customer motion zones to eliminate false alarms.

>What equipment do I need besides the cameras? I know I have to fish Cat 5e cable to where they are mounted.

Not sure exactly what you mean, so I will answer fully:

1. Network equipment
   
   1. POE Switch
      
   2. Cloudkey Gen2 Plus (this is the controller for the Unifi Protect system
      
2. Installation equipment
   
   1. Wire fishing kit (as you mentioned)
      
   2. Stud finder
      
   3. Boro/Endoscope to ensure there are not electrical/piping in the walls before you attempt to drill down
      
      1. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0785H3XR7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
         
   4. Conduit for areas where the cables cannot be hidden (this is also based on your preference for seeing cables/worrying about animals or people messing with the cables)
      
   5. Ethernet crimper (I suggest getting the kind that allows you to crimp and cut the pass-through terminals, which are much easier and faster to terminate)
      
      1. https://www.amazon.com/Shielded-Goldplated-pieces-Platinum-connector/dp/B079CV7LQR/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=cat5e+shielded+connector+pass+through&qid=1566091353&s=electronics&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUE1N0Q4RzRLQUlQTjImZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA4Mzk5OTMzU0xFVVdHN1ZMQlJZJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAzODc0NzZaTVpVTlVZUFhYQTUmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl
         
      2. https://www.amazon.com/Pass-Thru-Ethernet-Connector-Reliable-Crimping/dp/B07PZL18MX/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=32GHESZ91W5XP&keywords=ethernet+crimping+tool+pass+thru&qid=1566091399&s=gateway&sprefix=ethernet+crimping+tool+pass%2Celectronics%2C177&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyU1NXVEJJSk84WFI2JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNTE3NTM3MktaNllSMjZTRTNFVSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMzM2NTczMlBSMldDVFQ2S04yVSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
         
   6. Network cable. I opted to use the Ubiquity ToughCable, which is rated to be buried/used in the air. Even still, I used non metallic flexible conduit to run it outside and under my front yard to my tree. Nonetheless, you will want to ensure you have plenty of cat5e cable. Shielded is good, but you must also buy the shielded connectors, and install them correctly.
      
   7. Ethernet lighting suppression (there are many options - I linked to what I bought). These will be installed outside, and should you either get a lightning strike, or someone cuts the cable and shorts something, or attempts an ESD attack, this will save the networking equipment.
      
      1. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078PDRW12/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
         
   8. Power drill, ladder, and friends.
      
      > How big of a concern is it for the cameras to be attacked if they are at a reachable height?
      
      Inside your porch area? I don't think it would be much of a concern. I would just ensure you have 1 or more cameras that cannot be reached easily, which cover the area around the cameras which can be accessed.
      
      > How big of a concern is it if the attacker wears a broad brim hat and the cameras are high up?
      
      Okay, this helped me understand more of what you want. You cannot really install the camera exactly where you would want to, in order to get a full face image from someone wearing a hat, who is intending to hide from a camera. However, with multiple cameras, you will get features that can help. I would also say that I am interested in getting this the Ring Doorview cam for this exact reason.
      
      Some of what I did, and learned:
      
      ​
      
      I just did my security system 2 months ago. I spent a few weeks planning:
      
      

• Laser scanned the home
  
  • This allowed me to preview the views of different camera positions
    
  • This also helped me find the best ways to run the cables
    
• Figured out the cable routing
  
• Got friends to help when it came time to install through the attic and 2nd floor soffits, and dig trenches.
  
  Ended up with 7 G3-AF, 2 G3-AF-Pro, and 2 G4-Pro
  
  1 G4-Pro just above the front door (This is awesome, as when it detects motion, the blue circular light spins, which makes EVERYONE look up at it. I get a 4k image of their face, just a foot from their nose)
  
  1 G4 Pro above driveway
  
  Both G3-AF-Pro are facing the street and zoomed in to get license plates
  
  The other 7 G3 are positioned around the home to ensure I have 360 view of the exterior of the home, & covered each entry point with at least 2 cameras.
  
  PM me if you want to know more, or see anything. For obvious reasons, I wont post pictures publicly.

>I recently moved to a new home and now have gigE internet service. Unfortunately, my old router and WAP can't handle the speed (Wireless-N Airport Extreme). To fix this, I about a TP-Link Archer C7, and I'm still not seeing the speeds that I want, but I'm still not happy with my performance.

Awesome. You made my shitlist of people I'm jealous of. lol Except that extreme router. lol


>When I connect the modem directly to my computer, I'm seeing 980 Mbps.


Seems about right.

>When the Aiport Extreme

Gonna stop you right there. Throw that thing away and bury it at a crossroads at midnight.

>and separate gigabit switch are involved, I'm seeing about 250 Mbps,

Exactly.

>and with the Archer C7 and gigabit switch, I'm seeing about 780 Mbps down.

rubs eyes How is that possible?


>So, I'm looking to take the Archer C7 back

Good!

>in favor of a USG and Unifi WAP. On average, what speeds should I expect from a USG?

I know I'm gatekeeping lol but it's A.P. The wireless is implied. This is where the questions start however.

1. What sort of modem do you have?
   
2. Does your ISP support direct fiber hand-off?
   
3. What sort of budget are you playing with?
   
   >I need 1300 square feet of WiFi coverage.
   
   You need unifi mesh to make things less labor intense. That or two unifi AC pros for solid coverage. You can get away with one (placed in the center most part of your home) if you absolutely had to do without.
   
   
   You'll also need the following:
   
   
4. 10Gtek for Ubiquiti SFP+ Direct Attach Copper Cable x 2 (you can return the second one later
   
5. Unifi Key
   
6. Ubiquiti SFP Module
   
   
   
   
   The concept is. You either buy a Ubiquiti Edge Router 4 / a Unifi Security Gateway with an SFP WAN. and have the ISP give you a direct fiber hand off and use one of the copper GTEK SFP patch cables to patch you over to a unifi / ubiquiti switch (please make sure this is either POE / not). This is a cost consideration. Hook your AP to the boona end of the switch and presto blamo you have just shy of a 1 gig internet access internally.
   
   
   Good luck! Comment if you have any questions.

That link is NOT the UAP-AC-Pro. It's the older UAP-Pro, which is an 802.11n only product. You do NOT want that one.

You want this one: https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Networks-802-11ac-Dual-Radio-UAP-AC-PRO-US/dp/B015PRO512/

That's the new UAP-AC-Pro. It's $130ish. It supports 802.11ac (3x3 antennas) and true 802.3af PoE.

The UAP-AC-Lite is around $80ish as I recall. It also supports 802.11ac but with only 2x2 antennas, and it uses special 24v passive PoE so you have to use the Ubiquiti injector or a special Ubiquiti switch.

The difference between real PoE and passive PoE is that real 802.3af PoE has a handshake sequence for safety. When you plug an 802.3af device into a compatible switch, the device signals that it needs PoE power and then the power flow is turned on. This prevents damage to non-PoE devices.

Passive PoE just means that power is sent down the line without consideration for what's on the other end. If you plug a non-PoE device into a Passive PoE port, that non-PoE device will receive PoE and will usually be damaged or destroyed as a result.

Please note that the injectors included with either device are passive. IE, the UAP-AC-Pro's included injector is JUST an injector, no handshake.

The best way to do things is to get a real PoE switch like a Ubiquiti US-8-150W or a Netgear GS110TP, and the Ubiquiti UAP-AC-Pro.

However if this is the only PoE device that you have or will have, then you're fine to just buy the Lite and use the power injector... just be careful which port goes where :)

Just to clarify, you're powering it over PoE? I'm new to RPi...so forgive me. Are you using "The Hat" or something like this. The latter seems like a better, cheaper & easier solution to me.

Using any particular distro? Or just plain old Raspbian? And how are you viewing that on the RPi? Just browser session in full screen? RTSP via VLC or some equivalent?

Our office is offsite from this location (accessible over our private WAN though), so would like some ability remote in and troubleshoot if the feed is down or not displaying properly. I'm assuming VNC would be OK for that unless there's a more elegant solution.

Thanks for this question!

I will be fixing up the wifi at a 24-hour coffee and pastry shop in the next few weeks. They are currently using the UAP you linked first, and probably 30-40 concurrent users maximum at any given time.

It is very problematic as it is. Likely has more to do with improper configuration by the previous IT person, but I will be going with two UAP-AC-LITE antennae due to budget constraints.

Good luck! Hope it works out nicely.

Could you look over these parts and let me know if I'm missing anything? Would I just be monitoring this stuff at my desktop that's wired in or would I need something else to control all this? I'm not sure on which switch I need.

Fiber connection>Gateway/Router> Switch 1 or Switch 2 > ethernet > AP

I am being pushed towards the in wall AP cause the fiance doesn't like things poking out from our ceiling and I was told wall mounting them doesn't work as well. From looking on their forums the UAP-AC-IW-PRO beta testers have said they are getting surprisingly good signal from their in wall AP since they have better antennas. But if I was able to go the UAP-AC-PRO route ceiling mounted how many and where would you suggest I place them?

So this is my home layout. I assumed these were the best places to put them. The red arrows show which direction the AP will be facing from the wall and the blue box is where everything terminates and I'm assuming that's where the gateway and switches will be. The ethernet drops in the living room and game room are higher up then the rest. I can have an updated picture of where all the ethernet drops are around my house if that would help.

The bedrooms near the front of the house aren't currently being used so I'm not to focused on them but I could always go back and add another AP later in that area right?

This seems like it's going to blow through my $500 budget but I'm assuming it's worth it over getting something like the Eero 2nd generation?

The USG does not operate like a switch - LAN 1 and 2 are treated as completely separate networks, so devices on each will not be able to see each other without some fancy firewall rules. I would recommend some sort of switch instead, not necessarily one from Ubiquiti. The benefit of the Unifi switch is that it is managed (can be programmed) with power to 4 devices. A regular switch will be fine too, as long as you use the PoE injectors that come with the APs.

Here's the switch I have: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MU3WUX1/

Any of these would work - some provide power, and I'd recommend a 1000 Gbps switch: https://www.amazon.com/s/node=281414

A controller is only needed if you want to make any changes to your network, such as the WiFi name or passwords, or if you want to view some of the network statistics. It is also used to run the guest networking portal.

You can use the free controller download if you only plan on making the initial configuration and don't want anything else. If you plan on a guest network, statistics, or make changes often, a cloud key would be good to have.

I've used a bunch of different DACs including this one.

What I'd say is that compatibility has improved, and most DACs at 1m are working. it's when you get above 1m where you get into trouble.

I also have a bunch of ConnectX-2 Mellanox and also Chelsio NICs working fine with cheap Finsivar transceivers i got for like $7 each off ebay.

Also got a 1Gbit transceiver working on it fine as a uplink to my gigabit switch. The trick with getting 1Gbit transceivers to work is to manually set the link to 1Gbit.

I got the switch in beta and it's working great. Only thing buggy is that only two of the 4 BASE-T copper ports work well for me, but that's fine for me, I got it for the SFP+ ports anyways. Super cheap Connect-X2 NICs available.

Excuse the ignorance but what is the advantage of this switch over something like TP-Link 8-Port Gigabit PoE Web Managed Easy Smart Switch with 4-PoE Ports (TL-SG108PE) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BW0AD1W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_dF9mybDG17P48?

In addition what is the difference once this switch compared to another one of ubiquitis switches? Ubiquiti Networks 8-Port UniFi Switch, Managed PoE+ Gigabit Switch with SFP, 150W (US-8-150W) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DKXT4CI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_ZG9myb310YM0B

I used the same adapter to rackmount my USG.

​

If you want to rackmount your switch, buy the 16 port version...not that much more expensive.

​

I built my rack on this, and it's been awesome: 19" Rack with Wheels

​

Here are some other items for your rack:

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Cable Routing

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5U Drawer

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1 U Shelf

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1 U Power Strip (PDU)

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Keystone Patch Panel

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My NAS is rackmount, as well as the UPS.

​

I have the keystone patch panel on the back of the rack. I have all my network stuff on the rack (cable modem, NAS, switches, USG, etc.). I bring all of the connections into the keystone patch panel (ethernet RJ45, telephone RJ11 (comes out of cable modem), RF for cable modem, etc). I then route form the other side of the keystone patch panel into the rack. I made the external connections long enough so that I can easily move the rack to work on it (when it's powered up). However, if I need to move it far, everything just disconnects from the back easily.

Curiosity got the better of me and i found a few non-managed PoE switches: they usually seem to have some fixed number of PoE and some non-PoE ports. You might as well pay a bit more and get basic management, or step up to something like the US-8-60W for really not much more. Any of those options assume only 802.3af compatible access points though...

And yes, pretty much every other managed UniFi switch currently made has 24v PoE except the US-8-60W, I just mentioned that one one as it is by far the cheapest one they make. That one doesn't work for the Unifi-HD or SHD either as it's only 802.3af not af+, or I'd own one.

SFP+ works fine on SFP sockets. If you are connecting the US-16-XG to any 1gbps switch, the XG side needs to be set at 1000 instead of 10000.

I've had great luck with these. Macroreer for Ubiquiti SFP+ Cable 1m Direct Attach 10Gbps Copper Passive Cable 1m/3.3ft

Just get an actiontec moca adapter. I used those for friends who don't use TiVo. I'm pretty sure the class 2 moca's are out.

Yup:
Actiontec Bonded MoCA 2.0 Ethernet to Coax Adapter (ECB6200S02) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013J7OBUU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_7EfVzbF8KSJMP

I know there are some power strips with coax connections to help with surge. I don't know how well they work as I don't use a cable provider for my internet. The optimal solution is to use a media converter to convert the cable link to a fiber connection and either input that into your network or convert back to Ethernet. If you are replacing your ERL then look at the Edgerouter X SFP. You could use this to separate the connection between the modem and your router with the addition of a media converter.

Edit: There are these that might help with the circuit entering the house. You have to connect them to your home ground connection but they are suppose to help.

I haven't done it myself, but my understanding is what you would do is set up the ubiquiti router as your main router connected to the Verizon ONT via ethernet. You would need a number of MOCA bridges to connect the ethernet from your ubiquiti router to your coax runs for the TV (here's an example MOCA bridge). I'd suggest having a separate switch to handle the MOCA bridges just to keep it all segregated (and potentially VLAN'd off). That should get you what you're after (but again, I have not personally done this nor have I really looked into it in great detail).

You can also get a SFP Copper adapter that gives you a "normal" RJ45 jack, obviously much more expensive, but the patch cable is then a normal $1 cable: https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Cisco-SFP-GE-T-Compatible-1000Base-T/dp/B007UR0CZE

Personally, I would just buy some 10G DACs like this one: https://www.amazon.com/10Gtek-SFP-H10GB-CU1M-10GBASE-CU-Passive-1-Meter/dp/B01LSGGUOY/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_147_tr_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=V68X5W7E0794MPDYGRY8&th=1

Those DACs are what I use to "stack" switches, including both 48-ports and 24-ports. Keeping a single DAC for 1G and 10G makes life easier and leaves an upgrade path for the future.

I recently upgraded to their 24-port PoE switch and I'm very happy with it. It's powering my now 3 UAP's & cloud key, as well as two raspberry pi's that I run pi-hole on. (I'm using these to provide power to the rasperry pi's). Aside from the cleaner wiring, it's also very handy for getting more insight into your network traffic, etc.

I suggest splurging on a decent UPS. Not only will it have surge protection, but allow the devices to be shut down without data corruption or loss. UPS's also clean the electric up by taking the jitter (peaks and troughs) out and leveling the signal. Thus easier on the devices.

You can even buy them with rg6/59 surge protection.They make inline ones. https://www.amazon.com/TII-Broadband-Cable-Lightning-Protector/dp/B0016AIYU6

I've been trying to figure this out off and on for the past week. Wish I posted here sooner. It helps when you ask someone who understands this stuff. Thanks for your help.

So now that I am getting a grasp on this, I figured there might be an adapter for this sort of thing. Do I understand correctly that the INS-3AF-I-G solve my problems and let me use PoE between these two devices?

As a sidenote, you're right about the PoE out on the standard ERX. It needs PoE in... its PoE passthrough. I'll have to get the other model.

Thanks Ben, so UF-MM-1G would work in my case? I guess I would need 2x2packs to accomplish this. What about cabling? They would be 1m or less runs. What about: https://www.amazon.com/Meter-Multimode-Duplex-Fiber-Optic/dp/B004Z9301I/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1511893843&sr=8-3&keywords=LC+MM+cable

Upgrading to the US-8-150W is the best option if you're going to start adding more cameras. In the meantime you could pick up one of these to convert the PoE to passive.

https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-INS-3AF-I-G-Indoor-Gigabit-Adapter/dp/B01N9MJL91/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501622162&sr=8-1&keywords=ubiquiti+instant+802.3af

Likely your ISP restricts you to one DHCP IP address, if you successfully connect a unifi straight into a modem you will pull public IP addresses for all your connected devices, from my work with Unifi AP's you need to place them after a router. Your setup needs to go modem>router>unifi

Without a router there is not NAT, also there is no firewall to secure the network either. I would couple it with a ER-X, cheap and powerful UBNT router. Use the built in setup wizard and you're done.

https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-EdgeRouter-Advanced-Gigabit-Ethernet/dp/B00YFJT29C

https://store.ui.com/products/sfp-modules

For home I just use the Multi-mode MM ( UF-MM-1G ) since its cheaper for regular SFP (not the +) ports. Then for cables on something like Amazon get some OM1 Multi-mode Duplex Fiber Optic Cable (62.5/125) - LC to LC

Something like here. Select the length you require:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004Z9301I/

I am running a pi hole and use this to power and connect the zero to the POE switch.. Works remarkable well and I think it was about 8 bux when I bought it.

This is the pair that I use, and they work great:
http://amzn.to/2qzR4G1
http://amzn.to/2rzLWAh

I did have some problems with POE with the AP, but after using the POE injector I haven't had a single problem. I think the uptime on my ERX is like 5 months now.

This would give you a few extra PoE ports to work with in the future: Ubiquiti UniFi Switch 8 60W (US-8-60W) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MU3WUX1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fDrTAb3CH10B1

Keep in mind that it’s just a switch, not a router. If you need a router as well and want to stick with Unifi, you get either get an EdgeRouter (a bit daunting for beginners); otherwise you could add the Unifi Security Gateway.

If you really want to go all in, add a CloudKey so you can control your network away from home.

Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!

Here are your smile-ified links:

this one.

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Aaaah, I didn't know there was a difference. Thank you!

This seems like it might work then.

https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Networks-Managed-Gigabit-US-8-150W/dp/B01DKXT4CI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483646927&sr=8-1&keywords=802.3af%2Fat+switch+unifi

No, the ER-4 will only fit a certain way and it is not flippable to the other side. I recommend using DAC cables for short jumps. That's what you see from eth4 to the 16 port POE switch. It is a 1 meter DAC cable

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LSGGUOY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Yeah, even the US-8-60W (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MU3WUX1/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza?th=1) wouldn't do it without the converters I linked earlier, as that can't do 24v.

Good news is that UBNT is moving away from the proprietary 24v moving forward, but in the meantime you need either a 150w+ switch, injectors, or a higher end AP like AP AC Pro, which takes the 802.3af/at standard.

So for your situation I'd consider whether you think you'll need to expand in the future and might want a bigger switch, or if you'd rather stick to a lower budget.

So does this 150w accepts simpler ethernet connection from my router? Anyways, this is 200$ solution. Seems so expensive just for a switch. I was thinking I will get away with something cheaper. If I use 60w 8 port switch with 4 PoE, like this (https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-UniFi-Switch-60W-US-8-60W/dp/B01MU3WUX1), can i plug in my non-PoE router in it? I could get 3 cams + cloud key 2 then.

Good question. I am under the impression that a USG does not provide PoE.

I use something like this. https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0016AIYU6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_aWErDbNVDYS3J

Ground wire from this to the city side of the water pipe. If you're on well water, connect to your electrical panels ground plate/rod.

If you can shell 15$ more, you can get this switch

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K4DS5KU?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_2&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

very similar to the one you wanted, but with Vlan support + other goodies.

I see. I didn't see anything in the manual to indicate what spec they use. I'd wager it's not 24V passive but rather the standard PoE (802.3af)

If the Amcrest software has the ability to import RTSP streams then just plug the cameras into a network switch and forget plugging them directly into the NVR. Use the supplied PoE injectors.

If you really want to plug the cameras into the NVR. You can convert 24V passive PoE to 802.3af with this...

https://smile.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-INS-3AF-I-G-Indoor-Gigabit-Adapter/dp/B01N9MJL91

I just took advantage of NewEgg's sale ($89 each) and bought 2 US-8 switches to replace my non unifi switches. They also had the PoE version of the switch that you want for $99.

Amazon has the USG for $112: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LV8YZLK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

$105 with free prime shipping on Amazon

Direct Attach Copper all the way IMO. SFP+ will work with SFP ports just fine.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LSGGUOY/ref=twister_B06XFXVQSD?_encoding=UTF8&th=1

Ubiquiti makes them as well:

https://store.ubnt.com/collections/accessories/products/unifi-direct-attach-copper-cable-10-gbps-1-meter

If you're cheap and not bothered by the aesthetics you can also use something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/UCTRONICS-802-3af-Splitter-Ethernet-Raspberry/dp/B01MDLUSE7/

TP link makes a cost effective gigabit PoE switch that might meet your needs for about half the price. I think you hit the nail on the head, if you don't need per port utilization, vlans, etc then you don't need to shell out the extra cash. Buy the features you'll actually use.

https://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-8-Port-Gigabit-Switch-4-Port/dp/B01BW0AD1W

It's not like you can manage the edgerouter and US8 from the same pane of glass anyway.

So bought this, which provides 15.4w per port...my revision number is supposed to put me on the AF side of the AP AC Lites...but sure enough, it doesn't power on with this switch https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Gigabit-Unmanaged-Lifetime-TL-SG108PE/dp/B01BW0AD1W/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1505493494&sr=1-1&keywords=sg108pe

Would something like this work?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DKXT4CI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_rUsBCbXEMG70F

If I planned on driving cams, I'd probably go with the bridge between the two buildings.

Two Nanobeams and two AP-AC-PROs would fit the bill and can be had for ~$450 on amazon.


https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-NanoBeam-High-Performance-airMAX-NBE-5AC-Gen2-US/dp/B0713XMHH9/
https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Networks-802-11ac-Dual-Radio-UAP-AC-PRO-US/dp/B015PRO512

Alternatively, what's between the two buildings? Could you run basic PVC conduit and drop Cat6e between the two?

I don’t believe it’s the pro.

Ubiquiti Unifi Security Gateway (USG) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LV8YZLK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_oegVCbSF4YWHZ

I think it's only a difference of $50, not $120. But personally, the standard POE on the PRO is worth it.
Lite
Pro

Been using two of these for almost two years. Solid.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MDLUSE7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004Z9301I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_x6BvCbQ75H031
See how that jacket sticks out, it’s not very ‘bendy’

ISP speed 125/25
Wired
Windows 10 client
What are smartqueues?
This gateway: https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Unifi-Security-Gateway-USG/dp/B00LV8YZLK

Actually, it is. Check it out on Amazon.

[This one] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013J7OBUU/)

Probably one of these

Also, this is what the Cloud Key does. If you buy a Cloud Key, this is something you can plug into the network that already has the controller software present. You can just use it as the controller for all Ubiquiti products.

I'm thinking for $60 I could get a "managed" switch with POE to replace/combine the AP switch and IoT switch, so I can provide PoE to cameras and APs but keep them segregated on their own vlans:

https://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-8-Port-Gigabit-Switch-4-Port/dp/B01BW0AD1W

https://www.amazon.com/10Gtek-SFP-H10GB-CU1M-10GBASE-CU-Passive-1-Meter/dp/B01LSGGUOY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1484091196&sr=8-3&keywords=sfp%2Bcable&th=1

I am using this for powering the Pi over POE:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MDLUSE7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm just gonna use this. Not as pretty but works.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MDLUSE7/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015PR20GY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

There's still lots of old stock out there. Very possible you still got an older one with 24V passive. It's the same SKU which makes it more confusing. There should be a sticker on the outside of the box if it's an af/at compatible one.

Just do two more lite's. The amplifi line isn't as good, and wouldn't integrate into your existing system (and at a higher cost than two more lite's.

https://smile.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-Unifi-Ap-AC-Lite-UAPACLITEUS/dp/B015PR20GY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1504709151&sr=8-2&keywords=uap-ac-lite

I picked up a little TP Link switch. I just needed something to power/connect the single AP and the CK. A downside of this little switch is that you must use the TP Link software to manage it - no CLI or web interface. I really don't need the management features at this point but they might be handy later.

I got this guy: Ubiquiti Networks UniFi AC Lite AP Enterprise Wi-Fi System (UAP-AC-LITE) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015PR20GY/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_J0mRwbN35JD7T

No idea if he is the new or old model. I was enticed by the sale price, perhaps I should have been wary.

I looked at this one too. It seems like it has more goodies but no PoE.

Is there a switch that has all those goodies plus PoE?

I'm on my mobile right now, and navigating the ubiquiti site is kind of a pain. Will the ubiquiti 8 60w switch work with the nanobeams?

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EDIT: Scratch that, I see that switch doesn't support 24v poe.