Ubiquiti Unifi Ap-AC Lite - Wireless Access Point - 802.11 B/A/G/n/AC (UAPACLITEUS), White

There are not enough good things I can say about these access points. It deserves more than 5 stars.I chose this AP over the Pro primarily due to the price. I would consider the Pro you need to insert the WAP along an existing network run or need a network run near where the WAP terminates. Otherwise, the performance of the 2x2 radio on the AP is more than sufficient for most installations where cost and a working WiFi network are the primary concern.I started with this access point about 3 years ago by installing 2 of these in my home. I went from a two mid-level TP-Link router/APs configured to be used as APs and I had nothing but issues for years, to using two of these APs with zero since switching. The only reason I ever have to power cycle these APs is to install a firmware update, or the power went out for an extended period of time. They are that rock solid / reliable / stable.At a previous job, after an unnecessary amount of pleading with my manager, I was permitted to install 3 of these APs in the office. We went from having constant issues with the WiFi and poor coverage, to no reported issues.For a side job, I installed 3 of these for a business that was very dependent on WiFi for the 30+ wireless devices they used for their operations throughout the day. The issues they had previously had with their 3 home-grade router/wireless devices went away overnight, dramatically simplified their network setup, and they have been very happy for 2+ years with no WiFi issues!Detecting a pattern yet? These WAPs are nothing short of amazing. They cost as much as a decent mid-level router/wireless device, but offer better coverage and many more features over a standard router/wireless combo. All without having to hack and install open source firmware. Ubiquiti regularly release firmware updates to improve performance, stability, and address security vulnerabilities. All firmware updates are provided free of charge, and do not require a monthly/yearly subscription like many vendors are doing these days. They also support their devices with firmware updates for many years. Even their "legacy" products still have current firmware updates as of March 2021. It's refreshing to see a company support their products, and in turn their customers, for many years without gouging them for support or forcing obsolescence by abandoning the software on perfectly good hardware.When the AP is installed on the ceiling or a wall, it looks like nothing more than another smoke detector if the status LED is turned off in the management settings, though I like to leave the status light on in most cases to know if the access point is powered on and working. I have also seen some "installations" where the AP is setting on a shelf, but this doesn't seem to affect performance much if at all.If there is a "con" to the UniFi line of products, it is that there is a bit of a learning curve to figure out how to install and use the UniFi management portal software and configure the devices, but any network or systems administrator shouldn't have too much trouble getting everything up and running in a matter of an hour or two at most. It is best to install the software on a server that is always on. You may also consider installing the controller on a Raspberry Pi, or you can use the Cloud Key as the controller. Though the controller is not necessary to use the WAPs after they are configured, it is advisable to keep the controller running to quickly make configuration changes, and you get a large amount of visibility into the connected devices, signal levels, data sent/received and also provides logs that can be used to troubleshoot issues.I continue to preach the greatness of these access points, and all of Ubiquiti's products really, to anybody that will listen. The price to performance ratio is out of this world in my opinion, and you can easily spend 4 to 10 times the money on the big guys' equipment, and get very little more to show for the money besides the name, and maybe a few specialty features which all home and almost all small/medium business just don't need.

This Unifi AP-AC Lite was purchased in tandem with an Edgerouter X to replace an ASUS N16 that had been running Shibby Tomato.The combination cost about the same as a mid-range wifi router (about $150). Configuration is more involved, but much finer grained control of wifi (and routing, but not part of this review) is possible.REPLACING TOMATOThe Tomato open source community has been a great resource for a decade, and it's been a stable platform for routers starting with the Linksys WRT54GL on through to ASUS 802.11AC devices. Unforutnately, some newer consumer wifi products have closed firmware that makes Tomato more difficult for developers to maintain. Other devices now lock down the bootloader or use non-Broadcom hardware, which make open source less feasible.Ubiquiti devices require OEM software (as far as I know), which is no different from a closed router. Unlike consumer routers, the administration interface gives full control of the device through the command line. The slightly higher level of IT skill required for Ubiquiti gear has yielded a large and large and active user community online where answers to most configuration and operational issues can be found from other users or Ubiquiti staff. My experience with consumer devices is that vendor support dries up fairly quickly once the device is discontinued. It appears that Ubiquiti continues to support its older devices. Updates are discussed openly by the manufacturer on the forums and arrive in timely fashion. When a PHP vulnerability from very old code was identified, the manufacturer responded quickly to patch it and push out an update.The basic set up wizard gets you off the ground easily, as long as you're kind of person who knows the difference between 192.168.1.0 and 12.140.132.0. (hint: one's private and one's public). Actually, you probably don't need to know that, just basic familiarly with screen wizards, accessing IP addresses from browser.Keep in mind this device is an access point only. It does not handle routing tasks that are native to the consumer wifi units with separate WAN and LAN ports. As such, the UniFi has just one port, for Ethernet. Power comes through the Ethernet connection, sourced either from a Power Over Ethernet capable switch or router at the other end, or from the power injector included with single-unit packages. Note that not all POE supplies are created equal; what an older or different branded switch provides in voltage and power may differ from the UniFi's requirements. I did not research this deeply as I simply used the included power injector.I will continue to use Tomato on devices where it's stable and supported. The ASUS RT-N12, for example, works well as an access point and router if 100Mhz LAN and 2.4 Ghz wifi is sufficient (and when the N16 failed, I found that both Netflix and Chromecast were perfectly happy with this $30 router). But for getting the most out of a high speed connection, particularly with respect to latency, more horsepower is needed. Ubiquiti's gear is giving me that, even at its least expensive level.PERFORMANCERange is greatly improved over all the Netgear and Asus devices I've had in its place. Latency is also improved. DHCP connections, particularly to Android devices, happen more quickly.Physically, this particular unit sits inconspicuously atop a row of books high up on built in shelf, connected by one flat Cat 6 Ethernet ribbon cable. Another Cat 6 connection runs between the PoE injector and the router. The PoE can be located anywhere between the switch port and the UniFi. This means the UniFi can be set up without a nearby power outlet.The UniFi allows multiple SSIDs and VLANs. There is a radio scanner that provides an intuitive and useful graphical display of deployed channels and interference (and a visualization of why 40 Mhz 2.4 Ghz channels are a bad idea in a crowded environment). The user interface is sophisticated and stable. The control interface requires a locally installed program (the "UniFi Controller" that then will use a native browser session for display.WIth the Edgerouter (or any other router), some of the reporting features such as historical latency and throughput charts are not available unless a "UniFi Security Gateway" is connected. I chose to forgo that device in favor of the Edgerouter X, which was less expensive, had more available wired ports, and all the capability I need for my setup.