Introducing: Unifi Express

Forums › LAN (ethernet/Wifi/routers/Bluetooth) › Introducing: Unifi Express

Jiriteach

1119 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#310918 30-Nov-2023 09:32

Released by Ubiquiti earlier - super compact, complete Unifi networking stack in a plug and play form factor.

This seems to be designed for a specific set of use cases but still impressive.
Can operate as full home or remote site gateway as well as a wifi extender mode!

Based on reviews and confirmation from Ubiquiti - this can route full gig as well. Does not ship with IPS/IDS hence no performance degradation.

https://ui.com/us/cloud-gateways/express

Might try and grab one to test - not available in NZ yet but I am sure it will be soon.

Great device for those that want to get into the Unifi product stack at a lower entry point than the UDR's or UDM's.

-- opinions expressed by me are solely my own. ie - personal

mrgsm021

1471 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#3166206 30-Nov-2023 09:51

Interesting device...

Appears to be compact enough to fit into the limited space in my comms cabinet.

Would be interested to see how it performs in NZ for sure.

networkn

Networkn
32351 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3166287 30-Nov-2023 11:22

I am struggling to see the use case.

mrgsm021

1471 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#3166396 30-Nov-2023 13:30

There is a YT video up about this already. It mentioned that even with DPI enabled, it can still route gigabit (5:47).

RRP is apparently US$149.

mrgsm021

1471 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#3166398 30-Nov-2023 13:35

networkn:

I am struggling to see the use case.

This would be suitable for my very limited space in coms cabinet, and slap on a switch the way I go.

Jiriteach

1119 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#3166410 30-Nov-2023 14:01

Or can be used as an extender for wireless or wired mesh which is nice as well!

-- opinions expressed by me are solely my own. ie - personal

networkn

Networkn
32351 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3166417 30-Nov-2023 14:23

Jiriteach:

Or can be used as an extender for wireless or wired mesh which is nice as well!

Why? It would be MUCH cheaper to just add another access point?

As best I can tell, this is a router, firewall, uni-fi management device, that does wireless, for about the price of 3 of 4 of those things purchased separately.

CYaBro

4583 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#3166419 30-Nov-2023 14:27

mrgsm021:

There is a YT video up about this already. It mentioned that even with DPI enabled, it can still route gigabit (5:47).

RRP is apparently US$149.

From what I've been reading this unit doesn't include DPI at all so you can't enable it.

Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

Samsung

Shop now on Samsung phones, tablets, TVs and more (affiliate link).

Jiriteach

1119 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#3166420 30-Nov-2023 14:30

networkn:
Jiriteach:

Or can be used as an extender for wireless or wired mesh which is nice as well!

Why? It would be MUCH cheaper to just add another access point?

As best I can tell, this is a router, firewall, uni-fi management device, that does wireless, for about the price of 3 of 4 of those things purchased separately.

You could possibly do that but it will be the same price as a wifi6 ap from Ubiquiti. Add advantage is the additional LAN port so you have wired capability back to this as well as wireless uplink.

-- opinions expressed by me are solely my own. ie - personal

Senecio

2710 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#3166426 30-Nov-2023 14:50

It seems more of a replacement for the Amplifi HD router without the mesh points? The downside is that it only includes 1 LAN port whereas the old Amplifi HD had 4 LAN ports.

ANglEAUT

2320 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3166531 30-Nov-2023 18:58

networkn: Why? ...

Senecio: ... The downside is that it only includes 1 LAN port whereas the old Amplifi HD had 4 LAN ports.

For the younger generation that only use Wi-Fi from their phone / tablet / laptop? 🧐

Please keep this GZ community vibrant by contributing in a constructive & respectful manner.

ANglEAUT

2320 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3166535 30-Nov-2023 19:03

CYaBro:
mrgsm021: There is a YT video up about this already. ...
From what I've been reading this unit doesn't include DPI at all so you can't enable it.

05:14 in the video says otherwise. You can enable DPI & it won't affect performance.

Please keep this GZ community vibrant by contributing in a constructive & respectful manner.

CYaBro

4583 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#3166537 30-Nov-2023 19:34

ANglEAUT:

CYaBro:
mrgsm021: There is a YT video up about this already. ...
From what I've been reading this unit doesn't include DPI at all so you can't enable it.

05:14 in the video says otherwise. You can enable DPI & it won't affect performance.

Unifi Express: Network controller, Firewall, Mesh Unit!! - YouTube

At about 5:15 he actually goes through the differences and shows that it is missing.

Or am I getting the two confused? DPI isn't IPS/IDS?

Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

snj

186 posts

Master Geek

#3166538 30-Nov-2023 19:34

ANglEAUT:

05:14 in the video says otherwise. You can enable DPI & it won't affect performance.

Adding on, haven't touched Ubiquiti products in ages, so not sure how close their terminology & featuresets links to the generic terms, but the claims they make on their website are:

UniFi Express can route traffic at speeds up to 1 Gbps. Security features such as Device Identification, Traffic Identification, Country Restrictions, and Ad Blocking can all be enabled without impacting routing performance.

olivernz

497 posts

Ultimate Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3166819 1-Dec-2023 15:22

I think it's a wonderful device for all those small home installations. You no longer have to go "Start by buying a UDM Pro/SE/UDR...". That's a huge saving.