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In early October 2021, Ubiquiti quietly released the UniFi Dream Router (UDR), its first UniFi Wi-Fi 6 broadcaster, as a $79 Early Access device to those who agreed to keep most of its information under wraps.
Not everyone managed to snatch one since the router kept running out of stock.
After six long months, on April 26, 2022, the networking company finally, and quietly once more, made the exciting router available to the general public, now with a reasonable retail price of $199, though its street price will vary.
Though the new cost, which changes according to demand, makes it no longer a phenomenal deal, the UDR proved in my hands-on experience to still be the genuine dream router for many.
In fact, you can consider it the best Wi-Fi 6 router for those with a sub-Gigabit broadband connection. Get one as soon as you can before it runs out of stock again.
On the other hand, if you have Gigabit-class or faster Internet, move on right now. This review will make you feel highly disappointed because the UDR has no Multi-Gig port. I speak from experience—the Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Router is another example of how we can't have everything.
Dong's note: I first published this post on October 14, 2021, as a preview, when the UDR was available as an Early Access device, and updated it to a full review on April 29, 2022, after a week-long hands-on experience using the production firmware.
Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Router: A more refined approach to the UniFi ecosystem for the home
The UniFi Dream Router (UDR) is the second Wi-Fi 6 router from Ubiquiti after the AmpliFi Alien that came out two and half years ago.
However, it's the first in the UniFi family and the intended replacement of the UniFi Dream Machine (UDM), which has been one of the best Wi-Fi 5 routers.
Ubiquiti: UniFi vs. AmpliFi
UniFi and AmpliFi are two major networking product lines from Ubiquiti. They serve two demographics and have different architectures.
The UniFi family—represented by the Dream Machine (UDM), UDM-Pro, the Dream Router (UDR), or UDM-SE...—aims at business/pro/enterprise users. They are comprehensive consoles acting as the central controllers of various products, of which networking devices are only part of the picture.
On the other hand, the AmpliFi family, represented by the HD Wi-Fi system or the Alien, is for the home environment. They are simple Wi-Fi routers that are easy to use but have a limited feature set.
The UDM is the first UniFi product that works well as a home router, thanks to its friendly design. In a way, it's a bridge between the two product lines. The UDR further solidifies that approach, making the UDM-Pro or UDM-SE applicable to demanding homes.
Eventually, Ubiquiti might phase out AmpliFi to focus on UniFi as its only encompassing platform.
Since late 2021, the world has slowly transitioned to Wi-Fi 6E, or routers supporting 5.9GHz Wi-Fi 6. And Wi-Fi 7 is also around the corner.
So, it's fair to say the Dream Router is late to the Wi-Fi 6 game. It's likely one of the last major traditional Wi-Fi 6 routers that you'll see me cover. But it's also definitely not the least. In fact, it might be a testament to how we "save the best for last."
Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Router (UDR) vs. Dream Machine (UDM): A bit of a misnomer
Design-wise, you can't look at the UniFi Dream Router without thinking of the UniFi Dream Machine. The two share lots of resemblances. On the inside, the former has everything of the latter and much more.
For this reason, I'd say Ubiquiti overdid the name of the UDM. The UDR is more suited to have "machine" in its title—it's an understatement to call it a "router."
But that's just semantics.
In any case, with the UDR, Ubiquiti has streamlined its UniFi family a great deal. The latest firmware—the UniFi OS version 2.4.9, which took the UDR out of the "Early Access"—has many improvements.
UniFi: An ecosystem of multiple “applications”
At the core, both the UDM and the UDR are UniFi controllers designed to be the "root" device that powers a UniFi ecosystem of different hardware segments and feature sets called "applications."
Generally, all UniFi controllers share the same basic features and settings, but their capabilities vary depending on the hardware specs.
Currently, there are four applications, including:
- Network: All things related to the function of a network, including network settings/features, Wi-Fi, mesh, and the support for extender/access points, etc.
- Protect: The support for IP cameras as a surveillance system.
- Talk: The support for Voice over IP phone.
- Access: A "platform designed for Access Control Systems"—per Ubiquiti. Examples are door-related security IoT devices, such as doorbells, keyfobs, locks, etc.
Each of these applications is a world in itself, with various in-depth settings and different numbers of supported hardware units a particular controller can handle.
The Network application is the default and is available for all UniFi controllers. It's also the only one the old UDM has.
The new UDR, on the other hand, supports all other three applications, but only one at a time. So, the UDR is more versatile than the UDM, though not consistently better.
For example, in the Network department, the new router can support up to 15 access points, while the UDM can handle up to 40. But that's a bit of a moot point since I've never seen any home or small business that needs more than three.
By the way, to have the support for all four applications mentioned above simultaneously and at their highest level, you'd need to go professional and get the UDM-Pro or the UDM-SE. This resource calculator shows which device can do what at which level.
Overall, the UDR is built for home environments or small offices—it has just enough power without going overboard. It also has built-in Wi-Fi, which the UDM-Pro and UDM-SE don't. And the compact and eye-catching design doesn't hurt.
Ubiquiti UDR vs. UDM: Hardware specifications
The new UniFi Dream Router is a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router. It has the mid-tier 2x2 Wi-Fi 6 specs and supports the 160MHz channel width on the 5GHz band.
On the 2.4GHz band, it shares the same 4x4 Wi-Fi 4 specs as the UDM.
Mind the confusion
You might read somewhere that the UDR is a 4x4 160MHz Wi-Fi 6 router. That's not entirely correct. The device is a combo of 4x4 Wi-Fi 5 (80MHz) and 2x2 (160MHz) broadcasters in a single hardware unit.
Specifically:
- As a Wi-Fi 5 device: The UDR is a 4x4 (80MHz) broadcaster that can connect at up to 1.7Gbps with a supported Wi-Fi 5 client.
- As a Wi-Fi 6 device: The UDR is a 2x2 (160MHz) broadcaster—up to 2.4Gbps.
Hardware vendors often pick and choose to prop up their products.
Sadly, the UDR has a CPU that is less powerful than the UDM. In return, it has eight times more built-in flash storage space than its older cousin. And it now has an SD card slot that only accepts a 128GB or higher-capacity card.
The extra storage space facilitates the UDR's support for additional applications—the router uses it to store recorded video footage or calls.
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Full Name | Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Router | Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Machine |
| Model | UDR | UDM |
| Product Type | Dual-band AX3000 | Dual-band AC2000 |
| 5GHz band (channel width) | 2x2 Wi-Fi 6 (AX): Up to 2.4Gbps (20/40/160MHz) | 4x4 Wi-Fi 5 (AC): Up to 1.7Gbps (20/40/80MHz) |
| 2.4GHz band (channel width) | 4x4 Wi-Fi 4 (N): Up to 576Mbps (20/40MHz) | 2x2 Wi-Fi 4 (N): Up to 300Mbps (20/40MHz) |
| Processing Power | Dual-Core Cortex A53 1.35 GHz CPU, 2GB RAM | Quad-core 1.7 GHz CPU, 2GB RAM |
| Storage | Internal 128GB Flash, SD card slot for a 128GB larger card | Internal 16GB Flash |
| Dimensions | 4.33-inch (110 mm) wide 7.25-in (184.2 mm) tall | |
| Weight | 2.54 lb (1.15 kg) | 2.32 lb (1.05 kg) |
| Gigabit Ports | 1x WAN 4x LAN | 1x WAN 4x LAN |
| PoE Ports | 2x 802.3af | None |
| Multi-Gig Ports | None | |
| Power Method | Standard AC power cord | |
| Power Supply | AC/DC, Internal, 50W | AC/DC, Internal,14.4W |
| Supported Voltage | 100 -240V AC | |
| Power Consumption (per 24 hours) | ≈ 228 Wh (tested with no PoE device) | Not tested |
| Internal Fan | Yes | |
| Max TX Power | 2.4 GHz: 26 dBm 5 GHz: 26 dBm | 2.4 GHz: 23 dBm 5 GHz: 26 dBm |
| Antenna Gain | 2.4 GHz: 3 dBi 5 GHz: 4.3 dBi | 2.4 GHz: 3 dBi 5 GHz: 4.5 dBi |
| Wi-Fi Standards | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ac-wave 2/ax | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ac-wave 2 |
| Wireless Security | WPA-PSK, WPA-Enterprise (WPA/WPA2/WPA3) | |
| Mesh Ready | Yes | |
| Notable Design | Egg shape, Front status screen, Color-changing ring status light | Egg shape, Color-changing ring status light |
| Default UniFi Application | Network: Up to mesh 15 Access points/extenders | Network: Up to 40 mesh access points/extenders |
| Optional UniFi Applications (pick one) | Protect: Up to 4 HD cams or one 4K cam Talk: Up to 25 IP phones Access: Up to 50 doorbells | None |
| Release Date | April 26, 2022 | November 2019 |
| US Cost (at launch) | $199 | $299 |
UDR vs. UDM: Detail photos
Ubiquiti UDR: A comprehensive enterprise-grade (network) controller
With the support for three additional distinctive applications, the UDR can do a lot more than just a Wi-Fi router, which is part of its default Network application.
But this default app alone is already highly comprehensive. I mostly used this app in the testing since I didn't need the hardware for Protect, Talk, or Access.
(Again, while the UDR, like the case of the UDM, is relatively easy to use for advanced users, it's not a device for the general home audience due to the number of advanced settings.)
Ubiquiti and your privacy
Generally, Ubiquiti requires or insists on a vendor-connected login account before you can use its hardware via a mobile app or the cloud-based interface with remote management and other conveniences. Logging in with a vendor translates into privacy risks.
UI account and UniFi consoles
Here's the link to the U.S. networking company's privacy policy.
Online privacy and security are a matter of degree. Different companies handle their users' data differently.
Power over Ethernet
The biggest novelty about the UDR on the network front is the support for Power-over-Ethernet (PoE). It's the first (home) Wi-Fi router I've known with built-in PoE—two of its four LAN ports support 802.3af.
Consequently, the UDR works right away for at least two PoE devices, both as the power source and, if you use a UniFi access point, the network control center.
You can read more about PoE in this post, but it's worth noting that the 802.3af standard is relatively old and has limited power compared to the subsequent and superseding 802.3at (PoE+) or 802.3bt (PoE++) currently required for many Wi-Fi 6 access points.
Still, this approach makes a lot of sense, considering Ubiquiti also has a good selection of 802.3af PoE devices for different applications that the new router supports. For example, you can now easily use two PoE IP phones for Talk or two PoE IP cameras for Protect.
The UDR's PoE port will work with any active PoE devices of the 803af standard. I tried it with a few low-power third-party access points and had great success.
Tons of Wi-Fi and network configuration, mesh-ready
Like the case of the UDM, the UDR can host multiple UniFi access points up to 15) or extenders to form a mesh Wi-Fi system.
I tried that with the BeaconHD extender, and the process was painless. After I plugged the extender into power, the UDR automatically detected it and prompted—both in the mobile app and the web user interface—to add it.
After a few clicks, the mesh extender was adopted, and I got myself a mesh, which worked quite well.
Ubiquiti's mesh support is always in the router (controller) + extender/access point configuration.
In other words, you can't use multiple UDR units together to form a Wi-Fi system.
Consequently, if you currently have the UDM and want to upgrade to the UDR, there's no way to repurpose the former as a mesh satellite.
After that, just like the UDM, the UDR has everything you can think of in terms of network, Wi-Fi, and mesh configurations.
In fact, the amount of customizability can be overwhelming. However, you can just use the default settings in most cases and make gradual changes as your needs grow.
Excellent traffic management and VPN support
Like the case of the UDM, the UDR has a well-designed Traffic Management section.
Users can create in-depth web-filtering rules applicable to a single domain or a group of domains/applications for individuals or groups of devices. After that, they can apply the blocking permanently or on a specific schedule.
I tried this feature out, and it proved to be the best "Parental Controls" feature by far.
In terms of VPN, the UDR supports a comprehensive L2TP standard server and now also features Teleport, a mobile-friendly VPN application once available only in the AmpliFi family.
Extra: VPN Protocols
This portion of extra content is part of the VPN explainer post.
WireGuard
Wireguard is the latest VPN protocol. It debuted in 2016, initially only for Linux, but has been available cross-platform (Windows, macOS, BSD, iOS, Android) since 2020.
Using cryptography, the new protocol is slated to be extremely simple yet fast. WireGuard is still under development but has proven to be the most secure, easiest-to-use, and simplest VPN solution.
WireGuad is on the way to possibly replacing all existing protocols below.
OpenVPN
As the name suggests, OpenVPN is a flexible VPN protocol that uses open-source technologies, including OpenSSL and SSL.
As a result, it has a high level of customizability and is the most secure. It also can't be blocked.
In return, OpenVPN requires extra client software, making it less practical. But this protocol is the best if you are serious about VPN.
L2TP/IPsec
Short for Layer 2 Tunnel Protocol, it's the second most popular VPN protocol. It's also a built-in application in most modern operating systems—and an interesting one.
It does not have encryption by default, so it's not secure when the IPsec—or IP security—portion comes into play to provide encryption. Therefore, this protocol is rigid in port use and can be blocked by a third party.
The point is that L2PT/IPsec is great when it works. And it does in most cases, which ultimately depends on whether the remote device's local network allows it to pass through.
PPTP
Short for point-to-point tunneling protocol, PPTP is the oldest of the four and is on its way out.
First implemented in Windows 95 and has been part of the Windows operating systems and many other platforms since PPTP is well-supported and the easiest to use.
However, it's also the least secure. It's better than no VPN at all, and it does its purpose of making a remote device part of a local network.
That said, if you take security seriously or have other options, skip it. Still, it is better than nothing and good enough for most home users.
Performance-taxing Threat Management
Like the case of the UDM, the UDR has an excellent set of security features.
You can block incoming traffic by IP addresses, and you can even block it by countries or regions of the world. So, if your business has a spike of attacks from, say, Russia, you can choose to block all incoming traffic from that country.
There's also a threat auto-detection and blocking mechanism with a world map of exactly where the threat comes from and the severity level.
Unfortunately, also like the case of the UDM, turning on the UDR's threat-detecting feature will force the router to throttle down its Wi-Fi throughout. In my trial, that only affected its Wi-Fi 6 performance—more below.
Still, Ubiquiti's UniFi Dream Router is one of the most feature-rich routers any home user can find, partly because it's an enterprise-grade device. You might not have everything you'd like from it, but you sure will get more compared to any other home Wi-Fi router at the same price point.
Ubiquiti UDR: Excellent performance
I initially used the UDR for a couple of months with the Early Access firmware and then with its product firmware for more than a week. I've been happy with it. Almost completely happy with it.
☆ Threat Detection turned off
★ Threat Detection turned on
As a mid-tier router that has no Multi-Gig port, the UDR delivered! I generally got real-world Wi-Fi 6 speeds comparable to a Gigabit connection after overhead.
☆ Threat Detection turned off
★ Threat Detection turned on
I tested the UDR both with and without the Threat Detection feature turned on and experienced a marked difference in its Wi-Fi 6 performance, as you will note on the charts. The router performed the same with legacy devices (Wi-Fi 5 and older).
☆ Threat Detection turned off
★ Threat Detection turned on
In terms of Wi-Fi coverage, the UDR was about the same as the UDM, which was excellent. If you have a house of some 2000 ft2 (186 m2), place it in the middle, and chances are you're all set. However, the Wi-Fi range depends significantly on the environment, so your mileage will vary.
Most importantly, I used the UDR as our main router for weeks and had no issues with reliability. It just worked. There was never any disconnection, even with the beta firmware, and the router, with the production firmware, passed our 3-day stress test with flying colors.
In terms of Internet speeds via Wi-Fi, in my anecdotal daily usage, I generally got around half a Gig from the router—out of a 10Gbps Fiber-optic line—as shown in the screenshot above.
The speeds varied, but it was rare that I saw faster-than-500Mbps rates when roaming around the house. That said, if you have sub-Gigabit broadband, the router will generally deliver. Want close to see close to a Gig on your mobile device? Chances are the UDR won't cut it.
Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Router (UDR)'s Rating
Pros
Built-in support for all of Ubiquiti's business hardware segments (Network, Protect, Talk, and Access)
Reliable Wi-Fi performance, excellent range, mesh-ready
Tons of useful networking features, a comprehensive web user interface, and a mobile app
Compact and beautiful design, two PoE ports
Comparatively affordable, quiet operator
Cons
No Multi-Gig, Dual-WAN, or Link Aggregation; middling Wi-Fi specs and modest processing power; only one additional app (Talk, Protect, or Access) is supported at a time
Security feature reduces Wi-Fi 6 speed; power over Ethernet doesn't support PoE+ or PoE++
Many features require an account with UniFi; not wall-mountable, internal fan
Conclusion
For a Gigabit mid-tier Wi-Fi 6 router, the Ubiquiti UDR UniFi Dream Router is as good as it gets. It's one of the best, if not the best, Wi-Fi routers for most homes.
Unfortunately, since it has no Multi-Gig port, I can't recommend it to anyone who wants a Gigabit-or-faster experience.
And it won't make sense for me to use the router for myself, considering my 10Gbps Fiber-optic broadband. So when I say I wish the UDR had a couple of 10Gbps ports, I mean it sincerely.
In many ways, the native support for Multi-Gig wired connections is actually more critical than Wi-Fi, which can be added via an access point.
I hope Ubiquiti hears me loud and clear and makes some higher-end, more expensive version down the line. The chance this happens is probably slim, considering the gigantic non-Wi-Fi alternative that is the UDM-SE.
That chagrin aside, thanks to the comprehensive UniFi OS, the UDR is a one-of-a-kind home router that will give you so much more than the money you pay for it.
If you appreciate the intricacies of networking and are happy with the Gigabit grade, get a Ubiquiti UDR today! I can almost promise that you'll love it.
Hi Dong ! I have one question related to this device !! I like it its not bad and I have one old AP from this company and already get in troubles because they decided to not support anymore old deceives, and not only that you r not able to update them but now you literally can not change the settings so I just use that AP as it is !! so they just forcing you to buy new devices !! how this router is going to be different ?! The only option for me personally with such rich features as this I see only Sinology 2600 so now I’m thinking what to choose and seems that nobody talking about this stupid policy from Ubiquity ! what do you think about that ??
You can always use the AP (or any AP that is) as a standard one, Marius — that’s the case when you use any AP with the Synology or any other router. Even if an UniFi AP is no longer supported as part of the UniFi family, something I’m not aware of, it can still work as a standard AP. More here.
Any plans to review the Unifi Express? I can’t find a single thorough review online that isn’t just talking through the specs, and they have such a bad return policy.
Maybe, ED. It takes time to do a *real* review, not to mention the hardware costs, and I need to prioritize.
Hi Dong,
Thanks so much for teaching me so much. I have bought an UDR, U6 pro and mesh for outdoors. I am going to hardwire the house in two weeks time. Our total area is 550sqm. The UDR and U6 pro are going to overlap in their zones significantly- so am wondering whether you think it’s better to switch off WiFi on UDR as U6 pro should perform better?
I live in Australia (Melbourne) where we have sub gigabit broadband (250mbps). Am I right in assuming that buying a unifi enterprise POE switch 8 is massive overkill for our needs?
Thanks again so much for your excellent content.
You don’t need to switch off since the two will be a system and can compliment each other, Pablo. But if they are really close, then you might want to do that.
You don’t need a Multi-Gig switch, and the UDR already has PoE ports. It’s ready to host the U6.
Good luck!
Hi Dong, recently installed Starlink interntet looking at this router or the Asus zenwifi xt8 we 2000 square ft home, but awkward layout issues getting signal to one end as main line is at far end of home no intention to move at this time. Looking for ease of use and long range wifi signal. Which do you suggest for router?
Run a network cable and use a PoE UniFi access point with this UDR, Sherry. More here. It’ll work out great.
Dong, you have a number of replies to commenters complaining about the UDR’s performance under gigabit or near-gigabit WAN speeds. I understand where those replies are coming from since, yes, there are many details to factor in if you want to evaluate transfer speeds that most people won’t be aware of. However, the Dream Router actually has a problem that is unique to it and that has nothing to do with overhead due to headers or unstable ISP speeds or anything like that, and you really shouldn’t be giving Ubiquiti a pass for it.
The Dream Router appears to do all routing in software, but its hardware is too underpowered to actually do so at gigabit speeds. The biggest problem there is not actually the speed limitation, but the fact that all other services that the router provides – DNS, DHCP, its own management console, etc. – will stop responding under heavy enough traffic because the CPU is completely saturated just routing packets. That means that a single client with a fast enough download (say, a Steam download) will effectively bring down your whole network for all users; new clients can’t get IPs, existing clients (if using the router’s DNS) can’t resolve addresses, and admins can’t even get into the management console to figure out what’s going on. You can easily test this for yourself; just SSH into it before starting such a download and watch top, then try to connect a new client or load a new website on an existing client or connect to the console.
It’s completely unacceptable behavior for a $200 prosumer/enterprise routing product. Ubiquiti’s own older and now discontinued UniFi Security Gateway performs better, and it seems likely that Ubiquiti compromised on the UDR’s routing performance to hit a price point while supporting the additional UniFi OS features that it has and hoped no one would notice. They were successful in my case until recently; who would expect that a $200 router from a reputable brand would have such a problem? The UDR is fine as long as you don’t have a faster WAN connection than it can support, but if you do it behaves horribly.
There’s no way Ubiquiti developed and shipped a router without testing if the thing can actually route at line speeds and not fall over (or if they did, that’s worse). And to reinforce why you shouldn’t be giving Ubiquiti a pass for this, per archive.org, Ubiquiti only added that “Internet speeds up to 700Mbps” disclaimer to their store page in January 2023, long after the product first shipped:
Here’s the Dream Router’s US store page on Jan 16th, 2023; no disclaimer: https://web.archive.org/web/20230116195337/https://store.ui.com/collections/unifi-network-unifi-os-consoles/products/dream-router.
Next capture on Jan 31st, 2023, disclaimer suddenly appears: https://web.archive.org/web/20230131052058/https://store.ui.com/collections/unifi-network-unifi-os-consoles/products/dream-router
Of course they didn’t notify any existing customers. All of this smacks of Ubiquiti pulling the router equivalent of selling a fraudulent SSD that can’t meet advertised speeds or doesn’t actually have the capacity it claims, with the premise that most customers wouldn’t have ISP connections fast enough to notice. I don’t know about you, but I certainly didn’t expect to need to validate my new Ubiquiti router like it was an SSD I got off Ali Express, and supporting a gigabit WAN connection without freezing up is not an exotic requirement for a router in 2022.
Agreed, Bryan, on the fact you didn’t know about me. I have no comment otherwise. 🙂
Bryan that’s a very well thought out answer. Thank you, I’m glad I did not go for the UDR and glad there were shortages haha.. although for the EA price of $75, why not 🙂
I think this should be reflected in the article in bold big characters prefacing the whole article @Dong Ngo
OK, I have some comments.
1. I recommend this router for those with a sub-gigabit Internet connection.
2. It indeed has modest processing power.
3. Everything is a matter of degrees. There’s no Gigabit router that can actually deliver Gigabit. And there’s no SSD that can actually deliver the claimed read/write speeds.
The issue Bryan described might happen in certain configurations, I’ve never experienced it myself, other than the fact if I have one client hogging all the Internet bandwidth then others will have close to none — it’s more a mater of QoS. Overall, this is a great router for its demographics, I’ve been using one and I know a few folks with their own and happy with theirs. If you really want performance, get the UDM-SE.
I would say it’s the responsible thing to do to highlight in the article (perhaps as an update) that the router cannot handle gbit speeds, in fact nowhere close. The thing is as time passes by the connections affordable to people get faster so I would not be surprised if more people had gbit connections today.
The UDR price may look benign to people in the Ubiquiti ecosystem but it is quite high as an average so expectations would be of a quality router with WAN speeds not being limited
Routers do hit gbit speeds btw else people would squander ISPs for fake advertising. In fact pretty sure I saw a TP-Link AX something (1100?) that hit almost 900Mbps over wifi in that price bracket.
I can also confirm that not all but a lot of SSDs do hit the speeds advertised during the initial burst sequential read/writes (after the dram cache or slc cache expires it drops down)
Regarding Bryan’s claims he seems well informed but ofc random person on the internet disclaimer applies. That said I did see comments regarding the UDR trying to chew more it can eat with the meager processor on board..
TLDR: I understand it’s impossible to keep updating articles but when a well meaning commentor points stuff out it’s worth investigating and updating as it could factor in decision making for someone.
Also I don’t agree with ‘oh no one hits these speeds anyway so no need to mention it’ reasoning.
I don’t think you read the review, Nick, nor did Bryan. We talked about the same thing, just with different levels of expectations and perspectives. This is an excellent router for those with sub-Gigabit needs, especially considering the cost. I even listed it as such in the Wi-Fi 6 roundup.
I’m open to different opinions, which is why your comments are published. But there are degrees in everything. Let’s not talk about my responsibility, *that* doesn’t need your or anyone’s opinion.
first, no one can achieve true gigabit speeds over copper over a 1gb link. not possible. the best would be 940mbps.
even with having Gigabit cable service, that is still a limit.
that is why you see routers now with a 2.5gb port for the WAN to allow people to have a true gigabit connection.
but even over wireless, only very select devices can achieve those speeds.
now you were saying with price point, the UDR is underwhelming. that depends on your perspective. price wise, it is on par with other $200 routers. it offers 4×4 MIMO WIFI 6 with 160hz channel spread. it operates great under those conditions. but it also gives you build in security that’s easily manageable and all remotely manageable through their site and app, something most others dont do well. yes, when the features are turned on, you only get 700-800mbps of throughput. but turned off, you will hit that 940mbps cap that everyone else will hit.
if you are seeing speeds that exceed 1gb and your connection between the modem/router are not 2.5gb or higher, the speedtest is lying which I have seen before. because some routers hardware boost those those tests by caching some of the data to look more impressive when it’s impossible to get those speeds.
the UDR also offers POE port and storage for a NVR. It’s designed for small business that have a few needs. for that price point, it’s amazing.
I use UDRs for my residential clients. it satisfies their needs and then some while minimizing equipment. but if you want beyond gigabit, I use a UDM Pro because it is designed for that.
everyone has different taste and needs. those that are Prosumer like to fiddle more and thus a UDR doesn’t work for those individuals. they will buy a cheap TP link and flash a custom OS or pfsense. nothing wrong with those options. but if someone wants something that is versatile but doesn’t want to fiddle, it’s perfect
If I am interpreting the chart correctly, it seems the Wifi 5 performance is significantly below average. I understand you still recommend this product highly, but does this mean if I still have Wifi 5 devices I would be better off with a different router?
That depends, Eddy. You can consider one of these. In any case, it’s hard to get everything. 🙂
Based on your confirmation the UDR can do Wifi 6 2×2 and Wifi 4×4 in parallel, it makes the Wifi 5 test results even more surprising. Several of those routers which smoked it (such as the Ax3000) are 2×2, and you tested with a 4×4 client.
The more I read about routers the less I understand them 🙂
Though per Ross’s comments it could have been the older firmware.
Or just fanboism, distortion fields :p
I gave up on the UDR because of bad parental controls.
Now I’m using 1 synology RT2600ac with 2 {…} in wired mesh.
Zero issues and can actually hit high 900Mbps with iperf3 from my laptop with a wifi6 card plus I get a nice app to control my kids online time + filtering
You are not wrong though but you are also not the person the product was designed for though.
They don’t have built-in parental controls because they aren’t a home product but they natively offer options such as Ad Blocking and such.
There are work around for that tough but nothing as simplistic as you are looking for.
I have seen simplistic parental controls on home products that are a cinch. But with the UDR, you would have to set a schedule separately for those devices and use a DNS service to filter out those unwanted sites from being access (which is not uncommon to do and is how larger business operate). Just means more steps to achieve the end result for your whole network but not overall as simplistic for a typical home user as it could be.
But i would suggest submitting a ticket to Ubiquiti though for a feature request because this same mechanism can also be useful in other network management senarios.
I think i know where that concern may be.
Different antennas for different frequencies.
On the UDR, it has 2×2 for 2.4Ghz and 4×4 for 5.8Ghz. Since most of WIFI 6 is 5Ghz, that is where they focused the Antennas. 99.99% of devices that only support 2.4Ghz will only have 2 or less antennas. That may be where the confusion is.
Yes, there is a Unifi product that (an Access Point) that does support 4×4 on 2.4Ghz for WIFI 6 but that may only help with MESH related products more so then anything.
But also on the older firmware, they would have seen the slower speeds they are reporting now. But if the test was re-ran now, they would see better results.
Understood the router doesn’t have 2×2 2.4ghz ,though I was referring to the Wifi 6 to Wifi 5 Client 5 GHZ test. In that case the router was serving 4×4 Wifi5 5 GHZ to a 4×4 Wifi Client.
And it still got smoked by most of the 2×2 routers in the test.
the chart is outdated.
through software updates, the throughout has improved dramatically.
WiFi 6, initially, were seeing similar speeds to WIFI 5. But as the tech has matured, software and hardware refinements were made and speeds have improved.
overall, I find WIFI 6, even with having legacy hardware connected to it, runs more effectively.
AS I have mentioned to others, there has been a number of stability fIxes with WIFI 6.
You are not looking at the average standard being around 600mbps but that again depends on the device’s capabilities you are testing with. if you are testing with a WIFI 5 device or a slower laptop or a device with 1×1 antenna instead of a 2×2, you will see this as a issue.
The unifi hardware does a solid job showing what level of connectivity your devices have and what their connectivity looks like. i mean, just showing people the dashboard alone is a seller to people.
I will say, the UDR will NOT allow you to achieve TRUE Gigabit internet speeds, especially if you have all the security turned on. but still will give you high 700-800mbps with all security on.
I use a UDM since I have a rack on my wall in my basements for managing all of this. I use their APs for my wireless. over the last 3 year, the throughout with their APs has improved with newer software updates. I originally, depending on the devices and I was testing with WIFI 6 devices with 2×2 antenna setups, Android 300mbps, Apple 400mbps. the over time, I can now hit 600-800. just did a speed test from this Android phone, from a separate room to the AP, cleared over 600mbps.
the UDM also allows me to achieve speeds of 1084mbps from my Gigabit internet service via a 2.5gb SFP+ Adapter between it and my cable modem.
overall, the speeds have improved over time and this review needs a redo.
I personally recommend and use UDRs for my personal clients because the work and work well, especially now since they are no longer EA items. no complaints, only loves from them.
Thanks so much for the info!
Any idea what the actual expected speeds today are for the UDR to Wifi 5 devices (2×2)? I know you said “not the standard 600 mbps”, not sure if you meant to include the word “not” 🙂
Sorry, that was a typo.
Was suppose to be “now” and not “not”.
But to answer your question, between 300-400mbps
I pulled out a machine just to run this test for you. It performs exactly where i expected it to land. This is a WIFI 5 2×2 laptop and it landed where i expected it too. This will be normal for anything WIFI 5 though.
Unlike wired connections, the link speed you see for WIFI is more about theoretical and not actual speeds. You may have a 866 connection, you will never hit that speed. They are always 1/3 to 1/2 of that number. With the efficiencies with WIFI 6 while still using the same channel bandwidth, more speed has been possible. But a lot comes down to how your devices are equipped.
For example, the UDR has a 4×4 MIMO antenna system that supports up to 160hz channels.
This works great for something VERY high end OR if you are leveraging their MESH system which will allow for better stability between the base and their Mesh APs. But for the average user, most of your devices can only support half if not a fraction of that ability.
For the average home use, depending on your density, i normally recommend the AP6 Lite, it is a 2×2 Antenna system which is what most hardware supports.
Look at this this way.
Cheap Laptops or Desktops or even IoT devices and TVs may only be a 1×1 antenna system. So they may only support 1 stream at 20/40/or 80hz channels. For some products, that’s fine it does the job. But having 2×2 allows for more stability.
2×2 (2 in and 2 out) is common is most smart phones and laptops and tablets. This allows for 2 connections which is what allows most to have connection speed of 866/877mbps connection. And with WIFI 6, you will see that number even as high as 1200mbps.
So for a iPad or a personal laptop, it will not be equipped to have more connections then 2 normally with it’s 2 antennas. But 99.999% of the people out there don’t need more. Most of those devices don’t even support higher then 80hz channels.
If you have a newer WIFI 6 laptop, most of those will support 160hz channels which will then allow you to have MORE speed on the wireless because you have connecting to wider channels that can dump more data to you. But again, not everything supports that. But you are also obstructing more of the open wireless bands when using it because it makes the channels overlap MORE of the available channels. This isn’t the best option if you live in a WIFI dense area such as an apartment or a town home.
You will only find Mesh products or high-end laptops/desktops that offer that may connections. But most internet is not that to support that function but most airwaves are too congested to truly reach that limit.
But still though, the UDR will allow your WIFI 5 devices to be happy at their max potential. But 300mbps is perfectly fine for most users and devices for how we use them. Most home users can be fine with 100mbps internet services too because it is still plenty responsive for their needs.
Great info, thanks! Btw, Dong mentions that with wifi 6 it is only 2×2. Does this mean to to get 4×4 Wifi 5- you actually have disable ax in the router, or can it do 4×4 Wifi 5 and 2×2 Wifi Client 6 clients in parallel?
The latter.
The max your equipment is capable of doing.
For example, any budget router will be a 2×2 antenna system. The UDR is a 4×4. Most devices, laptops and phones, are usually 2×2.
That means that the radio has 2 antenna to receive and 2 to transmit. More antennas = faster speed + more stable connection.
Lets take the UDR, it is a 4×4.
If you have any generation wireless devices, it will only connect with the amount of connections it has.
So if it is a WIFI 4, 5, or 6 device that has only 2×2 in it, then it will only connect at 2×2. If it has a 4×4, then it will connect at 4×4. But the devices connection to the wireless is based on the lowest denominator. If your device has 4×4 but the router is 2×2, then the device will only connect at 2×2. And vice versa, if the device has 2×2 but the router is 4×4, then 2×2 again. But if they both have 4×4, not matter which generation you have, it will connect at 4×4. Channel Bandwidth is another factor that will affect speed as well.
Having multiple antenna connection is great because it does increase throughput and stability, but speed can also rely on the channel bandwidth the device supports.
On WIFI, each channel is only so wide. The base is 20hz channel with. IoT device will use this because it is cheaper and they don’t send a lot of information. But as you move up looking for more speed, you get into 40hz, 80hz, and 160hz channels (Fat Channels). The wider the channels, the more data that can be sent. BUT not all device support 80 or 160hz wide channels. Not saying legacy devices can’t operate on that but they will not be able to take full advantage of it.
But having wider channels though takes up MORE airwaves though. If you are in a dense environment such as a apartment or town home, wider channels can be a challenge and a annoyance. Because to have wider channels, you overlap other channels. For example, on 2.4ghz on Channel 1, you would look at taking over up to Channel 6. This can squeeze out and cause lower throughput for your neighbors and in turn, yourself.
For context though, i have only 2 devices in my house that can support 160hz channels which are my 2 laptops. Phones and tables, all they are supporting is 80hz channels.
Since i do not need ALL that airspace, i use just 80hz channels as i will still have the max speed needed for all my daily needs without noticing any real loss in speed.
Sometimes it’s about finding the right balance. Because we don’t need every device to have 1000mbps to the internet because they don’t need it and will never utilize it. But if i was using MESH devices they require a wireless backhaul that were capable of all of this, then yes, i would definitely leverage those features.
I keep hearing such great reviews for the UDR, but my personal experience has been poor. I bought two UDRs when they came out. One in my house in front of 2 U6-LR as APs, another in my parents’ place as a single wi-fi router.
In both locations, we just experienced constant disconnections, streaming apps buffering, etc., even at my parents’ place where it was in the living room and I’d be sitting 20ft away with no walls in between.
Rebooting and updating the routers didn’t seem to help. I finally swapped out my parents’ one with an Asus AX86S. No more issues. Thinking of doing the same at my place and abandoning Unifi altogether and trying out AiMesh. I don’t know what I’m missing or doing wrong.
If you only think of Wi-Fi then the UDR is not the best, as mentioned, AJ. Make sure you read the review, or any post here, in its entirety.
I feel like there’s a lot of fanboism around UI products… I tried the UDR briefly thinking it had everything figured out but turns out it’s sorely lacking in the parental control department.
Ended up getting synology router that works perfectly for this use case and more.
I think the UDR is more for people already deep into the UI ecosystem
There’s some truth in that. I think if you use the UDM-Pro or UDM-SE, the experience is different. The UDR is a stripped-down gateway product.
Right, the issue to me is going up the ladder also means more power consumption. I’ve not seen parental control features of the UDMs but the synology RT2600ac I got does everything I need (including handy mobile app) within a 10-15W power budget.
IIRC the UDR was ~25W and from the UDMSE sheet seems it’s about twice as hungry so it may not be an option for most
For reference I’m powering a homelab running a tuned i3 12100, 2 hdds, ssds running docker/plex/vms occasionally within around 70W load but typically 30W
So the opportunity cost makes one think twice. Of course electricity costs do not matter to a lot
it sounds like, based on your other comment below, that the UDM isn’t what you are looking for.
Because UDR, UDM, UDMSE all offer different specific features with specific needs. But based on your comments, i don’t know why you are running a Synology when you should have your own Open Source router since you already have all the pieces in place but that.
Because UDR is perfect for Home Users, allows them to expand into Cameras or More APs while being powered from 1 device, removing some of the cost for POE Injector or POE Switches.
UDM lacks POE but still has 8 ports while offering MORE features for businesses while being able to support 7GBs of throughput with all the security features turns on to the Internet. So for those with a internet connection that is at least 1GB or higher, it is a solid product for that.
UDM-SE is like the UDM but one of the key feature differences is the built in POE hence why the power consumption is more. Overall their products are decently stable and between their APs and their Cameras, their power consumption is actually less then a number of competitor’s products while offering a cleaner simplistic interface to manage all their products through.
Yes, Unifi has a very locked in eco system like a lot of other competitors. But unless other large competitors, their hardware cost are about on par for what you expect WITHOUT having to play Cloud fees for their remote management services (*cough cough Meraki*).
Yes, i do feel from a software perspective, they are behind. 100% agree on that. But parental controls are manageable though. The UDM does have some light controls for that. But you can setup custom DNS services that address that network wide through 3rd party services such as NextDNS and OpenDNS services. I am currently using NextDNS for my DNS with their applications and it filters and encrypts all the DNS queries when they leave my network.
From what i read, you are looking for a low energy consumption version of the products. But you need to understand what those products purposes are though to know what the need is. Yes, the MAX wattage something MAY consume may be high. But that would be with POE running at full and CPU running at high. But doesn’t mean that is what it may pull under the load you present it.
All products have a fanboy like approach depending on the people you ask. But their products have brought the most stability to my clients and simplicity.
For one client, i am moving them completely over to a UDM, swapping out the AP to all Unifi, and moving all the security cameras to Unifi, and even their Media Players to Unifi. Eventually their phone system as well to save on running cost. Eventually investing in their door access when the cost is lowered.
WHY?
Stability, remote supportability, and simplicity.
It gives a central locations to support and manage the equipment. It monitors network traffic better then other low cost items. The applications show everything you need in 1 place. It will remove ALL the pain points we are currently seeing in a platform that i won’t have to upgrade or replace anytime soon.
I have had the exact opposite experience.
I have 6 different people that i moved off of their legacy equipment and over to the UDRs. Some with APs or Cameras attached as well. No issues. Strong connectivity, great throughput. It resolved all their WIFI issues.
I find the UDR as a solid product for the average users.
I am curious though, and would be willing to work with you on what issues you were experiencing. Because it could be a simply as a configuration issue down to a nearby interference issue.
I have a friend where we did a U6-LR with the UDR and a Flex camera and 16port Unifi POE switch. No issues there, everything connects better then ever. I will say though that the U6-LR doesn’t have the best range in comparison though but it still does a robust job and even the throughput has increased over time with firmware updates.
I was even using the Mesh6 AP in Mesh mode before and it was the best Mesh product i ever used. No real throughput drop (it has a wired backhaul now.)
But I would be willing to work with you to see what the issues you are having and see if we can find where your problem are.
I may sound like a fan boy but i have used and services various products, for the price, i have had the best experience overall with Unifi even tough they may be behind on software.
@Ross G, I would welcome some help figuring this out. I’ve invested a lot into the Ubiquiti system and would love it if it wasn’t all wasted. I don’t even need all the fancy software and features, I just want wi-fi that connects at a decent speed!
This comment section is probably not the best forum to work on this. Any thoughts on a good way to communicate privately?
Also, i would recommend trying WIFI-Man tool. It can help indicate if there are other networks interfering and such.
I am available via email or different messengers. Just let me know.
Hi Dong,
I’m thinking of buying a UDR, but I need slightly extended coverage and would like to include Wifi 6E in that mix. It’s probably overkill, but humour me!
I know that the U6 Enterprise AP requires PoE+ and the UDR only supplies PoE, so I’ll have to use a compatible PoE+ injector, but other than that, will the UDR support the U6 Enterprise AP?
I’ve seen somewhere that if UniFi is in the name then it’ll all be good, but I’d like confirmation before I hit the buy button!
Thanks for the great review.
Yes, it will, Craig. It’ll support any UniFi AP — I haven’t tested all of them, but the way the ecosystem is designed, the PoE support of the UDR is just an extra. Its controller function is the main focus. And you can always add an AP to upgrade to 6E.
Thanks Dong. Much appreciated!
👍
I had to stop reading at “excellent” security. Unifi firewalls are a joke. Additionally layer 3 in general is poorly implemented. I quite like their layer 2 offerings but routing and firewall functions are bottom of the barrel across the entire Unifi product line. They should call them the nightmare router.
It was literally written “excellent security-related feature”, Billy. You stopped a bit too early and possibly missed everything. Next time, please follow the comment rules unless you’re just trolling, which is also a violation.
The UDR looks like it has a weaker processor than the UDM, which I have. Is the UDR less powerful than the older UDM, because the spec sheets list:
– UDM: Arm Cortex-A57 Quad-Core at 1.7 GHz
– UDR: Dual-Core® Cortex® A53 at 1.35 GHz
I would like to upgrade my UDM to a UDR for the two PoE ports on the UDR, as I have the following three APs linked to the UDM through a slow/old 100Mbps PoE switch:
– a UniFi AC AP Pro (WiFi 5 with two Ethernet ports) with a downstream daisy-chained UniFi AP U6 Lite
– a UniFi AP U6 Lite
My cable connection just got upgraded to 400Mbps and now my three APs are slower than the cable connection due to the old 100Meg PoE switch.
I’m concerned that the UDR is slower than the UDM.
I would appreciate your advice.
Thanks
It’s not slower, Glenn. Hardware specs don’t mean much, generally. But you can get a new Gigabit PoE switch, they are affordable.
Hi Dong,
Can you please help me take a decision? Currently i have an AMPLIFI HD and a gigabit PPPoE connection 1000/1000. I was thinking that is time to upgrade my network to wifi 6 , AMPLIFI Alien i think that is too expensive for what is offering and i was considering upgrading to a UDR. What do you think? This will be an upgrade or not in terms of wifi troughput?
That depends on what clients you have, Constantin. If things are working right now, there’s no need to change. More in this post.
I abandoned Ubiquiti after the dumpster fire that was the UDM. The unit wouldn’t stay online for more than 20 hours at a time, network speeds regularly dropped down to nothing, VLANs were broken, DDNS was broken, auto firmware update was unavailable, the list goes on. On their forums, support regularly admitted to the devices significant shortcomings – illustrated by the fact that EOL’d the product before they released a stable final firmware. When the UDM was still being supported, the support forums were stacked with people having a cornucopia of issues and moderators giving them various beta builds of the firmware to try. At least twice I was recommended to upgrade to a newer firmware and then back down to an older firmware because the newer firmware had even more bugs. Last I checked, their new OS was still complete and utter garbage. For years I only used Ubi equipment, but the UDM was so bad that it turned me away from the company forever. TP-Link/Archer for life now.
Also, does the UDR really count as a consumer product if it’s perpetually sold out? I swear they only made like 25 of the things and the product page is just a lie. It seems like they never planned for a major rollout, this was just a pet project. I’ve never actually met a single person who has managed to get their hands on one, or see one in real life (before I found this review).
Nobody will ever be able to convince me that Ubiquiti is a competent networking company anymore. Their devices have always been underpowered and well behind the times, even before they became objectively bad. While some individual devices may produce good results, the overall ecosystem is, in a word, garbage. And in my experience, the more features Ubi crams into a single device, the worse it is. The pinnacle of UniFi was during the age of the first couple generations of the Security Gateway/Cloud Key/AP setup, but they completely failed to keep them up to date with modern technology. The USG I purchased new in 2020 had roughly the same computational capacity as a Netgear router I bought in 2006. I have no idea how they expected businesses to use it effectively… Anyway /rant – I’m glad you like your UDR but be wary of Ubiquiti, in my experience satisfaction has been the exception, not the norm.
I hear you, Topher. There are other noteworthy options.
I have 1.1Gbps broadband and I will need to keep my ISP router in modem mode. Am I correct in thinking that the UDR won’t reach that speed wirelessly but should get up to 1Gbps wired? I’m going to run some Cat-6 cable to a switch up in the loft and drop down to a couple of U6-Lite AP’s (or similar). Is there a better Ubiquiti router option that will give full speed, I don’t necessarily need the wifi built into the router but like the idea of using the Ubiquiti web app to manage the network. Thanks for providing a great and easy to use website with no nonsense reviews.
You’re correct, Rob. The UDR’s wired connection will deliver full Gigabit (after general overhead.)
According to product page, the WAN port is capable of internet speeds up to 700 Mbps.
https://store.ui.com/collections/unifi-network-unifi-os-consoles/products/dream-router
Features:
(1) GbE RJ45 WAN port**
**Internet speeds up to 700 Mbps.
That’s the case for almost all routers with a Gigabit WAN port, Kelly. Generally, you have to use Multi-Gig to get true Gigabit sustained speed. More in this post.
Approximate throughput of Gigabit Ethernet after overhead is 930 Mbps.
I’d say it between 650 – 900Mbps in my experience, Jimmy, on the WAN side. Some routers have more overhead than others. It gets worse with Multi-Gig WAN. Switches have less overhead.
My ISP supplies 920Mb/s to my UDR and it magically changes that down to 700Mb/s when wired. It seems, from online searching, many are concerned about this and I wonder if there’s a solution? Wi-Fi is about 750Mb/s.
Assuming you indeed get what your ISP says it gives you, Neil, you need a Multi-Gig router to enjoy that speed. Gigabit is generally sustained at 700-900Mbps after overhead, especially on the WAN side. More in this post.
I mentioned how the UDR did with broadband in the performance section.
I’m using the UDR with a U6 Enterprise AP and an U6 AP (until I run cable for another U6 Ent AP).
I find the coverage excellent for my 200+ devices, but still run into challenges.
Might you update the review for the “released” version, along with more details on some of the more technical features of the UDR?
Thank you.
The hardware I used was the final version, B. You have 200 devices, that’s a lot and can be an issue if the Wi-Fi bandwidth is not managed properly, especially if they consist of many “smart” IoTs.
Dong, thank you for the great content and reviews. I was wondering what you think of using third party mesh (i.e. netgear eax) to pair with UDR?
You can’t pair them together, Peter. At best you can use the third-party hardware in the AP or extender mode.
Hi Dong, this is a great site and I’m glad I accidentally stumbled upon it after googling a few of the wifi systems I have been considering (also happy to see that you’re a fellow Tesla driver too LOL, love my model 3).
I have a single story, 1300SF house with no crawl space or attic (on a slab foundation, built in 1950), and recently switched to AT&T Fiber. They created a huge problem for me in that the fiber had to come in on the West side of the house, whereas when I had Cox I had a cable outlet in the living room which was dead center in the house, so now my 4 year old Google mesh wifi is showing signs of age because it has to repeat 2x before coming to my office on the other side of the house. I have one going to the AT&T router on the West Side of the house, another in the living room in the center of the home, and another in my office on the East side of the house. I’m getting decent speeds of about 90-100MBPS, and pings are around 11ms average to the gateway, but that’s on a good day, often times I have to reboot the entire mesh system when it slows down to get it back to those speeds. My main goal is not download speeds per se, but a reliable connection with LOW latency, I work from home and when latency becomes a problem those Zoom calls cut out, and the web sites I work on slow down. I’ve been tempted to just hard wire a cable and run it out the back of the house and run conduit along the outside of the house to my office and back in, that would solve part of the issue. The other part is in the backyard (which is a tiny California backyard, not a giant one), I do have wifi drop outs and sometimes I do workouts in the backyard and the class will cut out. Lastly, the Sonos occasionally likes to not play nice (dropouts) (I have like 8 of them, the main hub is hard wired to the middle node of the mesh wifi router, which may not be the best but that’s probably another discussion).
Do you think that this Uniquiti would be a good fit for my goals of low latency WFH, reliable Sonos and wifi on the patio? I’m assuming I would probably want to pick up a Unifi lite for my office, but who knows. Maybe it would be better to go with a DECO mesh system or something else? I don’t really want to spend $1000 on new Wifi equipment but that Asus stuff sure does look nice. 🙂 Let me know your thoughts, it’s so confusing with all the reviews out there. Happy to send you a tip for your help. 🙂
For your case, Rob, running network cables is a must. It’s a bit of a pain, but it will solve everything. After that, you can get this one and then an UniFi Wi-Fi 6 access point. Or you can also get a 2- or 3-pack of the Asus ZenWiFi ET8 or XD6. With wired backhauling, you have lots of options. Good luck! 🙂
Dong how can you advise me which router will be the best to achieve a speed of about 800Mbps from the WAN via Wi-Fi? I have an Intel AX210 160MHz card. I currently have an ASUS XD6 router but I get a max of around 600Mbps. In half a year I will have a bigger apartment and I will also want to make a mesh but wired network. Which router will meet my requirements?
With Wi-Fi, nothing will meet you requirements, Krystian — they are subjective. It’s always about matching what you want, need and the equipment you have with reality. More about testing in this post. Make sure you read it carefully and in it’s entirety.
Hello Dong
Which router will be faster, safer and better for a small apartment? Unifi UDR or Asus ZenWiFi XD6?
Neither or both, Krystian. That depends on how you use them and your expectations.
UDR is great except at parental access to control what your kids go to online..
I had to switch to synology that does amazing plus has an app
Hi Dong,
I read all reviews, but I have a very specific question. Happy if you advise.
TLDR; For WiFi 6, do you suggest an ASUS router or UniFiDream Router, to be used with Tp-Link Deco Mesh (in AP mode)? Which one’s security features (firewall, intrusion prevention, protection, etc.) are useful in this scenario?
Details:
Because of several local market conditions, Asus products are way over their MSRP here, and Ubiquiti APs are very hard to find, even online. As a result, I am using an Asus AC3200 (Merlin firmware) with TP-Link Deco mesh (Deco is in AP mode). I want to upgrade my router because Merlin stopped updating the firmware for AC3200. I planned to buy a new Asus until I read UDR review. Does UDR provide useful features when used as a single router without UniFi APs?
Kind Regards,
Go with the UDR, O.
Thanks for the help.
I ordered UDR and am happy with it. Many thanks. ISP forces me to use its modem and prevent bridge mode. So I use it with double NAT with DMZ. My current schema is as below:
Modem / GPON > UDR > Deco Mesh (AP mode)
That schema looks good, Ozum. Glad it’s working out for you, and thanks for the update!
Normally, you need to order Ubiquiti products from the website. That is the best place to get them from new.
Between using Asus and TP-Link vs Unifi, i would do the Unifi. Better remote management, cleaner installations. The price is up there but overall functionality and stability have been good compared to some of the issues i have dealt with involving Asus in recent years.
i personally would just keep check back at Ubiquiti’s site for their UDR. It covers most people’s needs then using one of their Wifi 6 AP products, probably the Mesh 6. Don’t try to Mix/Match different manufacture’s Wifi products together, the results are always EH. And with Unifi products, if allows for better remote management. You can see all your hardware in 1 console and which devices are connected to which AP. This is what i have been installing for my personal clients in their homes. I find business class products to be the better overall hardware for reliable and stable internet at home, especially when the price point is on part with residential products.
Even with my Gigabit testing, with all the security features enabled, the UDR will still give me 700-800 mbps of throughput. Wifi keeps improving with each software update as well. Have seen faster throughput on my 2×2 devices pushing 600-700mbps via Wifi.
Thanks for the detailed answer. When I order international from ui web site, import tax and duty service cost is very high. Local prices are also high because of the same reason.
My only option is “Asus + Deco Mesh (AP)” vs “UDR + Deco Mesh (AP)”
Have the UDR myself it cannot do 1gbps pppoe.
Neither can the USD key combo
Just got myself the UDM-SE it’s perfect and can do 1gbps pppoe myse zen/city fiber Internet uses perfectly.
Be careful with ubiquiti if you need pppoe for 1gbps make sure you get one that is powerful enough to support it.
The UDM (UDM-US) is an upgrade to the UDR correct? Also the UDM and UDR are both router/firewall?
You’re at the right place to find the answers to those questions, Raj. Read the review!
It’s a different class product.
The UDR is a lower cost version of a UDM while over newer features over the UDM. The UDM has a more power processor BUT the UDR has:
Wifi 6
POE on 2 of the Ethernet ports to support remotely power APs or Cameras
Built in expandable storage for Camera NVR storage.
$100USD less then the UDM.
The less power process can have it’s drawbacks for certain user types but those users would have gone to a UDM-Pro or Pro SE instead.
In my performance testing, when you have ALL the firewall security turned on, your throughput is about 700mbps to the internet where with no security on, you can hit the high 900s.
But for an average home, this is PERFECT.
I have been upgrading friends and relatives to the UDR because of it being a good business class device at a residential user price tag. The system is easy to remotely manage and adding on new features is a breeze.
Purchased the UDR, should have purchased the UDM but wanted the updated wifi6.
As a long time alpha and beta UBNT tester, sometimes I truly wonder what the product planning team is thinking at times. Put the four core cpu in the UDR v2 and call it good. Kill off the UDM to focus production and dev resources.
Agreed, Brent. But for most homes and even small businesses, the UDR is still an amazing router, considering the cost. 🙂
Fair and agree. I run several multi-AP networks for clients so my opinion is somewhat biased. For the price and packaging, total winner.
First time i’ve come across your site. Great info! Thank you!
Hi
I see that the UDR is only able to run two applications at once.
I’m confused; does the talk application need to be running for the phones to work?
Yes, for the phones that are part of Talk to work. If you use any standard (non-Talk) IP phones, they are part of the Network portion.
So I can’t run Protect cameras AND Talk phones 😢
That’s correct, David. You’d need to use the UDM-Pro or UDM-SE for more simultaneous app support as mentioned in the review.
Hello DN,
I am usually a diehard ASUS fan. I had a RT-AC66U & RT-AC88U both running Merlin.. I loved the configurability of the Merlin firmware it had pretty much all the functionality I wanted. My RT-AC88U I was disappointed with I had it for about 3years and had crazy flaky issues with WAN DHCP renewal(ISP renews every 2hours ugh), flaky issues where I would have to reboot almost weekly, then I started having 2.4ghz radio issues which brought me to decommissioning it . I replaced it with a black Friday deal I got on the cheap for a Netgear MR60 mesh system(YAK) which I know is lower end, but firmware updates seem to cause issues almost every month.. I am now aiming for the UDR, because UI wifi stability network I admin at work, but I am still hung up and love ASUS(Merlin)(I like OpenVPN). What router at home you suggest for me? My wants and specs: Wifi6 would be nice, VPN, great security controls, great parental controls, WOL execution would be nice, great wifi coverage for 1200sq ft, would prefer running a single device with the option to add(mesh), for 100mbps internet, for about 35 devices.. ASUS I would like merlin compatibility. Reading the comments I ran across the Synology wifi6 which looked interesting, and I admin multiple synology NAS’s… So which ASUS, UDR, UDM, Synology would you suggest for me? Still hesitant to go back to ASUS due to the 2.4 radio failure.. I try not to buy cheap routers to avoid the issues I had with the RT-AC88U.. Thank You
Get one of these, David. Check out the reviews for more details. As for the 2.4GHz issue, it likely has something to do with the USB port. Generally, if you choose to use Merlin, you’re on your own. That’s the deal. 🙂
One thing I didnt put in my post is reliability… The reason I was wanting to go with UI products is we have had ZERO issue with our UI AP’s at work in like 6 years of use… I understand that the UDM UDR are all in ones so heat is probably more of an issue with durability of the radios… Out of the list would you think would last 5 years? 5years would what I would like my replacement cycle to be..
I don’t have the authority to say how long something lasts, David. I wish I could. But all of them should last. Those that have failed during our extended test have been removed, like this one.
To chime in. If you like your Synology NAS experience, I’d go with them. My Synology WiFi 5 router and mesh have been rock solid in a rental. Never have to reboot ever. Love one cloud management to rule all my Synology devices. Was waiting for 6e or 7 on Synology to upgrade and to replace several other routers My personal experience with Ubiquiti is that it’s finicky and can be unstable at times. I don’t trust it like I do Synology. YMMV. 😉
Thanks for the opinion!! What VPN does synology use? I have like OpenVPN of the Asus/Merlin because I can use the same client for multiple connection… I use the VPN from work mainly to get to my home network.. Wish I could demo a Synology router lol to see if I like it…
Let me put a vote in for Synology as well. The routers get some hate from the Ubiquity fans but mine has been perfect since I turned it on. I have one of the first RT2600ac that shipped. I use it with LT2P/IPSEC, OpenVPN, and Synology SSL VPNs. I use intrusion detection with symmetrical 1gig service with no performance impact. Keep in mind, it is nearly a seven-year old router. It can’t do VLANs but they will FINALLY fix that in the next few weeks.
I have an RT6600ax in a closet waiting for the next software release that will low me to integrate it into my mesh.
Hi! Thank you for the review! I am trying to decide between this or the TP-Link GX90. I will be using for Roku/Apple TV apps streaming and gaming with Wifi Cams. I have a 400mb internet connection. 1450ft sq ft single story house. I will be replacing a TP-Link AC1750.
What is your recommendation?
If you want to go with gaming, the GX90 is better, Kenny. If you’re somewhat happy with the AC1750, the GX90 will be a big improvement for your Wi-Fi 5 or 6 clients. More on it here. The UDR is more of a “work” router.
Hi, are you sure the UDR doesn’t have a fan? In UDM, a loud fan is a problem, here it seems okay.
It doesn’t have a fan, Michael.
Fantastic review of UDR–
i have a 7000 sq ft home.
Which upright and which ceiling
mounted ubiquity AP would you pair with the UDR? THX
Also on the LAN ports 3 and 4
that support PoE– can the power be turned OFF on those 2 ports if using as simple LAN ports?
You can use any AP, John, though it’s better to use UniFi Wi-Fi 6 ones, like this.
You don’t need to turn PoE off to use a PoE port with a non-PoE device. More about PoE in this post.
Interesting question: if i am using the port 3 or 4 802.3af
for a Wifi6 mesh AP and the AP
is underperforming becuz it is
802.3at, can i ADD another 802.3at PoE on top of or in line with the port 3 or 4 802.3af or will adding 2 inline 802.3af and at interfere w each other?
Nope, John. You need to use an 802.3at injector with a non-PoE port.
This comment made me curious: I attached to the UDR the Long Range AP on paper requiring more power than the 13.5W but it works. Does the AP lowers its functionality in order to work with less power? How do I know from the console?
Generally, that works because, by default, a device won’t need all the necessary power; however, when it does — like during heavy loads — it either will shut down or works at a lowered bandwidth. I wouldn’t count on it.
I have to correct myself, Michael. I decided to test it again, and when I pressed its underside against my ear, I could hear something spinning inside. The router has always been completely silent, though, even during hot days.
Kinda disappointed. I really hope we see the Synology RT6600ax soon. My RT2600ac is getting long in the tooth. I really need more than the low throughput with Threat Protection, and the ancient L2TP VPN that Ubiquity is offering.
The VPN of Ubiquiti is proprietary so it doesn’t really matter much if it uses L2TP. The review of the Synology will be ready mid-May or so. We’ll see.
DN,
Looks great and for ave user its cool. My concern is the firmware life and how secure it is. Seems like we have ppl who do nothing but try to make our lives worse.
Im in love with Asus routers for several reasons…hopefully not flawed logic.
AS ALWAYS …DN knows BEST…
Vr
Johninkorea
It’ll be secure enough and the firmware is great, John. But it’s not as open as Asus’s.
Does it “phone home” too? Ubiquiti doesn’t need to charge much, they make money off usage data from people (and who knows what else too).
Every time I’m tempted by teleport or other software (or hardware) products from unifi, I have to stop and remind myself that privacy is not synonymous with this company. I’m not sure I’d trust it for a VPN.
It has to, Tom, that’s the only way you can access the hardware remotely, among other things. As for what it does with that connection, only the company would know as (hopefully) stated in the privacy policy. To be fair, almost all other business solutions have this kind of cloud-based remote access. Netgear, for example, charges you to use its Insight Managed devices.
Hi Dong, I was considering changing to the UDR, not so sure now
I have a Asus RTx86U with asus merlin with firmware up to date
Unfortunately I have a double NAT setup, the ISP router is a huawei wifi 5 router, and I have a 1Gig connection that by wire I get between 850 and 930Mbs speeds, and also tested the speed from the asus web interface. The weird thing is that wifi speeds are about 200Mbs slower than when I connect to the ISP router, so if I hit 750mbs from an iphone 13 pro on ISP I get max 500 or less on the asus router, I do have trendmicro activiated but even with a fresh factory default and it`s the same story, it drives me crazy, I bought recently a Wifi Pro 6 Unifi AP, slightly better performance than asus but still slower than the ISP router, it’s connected via a CAT7 STP and gig lan port to the ISP, by these benchmarks I dont know if I will be pleased with this router and with the flexibility that merlin gives, but you have them both, could you give some insight? thanks!
What are you trying to get out of the testing, Joe? Those numbers are faster than anything you’d need. But more on Wi-Fi in this post, more on Gigabit-class broadband in this post, and more on testing in this post. They will give you some perspective and help you find out what you should do in testing (or not testing.)
Thanks for the links I will dig deeper, I just dont get why the ISP router being inferior with no wifi 6 would give me better numbers than the asus with wifi 6 and better specs
👍
I am on the fence regarding this device. As a house of ~20devices on 70/20mbps speeds this device seems perfect for my needs. On the other hand its processor appears underpowered which I fear could cause issues when pushed to the upper threshold of normal use. This fear is slightly exacerbated by opinions on reddit, but I appreciate a lot of users are viewing this device from a business networking perspective.
What are your general thoughts on the devices processing power?
That’s disappointing for sure, as I mentioned in the review, Adam. But its processing power is enough for any Gigabit network with sub-Gigabit broadband, which is the case in the majority of homes and small businesses.
Will this router offer SQM to reduce bufferbloat?
That generally is available in UniFi routers, Eddie. As for this one, I can’t say more than what I already said, which was already pushing the envelope in terms of the confidential agreement. 🙂
Just curious if anyone has had any success ordering one of these from the EA program in the last 2 months? I have been checking multiple times per day nearly every day trying to find it in stock with no luck.
No luck here. I have also been checking a few times per day. Always out of stock.
I considered setting up an automated checker, but the fact that you have to log in to check stock prevents that!
perhaps you can have a checker that also automates login haha!
We appreciate you letting us know what you can at this point.
Based on the currently known specs, the UDR provides 2x 802.3af PoE Ports. This will accommodate the Access Point WiFi 6 Lite (U6-Lite-US), but not the Access Point WiFi 6 Pro (U6-Pro-US) or the Access Point WiFi 6 Long-range (U6-LR-US), which are both 802.3at PoE+ devices.
Is that a correct analysis of PoE compatibility? If so, that seems like an oversight.
I know that 802.3at is backward compliant with 802.3af, but I don’t think it works the other way around.
I understand the differences between 802.3af vs 802.3at, Doug. That fact doesn’t change what the router supports. Unfortunately, you’d have to use separate injectors for those two. They might work with 802.3af, though, but at a lower performance state.
Do you feel liek they downgraded with the proccessor or d oyou think that the UDR will preform just the same as the UDM even though they went from a quad core to a dual core?
Processing power is generally more complex than just the number of cores, Michael. As for how it performs, we’ll have to wait till it’s finalized.
Hi Dong,
Thanks for the preview post. I had two questions:
1. Has Ubiquiti added support for vpn clients on UDR? Can you connect and route all network traffic or a segment of your network via a vpn provider like ExpressVPN, etc. I think it was not possible with the UDM.
2. Does ubiquiti still sell these as EA in EU for public testing? Also, if you know what is the frequency of UDR sales?
I can’t say much more than the post itself since the router is not yet finalized, Abhinav. But my guess #1 is a no. (More about VPN here by the way.) I have no answer for #2.
Hi Dong
Thanks for your great reviews.
Is there any estimate as to when this may be fully released post EA? Or should I ask is there a time range based on other products that have come via their EA cycle?
Thanks
How is this device different from the UniFi Dream Machine ($299 price point) that appears to be perpetually out of stock or backordered online? The design is so similar.
Thanks,
Robert
Read the post, Robert.
I apologize. I jumped the gun, but couldn’t edit the post after submitting.
No worries! 🙂
Just curious – has this router come back in stock at all recently? I signed up for a notification (in mid-December) if it does, but nothing yet…
You won’t get a notification, Jeff. You have to keep checking. And yes it’s been back in stock multiple times.
Good to know – thanks…I wish I had known that when I requested the notifications!
Grrrr – been checking the site multiple times per day and still no luck finding it in stock…
Yes, it’s been VERY hot — it’s worth WAY more than the $80, as is. Hope you’ll catch it.
Maybe a more expensive UDM SE is on the road, that’s why this one is called UDR
Question;
Will this work to host the Unified Talk system?
My take is that it should when it’s finalized, David.
Do we know when that will be? It has been out of stock forever…
No and no, Mark. I had the same questions but Uniquiti were tight-lipped on availability.
Thanks for asking for your readers!
Sure, Mark. 🙂
Hello Dong…
2 quick questions on this router:
– When i follow the link I get a message stating that it is only available to early access users, but I did sign up for this. Would this be an indicator that it is out of stock? Or would I get a different message? I only created an account with them a few minutes ago, so could this be the issue?
– Does this router have the ability to shut off internet access on a time schedule for specific devices on the network (similar to Asus “Family Protection” functionality?
Thanks!
Update – I’m an idiot and despite being signed in on another tab, I wasn’t signed in on the tab that would open via your link to the router page in the store. After signing in, I now see the listing, but it is indeed out of stock.
My second question still stands, though!
1. You have to sign in at the EA, Jeff, before you can see it. Just like in any store.
2. For now, I can’t say anything more than what I did in the post.
Hi Dong, I appreciated your recommendation of the Asus and thus far have found it rather daunting to navigate the set-up process right out of the box… I’m used to ridiculously simple interfaces such as, say, the Airport Extreme I’m attempting to replace. I wanted to ask you about the Ubiquiti UDR relative to that, but also a note that i wondered whether you could clarify. The 86U, during the attempted set-up, generated some very low level but constant sort of audible ticking through my Mac’s sound-output while connected. It seemed highly peculiar that a router would produce some processing ‘noise’ (or whatever it was). Just a curiosity.
Would the UDR perhaps be more straightforward to set-up? I need to have some special configuration for a real-time audio software app in a studio that calls for static-IP and port forwarding. I have to assume that most routers can accommodate that these days but equally interested in how the Ubiquiti stuff, UDR or otherwise stacks up performance wise to the 86U Asus as far as wifi speed, processing power et.al. Not entirely ruling out the Asus but for some like me, a lot of this back-end knowledge is daunting and a foreign language as it’s simply not in my wheelhouse of expertise and given the opportunity i’d have someone set it up for me: ) That said, I really want the maximum bang for buck in terms of robust wifi, optimal up/download speeds to get the most out of a 400mbps plan with 20mbps upload. With the old Extreme, the upload even on ethernet devices is throttled at around 300mbps at best…although it’s getting the full 20mbps upload speed and then some – which actually is an important factor for the audio streaming software i’m using…optimal upload-speed is equally vital to stable connections with radio and TV stations I work with when doing broadcast-quality transmission back/forth Thanks for any thoughts! I’m back on the old router til i can sorta sort things out…
That’s your Mac’s issue, Mike. Generally, if you’re so hung up with your Mac, you’ll have problems with Wi-Fi since Apple’s devices are pretty horrible — they are designed to work well only with other Apple devices. If you put Windows on your Mac, chances are you’ll see the noise go away. The UDR is not for somebody who wants a “straightforward” setup; it’s a very advanced router. To be honest, from the way you asked your questions, I’d say that it’s tough for you to get what you want since you seem to have wrong expectations (typical case of Mac users — not necessarily their fault) without understanding how things are supposed to work. 🙂
I’d say spend some time figuring out your 86U. You’ll learn a lot. Again, don’t take Apple as the standard of anything other than forcing users into using Apple products. And Apple got out of networking years ago, for good reason.
Thanks Dong, I get the sense though, that the ubiquiti could have a friendlier interface but still be as robust and powerful as the Asus — just in terms of actual distance and connection speeds. Too late for me to reverse course on Macs. I have three studios with multiple Macs, Mac-native audio ware and while i absolutely have a love-hate relationship with Apple – can’t foresee a Windows platform in my future for the rest of my career. That said, I can understand where you’re coming from on the matter. I gotta believe others have had no issues with an Asus in a Mac OS environment – this was just an incidental thing i noticed. For all i know once it’s set up properly the ‘noise’ thing would go away…(whatever it is?) – Still, seems it could be worth ordering a UDR and at least checking it out. I’ll look for anyspeed /range testing comparisons you might have up on this one. Likewise if you have any comparable-to models that rival the Asus but are generally easier to navigate internally, i’d be super-interested in trying other options out too. Thanks as always! Mike in Mich.
Sure, Mike.
Hello, thank you for this excellent article. You have UDR so is it possible for you to do a throughput test with IDS enabled, please?
Yes, it is, Franck. But I agreed with Ubiquiti not to publish any testing until the router is finalized. I kind of already pushed it to publish this preview…
Hi, I will join and ask maybe this way: is UDR suitable for 1Gb link assuming using IDS / IPS?
It should be, Artur, as long as you accept the overheads.
Thanks Dong, 84€ looks OK 😉 In fact, I’m just waiting for the delivery of 2x U6-Pro (I’m replacing my 2x UAP-AC-Lr), so I’m looking for a home UTM with 1Gbs throughput. If the UDR will be close UDM-Pro rather than UDM it will fulfill my requirements. As of so far, I’ve no experience with UI routers and I don’t know how they fall in comparison with Foritget (too expensive for home use) or pfSense which I know pretty well.
You’ll find it quite different but similar to the two you mention in the idea, Artur. You’ll love it.
I am also curious about it’s throughput with all the security settings enabled.
With my UDM-Pro, with all settings enabled, i am able to achieve over 1gb (with it’s 10gb SFP WAN port) with no issues. They state the UDM-Pro can do up to 7gb of throughput.
With the Dream Router, i saw no mentions on their site IF it had the same security features as the the UDM or the UDM Pro.
First, does it have the same IDS/IPS features as the UDM or Pro?
Second, how is the throughput when they are enabled? Are you able to achieve full 1gb speeds or is there a massive reduction?
Third, i am concerned with how this device overall performance is. Because it has a (spec wise) less powerful processor. (Dual Core 1.3Ghz vs Quad Core 1.7Ghz). For a device that has MORE features but a less powerful processor, i am concerned how well it performs overall in comparison.
I am asking because I wanted to use a UDM and a FlexHD for a family member. But if the UDR and Flex Wifi 6 actually perform better without bogging down when higher bandwidth is needed, i would rather hold out instead of buying twice.
You have to wait for the full review to find out, Ross. I can’t say more about the UDR than I have already published. 🙂
Thanks for the write up. One note for your readers who are outside the US (I’m in Canada)
Ubiquiti will very very very often cancel shipments to freight forwarders.
I use 3 different ones and I have had shipments from them cancelled multiple times. Some folks seem to have luck with EA products but I have never pulled it off (not for lack of trying)
Thanks for the review. I am really keen to get this router and I am from NZ. Would you say this unit is good enough for day to day use?
I have a strange question, would you be able to measure the box please? I need it for the courier company which can redirect parcel from US to NZ. Length x Width x Height
Much appreciated!
It’s a rectangle box that measures 9.1 x 5.1 x 5.1 inches, Mac. It’s the same as the size of the UDM.
By the way, this is not a review of the UDR.
Is there any way to get the UDR in Canada at the moment?
The only way right now is via the EA store, M.
Typo in Cons section:
– No Wi-Fi 6, not mountable
It has Wi-Fi 6 isn’t it?
Pay attention, Redwid!
Do you have any updates on this? Been patiently waiting for stock update…
Would you recommend a product currently available that matches these specs in the meantime? Is there any WiFi extenders available that could extend WiFi range but still use the isp’s WiFi router/gw?
The router has been restocked and out of stock a few times since I last updated the post, C. You have to keep checking. I’d say get this one. As for your other question, I can’t confirm or deny it.
Thanks for the tip, I feel I’m pretty knowledgeable on networking gear but was unaware of this product. Can it do dual WAN? (Convert one of the LAN ports to secondary WAN)
Have been impatiently waiting for a WiFi6(e) successor to the Synology RT2600ac and thought maybe I could try this.
It can do a lot, Aaron, similar to the Synology but different. I can’t say much since it’s not finalized yet. 🙂
Thanks for the quick followup on this! I was waiting for it to be in stock and signed up for email alert (of course didn’t get notification of in stock..)
Luckily your article link was to live product and I snatched one up asap. For $79, it sounds like it’s going to be a steal especially if v2 is going to replace UDM.
Sure, X. Have fun! 🙂
Hi, been reading some reddit reports that it cannot handle gig internet speeds, maxing out at ~700Mbps. Have you been able to confirm this?
That’s generally the case of most Gigabit routers, Paul — you need a router with a Multi-Gig WAN to get true Gigabit Internet. More in this post. Also, the UDR is not final yet so it’s hard to confirm anything. 🙂
Thanks for the reply. I probably should have been more specific that reports are saying that its slower than the Dream Machine which only has Gigabit as well. I knows its EA so perhaps something that will be worked out in future software updates…?
Just managed to snag one so guess I’ll find out soon enough 🙂
I’d say it’s the same as the UDM on this front for wired clients. 🙂
This is incorrect. Most EVERY consumer GigE router will hit a max throughput of GigE speeds minus overhead (@900+ and not necessarily sustained) without IDPS features enabled. The Ubiquiti UDR will not.
Not even close to “almost every” Jimmy. Not to contradict you, but I’ve experienced many Gigabit home routers — close to 50% — that never get over 800Mbps sustained, or many are even slower. But yes, the UDR (as well as the UDM) is more about features than sustained speeds. If you really want 1Gbps, I’d recommend getting a Multi-Gig router.
You’re not contradicting as it seems you didn’t really read the comment. I said “not necessarily sustained”. This router will only hit 700-800 Mbps PEAK, which most every home router AT THIS PRICE POINT ($199) will do.
Hi, I’ve been doing research to find a router that has a bandwidth limit feature like there is on Ubiquiti products but did not find any. The only option that I have is to do open-source firmware. Do you know any routers out there that have the same features as Ubiquiti? btw great article, hope to be able to purchase this as a EA user.
You can try Synology, Thomas. Like this one: https://dongknows.com/synology-rt2600ac-mesh-router-review/
Hi Dong,
I have UDM currently and ordered the UDR. Do you know if we can migrate the current configuration & settings to UDR from my UDM ? I don’t want to setup UDR from scratch.
Thanks in advance !
I’ll try that out, V. Or maybe you can tell us first. 🙂
I think they’ve had 2 wifi 6 APs out. The lite and LR.
https://store.ui.com/products/unifi-ap-6-lite?variant=32278092382297
https://store.ui.com/products/unifi-6-long-range-access-point
Look forward to your getting your hands on them and your review with the UDR.
Noted, Bryan. I’ve been trying to get the UDR myself. 🙁
hello, I am curious if UDR will offer IPS / IDS. in the online store they do not write anything about it and the processor has only a dual-core. UDM with enabled IDS have bandwidth of 850 mbps so I suspect that in the case of UDR it will be around 500 mbps ..: /
Sorry for the poor English and best regards from Poland;)
Like I said in the post, Bartosz, the details are not all available yet. I’ll update the post as I know more. 🙂
Wonder if you can do a mesh with 2 or more. My xt8 is extremely spotty-drops Wi-Fi frequently.
No, you’d need one UDR and a few UniFi access points. There’s no Wi-Fi 6 UniFi APs or extender yet.
Yes, items can MESH to it. MESH support is standard now. But i always recommend a wired connection for simplifying Power and allowing for full throughput to the AP.
Can’t wait to see you do a comparison test.
Can this udr work as an access point ? For an ASUS main router?
Generally, all Wi-Fi routers can work as an access point, it’s a matter of how to set that up. Most have the AP mode themselves. I’ve not gotten my hands on the UDR, yet, though.
Hi new to the realm here and appreciate all your great info. I’ve had a few suggestions of the Ubiquiti to replace my Airport Extreme just when I was kind of leaning in the direction of the Asus that you’ve had a lot of praise for. I’d also be interested in a comparison. My priority per another post is stability and capability for live audio streaming software that my studio relies on. I’m guessing either model would be better than adequate to support stable 200/20 ethernet connected machines.. and offer optimal wifi coverage for the home/office. Tough call for me now!
Get an Asus i reviewed here, Mike. One of the specs you’d like. https://dongknows.com/tag/asus/
I have had solid reliability with the Unifi Products.
I am running the UDR for 2 people right one, one who we just replaced their aging Airport Extreme. In short, it has worked great. The only complaint is the boot time after a power cycle. But otherwise their throughput has been solid.
If you are running 200/20, no issues there. You can have ALL the security running on it and won’t miss a beat.
Their Mesh works very well too. I personally prefer to hardware the mesh APs but that is me. For your needs, get the UDR. The remote management is SOOOOO much better then Asus.
I would say no.
I have a few UDRs and not saying i couldn’t re-configure it to be a Access Point but it is a little odd about it if you still. Still functional though, just remote management is EH. You are better off just getting the Mesh 6 if you want a low profile AP. They are small but effective. I have a few of those deployed. You can have it on a desk, in the ceiling, on the wall. And they cost less then a UDR. But i could use the router function in the UDR then the routing function in the Combo Gateway that the ISP has given you. Just place their hardware into Bridge Mode.