the UniFi Dream Machine Pro....the nerdiest home router

About this video

A review and home install of Ubiquiti’s UniFi Dream Machine Pro, pitched by the creator as the best router for a small-to-medium business and for nerdy home users. His unit initially showed a boot failure, but a factory reset fixed it, setup via phone was quick, and he migrated his existing UniFi network by backing up the configuration from his USG Pro and uploading it. He highlights three strengths versus the smaller Dream Machine: threat management with firewall plus intrusion detection/prevention that inspects traffic — Ubiquiti promises 3.5 Gbps of inspected throughput, though his settings screen confusingly showed a 1 Gbps maximum, which he flags as a possible software bug while noting his own internet is gigabit anyway — UniFi Protect surveillance built in (which required adding his own hard drive and buying PoE cameras), and a touchscreen display he admits is mostly a novelty. The Pro is rack-mounted with an 8-port built-in switch, two 10G SFP ports, and WAN failover, but no built-in wireless access point, so separate APs are needed. At the $379 price he cites, he gives it his seal of approval for SMBs and advanced home networks, while noting he had not yet tested advanced routing or the command line on the new UniFi OS.

Key takeaways

• Threat management (IDS/IPS) is the headline feature, but check the throughput setting: the creator saw a 1 Gbps cap in the UI despite the promised 3.5 Gbps inspected throughput
• UniFi Protect turns the router into a local surveillance recorder, but the hard drive is optional/extra and cameras must be bought and powered separately
• Compared with the regular Dream Machine: 8 switch ports instead of 4, two 10G SFP ports, and WAN failover — but no built-in access point
• Migration is easy if you already run UniFi: back up the existing controller configuration and restore it onto the Dream Machine Pro
• At the $379 price cited, the creator recommends it for small-to-medium businesses and nerdy home users who need the Pro features

Episode details: published March 10, 2020 · 10:09 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are NetworkChuck’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

← Previous: How to Setup a Raspberry Pi LEARNING Desktop (Linux, Hacking, Coding) · Next: you need to learn Docker RIGHT NOW!! // Docker Containers 101 →

All NetworkChuck videos · NetworkChuck profile · NetworkChuck on YouTube