Better than my Mikrotik RB4011iGS+RM?
For many years I have been using Mikrotik Routers and Access Points. They are reliable, flexible and you can do things like multiple SSIDs (bound to different VLANs) for a low price where as other vendors only offer them in the expensive enterprise segment. But…. the setup is quite complicated and you really need to love command line interfaces. 🙂
Before I switched to Mikrotik, I had an Edgerouter X from Ubituiti which I replaced, because it was to slow for my internet speed. I sometimes missed the UI from the Edgerouter X when I was trying to tame the Mikrotik.
Preparing my network for faster internet speeds, I looked at the market for routers and the Unifiy Dream Machine Pro from Ubiquiti caught my attention. I ordered one and replaced my Mikrotik RB4011iGS+RM.
What I like about the Dream Machine Pro:
- It was easy to setup 7 VLANs with special rules.
- It has a REST API. I can now block devices from within node-red flows.
- It is silent.
- It can be run without the cloud… but only after the first setup.
- It has an nice community and many github projects extending the possibilities.
What should be improoved:
- ntp server only available with hacks.
- There is a new and an old UI. You can’t find all the functions you need in either of them and have to switch often.
- Transfering static DHCP IP was a pain, as I had to manually do it. I wish I could import a CSV-file.
- If you do use products from other vendors, the UI doesn’t show the correct information about ports and speeds. You can’t correct them manually.
The next two weeks will show, if I will stay with the Dream Machine Pro or switch back to the Mikrotik Router.