Menal and thisisnotmyname, I combined this reply because I have the same questions for both of you. I’m wondering what’s your take on the response I got from sirozha below?
I understand DM has an onboard controller but is it so limited in feature set? Regardless I’ve been leaning towards EdgeRouter and UAP via POE so I can ceiling mount the AP. But I’ve read there are compatibly issues with EdgeRouter on Unifi controller; while the Unifi Security Gateway doesn’t offer POE. Are EdgeRouter and Unifi Security Gateway not interchangeable?
Last thing regarding APs, the nanoHD has the newest and most current tech which is why I would lean towards it, but are they that buggy and inferior to AC-Pro? AC-Pro tech is a bit outdated now.
Thanks.
Do not buy UAP-AC-Pro. Do not buy the UAP-nanoHD unless you live in a place that’s less than 1500 sq ft. Go with the UAP-AC-HD.
As for the UniFi Security Gateway vs EdgeRouter, they are not driven by the same controller. Security Gateway is configured using the UniFi Controller. The EdgeRouter is configured via CLI directly on the router. They are only interchangeable in the same sense that any router can be replaced with any other router as long as both support the same features being used on the network. If you go with the EdgeRouter and the UniFi APs, you will have to configure the EdgeRouter using its CLI and configure the APs using the UniFi Controller. As for POE, you can buy Ubiquiti POE+ injectors or buy a POE+ UniFi or Edge switch.
Ubiquiti has several POE types that they use. In the Edge line, they used to only have what they call Passive POE. They had two types of Passive POE: 24V and 48V. The newer UniFi APs use the 802.3at and 802.3af POE standards. The 24V Passive POE is not compatible with 802.3 POE. The 48V passive POE can be used with 802.3 POE, but you have to be very careful or you can damage the connected equipment. If I were you, I would only buy a switch or a router that supports 802.3 POE and not the Passive POE. I think some new Edge switches support 802.3 POE (both .af and .at). The NanoHD can be powered by 802.3af or 802.3at (POE+). The UAP-AC-HD requires 802.3at (POE+).
Also, if you are using more than one AP, make sure you will be using wired backhaul (each AP is connected with an Ethernet Cable). UniFi APs have a poorly implemented wireless backhaul, and I would never recommend using wireless backhaul with them. Additionally, they don’t have three radios so that one can be dedicated to the wireless backhaul. Basically, you will need to make sure that every location where an AP will be installed should have an Ethernet Cable running to the POE+ switch port.
i would not recommend either the EdgeRouter or UniFi Security Gateway. Instead, get a pfSense box.
Frankly, if you are not proficient in computer networking, I would recommend going with Ubiquiti AmpliFi over UniFi. AmpliFi has everything a home user would need. Unfortunately, they cannot be powered by POE, but they can use wired (and wireless) backhaul. Again, I would recommend using the wired backhaul if you can make sure there’s an Ethernet Cable running to every AmpliFi unit. AmpliFi is so much easier to configure than a hodgepodge that you would otherwise end up with (UniFi, Edge, and pfSense).