Ubiquiti Dream Machine Special Edition (UDM-SE): Representing the flexible non-Wi-Fi and “Enterprise of Things” approach Source: Harish Jonnalagadda/Android Central (Image credit: Source: Harish Jonnalagadda/Android Central) Since the UDM is an all-in-one, it’s natural to compare it to a lot of the normal consumer routers you find in a big box retailer. If you are only interested in the speeds and feeds, you will find higher numbers elsewhere. A lot of the value of the UDM is tied up in the software and the UniFi ecosystem. The best thing about the UDM is the controller software. It’s better than what most other consumer-grade routers give you. Ensure that your power and network connections are secure. If they are, but your issue persists, we recommend using our UniFi cables for optimal compatibility and performance. Verify Your UniFi Console's Internet Connection

Some controllers can run more applications simultaneously and allow each application to handle more hardware units than others. Specifically, the UDM-SE continues the trend, first made available to home users by the UDR, where it works as an encompassing controller device -- it's a console -- for multiple hardware categories called "applications". Currently, there are six of them, including: Also, perhaps this could be a great idea for another post from you where you can recommend the Unifi UPS and also which splitters and link it to your excellent PoE article which I just read as well. Also, would you recommend any specific splitters on the market? I’m always worried about buying something cheap that will fry my equipment at worst, or just degrade its life at best due to poor and ‘noisy’ power delivery. The point is: a non-Wi-Fi router's relevancy is independent of Wi-Fi. And you can easily add Wi-Fi to it via an access point. Here's my UDM-SE being tested with the U6 Enterprise access point. The two work well together, but you need a Multi-Gig PoE switch to maximize the AP's performance. Generally, all UniFi controllers share the same basic features and settings, but their capabilities vary depending on the hardware specs and port configurations.Create new RADIUS profile. This will allows you to enable a RADIUS assigned VLAN for wired or wireless networks, and specify a RADIUS server if not using the UDM. In fact, coupling the UDM-SE with the U6 Enterprise and you'll get a better Wi-Fi solution than the Dream Wall with a couple of hundred US dollars to spare. (The console can manage any UniFi APs via the Network application.) As a network controller, the UDM-SE has everything the UDR has and much more. You can run multiple applications with the UDM-SE, of which the Network app is the default.

That's another area where the router has an advantage. It strikes the ideal balance between simplicity and extensibility — you can just configure it and leave it alone, and it will continue to work day in and out. But if you're like me and like to tinker with your home network, Ubiquiti offers a set of tools that you won't find on any other consumer router. As Ars Technica's Lee Hutchinson found out a few years ago, there's an unending list of configuration options possible with UniFi gear, and the UniFi Dream Machine makes it easier to delve into that world. The UDM-SE was released in the first part of 2022, around the time of the home-friendly UniFi Dream Router ( UDR). Despite the name, The UDM-SE is more related to the UDR than the UniFi Dream Machine ( UDM) that came out in late 2019.

An affordable security gateway that can take care of a wide range of security needs

UniFi and AmpliFi are two major networking product lines from Ubiquiti. They serve two demographics and have different architectures. The UDM supports common networking features like port forwarding, SIP, uPnP, mDNS, Dynamic DNS, and custom DNS filtering. It supports IGMP snooping, DHCP snooping, and some custom DHCP options. Adding networks, VLANs, static routes and firewall rules are all pretty simple. If you want to setup a separate network for IoT or untrusted devices, the UniFi software makes that easy, too. You can customize your DHCP scopes and the DNS servers on a network level. I have my own internal DNS server, a Raspberry Pi running as a Pi-Hole. This provides DNS for my main wireless network, and is set under the “DHCP Name Server” network setting. Now, the key differentiator for the UDM Pro is that it can deliver up to 3.5Gbps bandwidth with Ubiquiti's intrusion detection (IDS) or intrusion prevention system (IPS) enabled. With IPS enabled, the UDM Pro will safeguard your home network against active botnets, malware (including ones targeted at mobile devices), and trojans. You can also disable access to P2P or TOR clients entirely, and with five levels of protection to choose from, there is a lot of customizability here.

Connect (currently in Early Access): A fully integrated "Enterprise of Things" hardware and software solution that works with UID to simplify IT management for organizations. The initial setup of the UDM is very simple, and I won’t cover it in too much depth here. If you want a visual guide to how to adopt and get started with the UDM, refer to my UDM Setup Guide for the basics. I show how to setup a remote access VPN and portal-based guest wireless network below.

There's also a robust threat management service that offers both Intrusion Detection System and an Intrusion Prevention System. You can choose from five preset levels for threat management, or select a custom setting based on your preferences. Setting the level to maximum sees the maximum throughput going down to 850Mbps.

If you're looking to build a top-notch multi-Gigabit-capable network, the UDM-SE is the ultimate router that will be relevant long in the future. And today, a year after the launch, I'd still confidently call it cutting-edge. 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.Short for point-to-point tunneling protocol, PPTP is the oldest among the four and is on the way out. Short for Layer 2 Tunnel Protocol is the second most popular VPN protocol -- it's also a built-in application in most modern operating systems -- and an interesting one.