A COMPARISON OF AMPLIFI AND UNIFI

Ubiquiti owns the brands AmpliFi and UniFi. I have used the mesh networking technologies from both brands in my home for several years, so I decided to do a detailed review and comparison of AmpliFi vs. UniFi.

While both brands offer excellent technology, determining which one is best for your home or business ultimately comes down to your personal preferences. The purpose of this article is to provide you with enough information about each brand and the major differences between them so that you can make a well-informed buying decision.

How My Work Infrastructure Has Adapted

To support my network infrastructure, I used several Apple AirPort Extreme base stations. I had to look for alternatives when Apple decided to exit the router business.

Having done extensive research and looking at a dozen different options, I decided to go with AmpliFi. In this article, I will explain why I switched to UniFi later.

AmpliFi is incredibly easy to install and configure, taking on average less than five minutes. A successful deployment of UniFi devices requires a little bit of networking expertise - or at least a little bit of tech knowledge. As a result, they offer great flexibility and scalability. I'll elaborate on all that in a bit, so stay tuned.

One-Router-Problem

Arris BGW210-700 modem and router

We currently live in a ranch-style home of 3,300 square feet with a rectangular layout. In February of 2013, as soon as we moved into this house, I realized that a single wireless router wouldn't suffice to cover the entire house.

The reason is that my internet connection enters my house at a corner, making it nearly impossible to place a wireless access point in the middle of the house.

We tried using a single router at first. My AT&T fiber-optic internet connection supports speeds of nearly a gigabit per second, but constant buffering when streaming movies and TV shows to our Apple TV in the family room became the norm, so I decided to reevaluate our network infrastructure.

Because of this, I decided to run CAT 5e/6 Ethernet cables from my office - where I've installed my ISP modem - through our unfinished attic and into almost every room in the house.

It was before I learned about AmpliFi's mesh-networking technology. Therefore, I daisy-chained four of the now-obsolete Apple AirPort Extreme base stations.

In this article, you can read more about how I had set up and configured those base stations.

By wiring everything through Ethernet, each AirPort Extreme offered optimal Wi-Fi performance within its coverage area.

I didn't experience any performance loss since I had connected my AirPort base stations via Ethernet. One AE is in my office (the master bedroom), one is in the guest room (behind my office), and another is in our family room (near the Apple TV).

The fourth base station was in our master bedroom until it broke, and I chose not to replace it. My search for an alternative to Apple's exit from the networking business led me to Ubiquity, the company behind AmpliFi and UniFi.

Let's start by reviewing my previous AmpliFi infrastructure before we move on to UniFi. We'll then compare and contrast the two brands.

My Requirements

WiFi coverage at my home

When I decided to get rid of my Apple AirPort Extreme base stations, I thought long and hard about the new infrastructure I needed. My new technology needed to meet or exceed the following features and key performance indicators:

• There should be no dead spots in the house.
• The family room and my office should both have excellent Wi-Fi coverage.
• It will be possible to add more access points if necessary.
• Access points can be connected to my main router via Ethernet.
• Devices will automatically switch to the strongest access pt.
• Streaming speeds greater than 100 Mbps throughout the home.

My Original AmpliFi Infrastructure

Positioning of my AmpliFi Routers and MeshPoints

As a result of the above requirements, I chose the following AmpliFi hardware:

• 1 AmpliFi HD Kit, including a router (primary) and two meshpoints 
• 2 AmpliFi HD standalone routers 

In the beginning, AmpliFi HD was the only option available; all of the other options we have today, including AmpliFi Instant, AmpliFi Gamer's Edition and AmpliFi Alien, were not available. For a detailed comparison, click the link below!

AmpliFi HD is my primary router. In my house, I connected the two additional AmpliFi HD routers with CAT6 Ethernet cables* running via the attic to different outlets. For optimum performance, both of the secondary routers had Ethernet backhaul enabled.

For additional coverage, I also positioned two wireless MeshPoints in the middle of the house. Two mesh points were not necessary in reality, since the three AmpliFi routers provided adequate coverage. However, I decided to use them since they were already in my possession.

My choice of locations for two of the AmpliFi routers was based on the availability of power outlets and Ethernet ports in the house. The locations weren't terrible, but they weren't perfect either from a coverage perspective.

I was still able to blanket my home in Wi-Fi despite my AmpliFi HD routers' less-than-perfect positioning, and everything worked as it should have.

Why I Replaced AmpliFi With UniFi

Ubiquiti's AmpliFi technology provides almost flawless Wi-Fi coverage throughout my home, so I'm a huge fan.

If AmpliFi was working so well, why did I choose to replace it with UniFi, Ubiquiti's business-class product line?

AmpliFi was not abandoned because I was dissatisfied with its technology or performance! In my opinion, AmpliFi is the best mesh networking technology for consumers currently available, and I have recommended it to many friends and family members.

Among the reasons I made the switch from AmpliFi to UniFi were:

• Greater control over advanced network settings that I could geek out over.
• Devices - such as mobile phones - can connect to access points with the best Wi-Fi signal faster with improved handover and roaming capabilities.
• I need access points that I can mount on a wall and that do not require a dedicated power supply.
• Installation of UniFi's security cameras in my home.
• Better scalability and upgradeability, resulting in a greater return on investment.

I was also trying to remove the Arris BGW210 gateway provided by my ISP (AT&T) from my network due to its technical limitations.

AT&T does not officially support customers who wish to replace the Arris modem with a third-party router. I hoped I could force the UniFi Security Gateway (USG) to bridge AT&T's network and my modem, but that wasn't possible since the USG doesn't support hardware-accelerated bridging.

My Original UniFi Infrastructure

My original UniFi equipment

The following is a list of some of the UniFi hardware I currently have installed in my home. I plan to add more UniFi components when we move to a new house in a few weeks.

• 1x UniFi Dream Machine (UDM) — recently replaced my UniFi Security Gateway (USG).
• 2x UniFi 8-Port Switch (US-8-150W).
• 1x UniFi Access Point HD (UAP-AC-HD).
• 2x UniFi Access Points PRO (UAP-AC-PRO-US).
• 1x UniFi Cloud Key Gen 2 Plus (UCK) — replaced my Gen 1 Cloud Key.

I started with a UniFi Security Gateway (USG) and a Gen 1 UniFi Cloud Key. The UniFi Dream Machine and UniFi Protect have been replaced by their more performant counterparts after UniFi introduced them.

AmpliFi vs. UniFi Comparison

UniFi vs. AmpliFi comparison chart

Click on the comparison chart above to view a larger version.

The rating below reflects my specific needs and requirements - for example, mounting wireless access points on the ceiling and powering them via Ethernet (PoE).

MultiFi released its first WiFi 6 router (the AmpliFi Alien) and UniFi released the Dream Machine (an all-in-one router and access point). We have updated the remainder of this article to reflect the latest hardware from both brands.

As an aside, I should point out that I have written separate reviews of both AmpliFi and UniFi that go into greater depth on their respective technologies than I can in this post. Click on the links above to see them.

Here is a high-level, side-by-side comparison of AmpliFi and UniFi based on the hardware that both brands offer as of December 2019 (and that fits within the price range of the equipment I've used).

• It has a powerful and centralized management console.
• It performs better on wired networks.
• Features such as intrusion detection (IDS) and intrusion prevention (IPS) for routing and firewalls.
• Detailed reporting and statistics.
• Flexibility in installation, configuration, and set-up.

You are unlikely to need all of those features as a regular consumer to achieve excellent WiFi coverage in your home. Most of what UniFi offers is nice to have, except for the following "must-have" features, again based on my individual requirements:

• Upgrades and scalability: Adding more access points is incredibly easy and inexpensive.
• Despite my network topology being relatively simple, I appreciate UniFi's advanced routing features. In order to add security to my IoT devices, I can put them on a separate VLAN.
• Power-over-Ethernet: With dedicated Ethernet connections for each access point, not only am I assured of the best performance, but I am also able to mount the UniFi access points anywhere, without worrying about a dedicated and uninterruptible power supply.

Following your understanding of how the two technologies compare, let's take a look at the main differences.

Ease of Use

AmpliFi setup screen

You can deploy AmpliFi if you know how to plug in a power and Ethernet cable and you know what a wireless network is.

It seems simple, but it's not. Utilizing the mobile app, you can configure and fine-tune AmpliFi's advanced technology.

While you don't need to be a network engineer to deploy UniFi, you may need a little knowledge of how IP networks work (depending on the hardware you choose). UniFi is easy to use for me because I'm a technical person. Results may vary.

You can keep using AmpliFi if you're like my parents or grandparents, but if you constantly call them for help when your computer "doesn't work" I recommend deploying UniFi (don't call me). The UniFi Dream Machine (UDM) is your best bet if you're leaning towards UniFi, but don't want to deal with multiple networking components.

Wireless Standard

In the current moment, Wi-Fi 6 is the newest wireless standard, and it offers significant improvements over the older 802.11ac Wave 2 (Wi-Fi 5) standard, apart from a less-confusing name.

These improvements include:

• Four times more throughput per user in dense or congested environments.
• Peak data rates 40 percent higher per device.
• Over 4x increased network efficiency.
• Extended battery life (in client devices).

A great article from TechSpot explains the technical details behind those improvements, so check it out if you're interested.

In the current version of UniFi, Wi-Fi 6 is not supported

AmpliFi offers this through its Alien all-in-one device.

While I have 50 client devices scattered throughout my home, I'm nowhere near the limit of what my UniFi infrastructure can handle. Despite my desire to add Wi-Fi 6 to my network, I'm not too upset about the fact that I cannot.

You don't need Wi-Fi 6 support to decide between AmpliFi and UniFi for your home or small business. You can't just use one networking device, unless you're trying to get away with it. The AmpliFi Alien is likely to be a better choice in that case than the UniFi Dream Machine.

Wireless and Wired Performance

UniFi offers faster (wired) transfer speeds.

AmpliFi and UniFi have different per-node data throughputs.

Wired connections, UniFi routers and switches easily outperform any AmpliFi hardware, but the AmpliFi Alien offers the best wireless performance of any access point in Ubiquiti's lineup.

Both technologies offer sufficient wired and wireless performance for me. I am most concerned with latency. I don't want to wait for a device to respond or for a webpage to load.

However, I do not have any network-connected file servers in my landscape. Because Thunderbolt is faster than Ethernet, I either connect all my storage via Thunderbolt or use cloud storage. In the latter case, it is my ISP uplink and not my LAN that is limiting me.

The AmpliFi system can be expanded and upgraded relatively easily, but there are some limitations. My initial AmpliFi kit included one router and two meshpoints.

I added two more AmpliFi HD routers and connected them via Ethernet backhaul to the main router when I realized the wireless meshpoints would not provide the performance I wanted. My only limitations were the location of my power outlets and Ethernet jacks.

The main problem with AmpliFi is that you are limited to what devices you can mix and match. If you start by installing an Alien router, you can only extend the network by adding more Alien routers or the newly introduced Alien MeshPoint*.

As a result, AmpliFi HD and AmpliFi Alien cannot be used in the same mesh network.

A UniFi router, switch and access point, on the other hand, offer much more flexibility since they can be mixed and matched. Moreover, you aren't limited by the availability of power outlets, and that is a big plus for me.

UniFi access points can be installed anywhere you have an Ethernet connection, including the ceiling, walls and furniture, thanks to Power-over-Ethernet (PoE).

I don't have to worry about my Wi-Fi shutting down when I lose power as long as my UniFi switches are connected to a UPS.

I recommend UniFi if you need deployment flexibility and want to be able to upgrade individual components in the future. 

Expandability and Upgradeability

UniFi has a modular architecture and is easy to upgrade.

In recent years, AmpliFi has added a lot of advanced features (such as a VPN server) that were previously only available in business-grade equipment.

This has certainly brought the gap closer to what UniFi offers, but there are still significant differences between the two technologies.

Since this article is too short to compare every single feature, I will pick a limited set of related features to illustrate what UniFi offers over AmpliFi.

With its powerful hardware, the UniFi Dream Machine can deliver Deep Packet Inspection (DPI), Intrusion Detection (IDS) and Intrusion Prevention (IPS) at speeds of up to 1 Gbps.

Those features are important to me because they give me a better understanding of what's going on in my network, especially as I continue to add devices that act as a black box. I mean smart home devices, like light switches, door locks, etc.

You probably don't need a central management console if you want to deploy two or three wireless access points in your home or business.

My network has seven UniFi devices, so I don't need a central management dashboard. I do, however, appreciate its reporting features. I find it fascinating to see how much traffic I generate and what devices and apps transfer the most data.

Having a visual representation of my network is not something I cannot live without, but I appreciate it nonetheless.

I recommend UniFi if you plan to deploy dozens of access points, switches and routers. The AmpliFi mobile app is more than enough if your network won't require more than a few devices.

Advanced Features

UniFi offers advanced features to get the most performance out of your network.

AmpliFi has added features (like a VPN server) that were previously only available in business-grade equipment.

There is still a great deal of difference between UniFi and that, even though it has certainly closed the gap a bit.

Due to the limited scope of this article, I am only comparing a limited set of related features to show what UniFi offers over AmpliFi.

The UniFi Dream Machine can offer Deep Packet Inspection (DPI), Intrusion Detection (IDS) and Intrusion Prevention (IPS) at speeds up to 1 Gbps, thanks to its powerful hardware.

These features are valuable to me because they give me more insight into what's going on in my network as I add more devices that act like black boxes. I'm referring to smart home devices, such as light switches and door locks.

Since I don't necessarily trust all manufacturers with implementing best-practice network security in their devices, I appreciate that I can isolate them from my main network and use DPI and IDS to understand what they're doing and to be alerted if they do something suspicious.

Central Management

UniFi Controller

In most cases, you don't need a central management console if you plan to deploy two or three wireless access points throughout your home or business.

My network has seven UniFi devices, so a central management dashboard is not important to me. However, I do like its reporting capabilities. I like seeing how much traffic I produce and what devices and apps transfer the most data.

Having a visual representation of my network is not something I couldn't live without, but it is something I greatly value.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does UniFi work with AmpliFi?

It depends on how you define "work." You cannot combine UniFi and AmpliFi devices to create a mesh network. It is certainly possible to use a USG and UniFi switch in combination within an AmpliFi Alien.

However, you will not be able to control the Alien using the UniFi Controller. Although such a mixed scenario is possible, it is clunky and has some technical limitations.

AmpliFi can act as a DHCP server?

AmpliFi routers can serve as both clients and servers for DHCP. UniFi also does this.

Is it possible to create a mesh network with UniFi?

Using UniFi access points, you can certainly create a mesh network. The handover and roaming capabilities in AmpliFi are actually better.

What's the best Wi-Fi router, AmpliFi or UniFi?

It is the AmpliFi Alien Wi-Fi router that offers the best performance and the UniFi Dream Machine is the only access point/router combination that UniFi offers.

Is it possible to create a guest network with both AmpliFi and UniFi?

A guest network can be created with AmpliFi. Multiple Wi-Fi networks are supported by UniFi, including guest networks. You are only limited by the number of networks each access point can support.

Is there a mobile app for both AmpliFi and UniFi?

Both brands offer mobile apps, but they offer different features. The AmpliFi app is your primary configuration tool, since AmpliFi lacks a powerful web interface.

UniFi's web interface allows you to make all configuration changes, whereas the app is a reporting and viewing tool which does not allow you to alter the configuration.

Both apps work on iOS and Android devices.

Mesh networks are better than Wi-Fi extenders (or range extenders)?

A Wi-Fi or range extender will reduce the performance of your wireless network. Mesh networks do not have that problem, and are therefore superior in terms of performance and reliability.

What is the difference between AmpliFi and other mesh networking technologies?

More information about how AmpliFi compares to Eero, Linksys Velop, and others can be found in my dedicated AmpliFi review.

What are the differences between the UniFi Security Gateway and Ubiquiti's EdgeRouter Lite?

Find out how UniFi compares to EdgeMax in my dedicated UniFi review.

Does UniFi offer parental controls?

While you can create your own firewall rules that mimic the parental controls that AmpliFi provides, there are no pre-defined rules or parental controls in UniFi.

Considering I don't necessarily trust all manufacturers to implement best-practice security in their devices, I appreciate having the ability to isolate them from the main network and using DPI and IDS to understand what they're doing and to be notified if they're doing anything fishy.

AmpliFi vs. UniFi: Conclusion

The AmpliFi line of products from Ubiquiti offers spotless WiFi coverage in your home with excellent performance and reliability.

You might want to look into Ubiquiti's reasonably-priced UniFi product line if you're tech-savvy and enjoy pushing your equipment to its limits.

This one is easy for me. UniFi is the right choice if you need detailed control over advanced networking features. Stick with AmpliFi if you don't know or care about VLANs.