A comparison of Ubiquiti Networks' Security Gateway and Edge Router

As a result of the Internet, the entire world has become a global village. However, for a perfect internet surfing experience, you will need a router. You can use these two edge routers to have the best-secured browsing experience. In this article, we will compare the two networking equipment - Ubiquiti Unifi Security Gateway and Ubiquiti EdgeRouter, with regard to their features and functionality.

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Security Gateway Browser – An Overview

Unifi Security Gateway (USG) by Ubiquiti

A small-sized hardware gateway device without wireless connectivity, the Unifi Security Gateway is commonly known as USG. You would find it offers more features than a regular home-based router. The ability to block incoming and outgoing IP addresses makes it one of the best options.

Source: Ubiquiti Networks

In addition to this feature, it also allows you to set up a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN). Another excellent feature of the router is that it lets you download updates for free and doesn't charge for additional licensing.

Three Gigabit Ethernet ports are included, as well as a console port. One of them is a WAN port. A VoIP port is also included. A Layer 3 (L3) port is also included. Additionally, it has 2 GB of RAM and 4 GB of flash storage.

The Security Gateway is a great product that works well with Unifi products. The router is quite powerful, robust, and fast. The price point at which it is available makes it a great choice. As a result of its compact design, it is an excellent option for placing equipment in your home or small office.

Advanced Security, Monitoring, and Management features are available with the enterprise-grade router. It also has the ability to integrate with UniFi® Controller Software.

EdgeRouters have an onboard web interface, whereas USGs have a GUI through the UniFi controller. This is the main difference between the UAG and ER. VOIP ports are officially reserved for future use, but they can be enabled as LAN ports with the CLI (Command Line Interface). CLIs also offer much more control and configuration than GUIs do.

EdgeRouter – An Introduction

As yet another excellent option for securing your home or office network, EdgeRouter is also one of the most affordable. EdgeRouter also lacks wireless functionality like its sibling USG.

It is different from the traditional routers we have been using. EdgeRouter is quite small and straightforward in contrast to other modern routers that come with innovative and strange looks. It looks like a rectangular box without any fancy design. The earlier versions of EdgeRouter, such as EdgeRouter Lite, came in plastic, but the new version is metal.

Source: Ubiquiti Networks

The router is not the type of option you would ideally obtain on a regular basis. It comes with EdgeOS and lets you configure it exactly how you like. Two of the ports can be set as WAN for continuous internet access. It can even be used as an OpenVPN server. All of these aspects, however, must be learned through a steeper learning curve.

For enhanced performance, the router offers Advanced Security, Monitoring, and Management capabilities. Additionally, it has Gigabit ports for enhanced communication and connectivity. Additionally, the UNMS app makes it possible to manage EdgeRouters remotely from your Android or iOS device.

Comparison of Security Gateways and Edge Routers

A comparison chart may be a great way to compare the two routers through a concise review of both of them. You can compare their features and see how they differ in a head to head comparison.

Features / Particulars Security gateway                                                         EdgeRouter

Maximum Power Consumption 40 Watts 7 Watts

Power Supply Internal AC/DC Power Adapter, 60W (24V, 2.5A) Internal AC Power Adapter 110 – 240VAC

Physical Dimensions 135 x 135 x 28.3 mm

(5.32 x 5.32 x 1.11″) 229 x 136.5 x 31.1 mm (9.02 x 5.37 x 1.22 in)

Weight 366 g (12.9 oz) 795 g (1.75 lb)

Network Ports One RJ45 Serial Port

Three 10/100/1000 Ethernet Ports (1) RJ45 Serial Port

(4) Ethernet Ports (Default eth0)

(3) 10/100/1000 RJ45 Ports

(1) 1 Gbps SFP Port

Processor Dual-Core 500 MHz, MIPS64

with Hardware Acceleration

for Packet Processing Quad-Core 1 GHz Processor hardware Acceleration for Packet Processing

System RAM capacity 512 MB DDR2 RAM 2 GB DDR3 RAM

Onboard storage 2 GB 4 GB

Authority certifications CE, FCC, IC CE, FCC, IC

Mounting Specifications Wall mount Rackmount

Operating temperature -10 to 45° C

(14 to 113° F)

-10 to 45° C (14 to 113° F)

Humidity levels permitted 10 – 90% Noncondensing 10 to 90% Noncondensing

This was a complete analysis of a few salient features and functions offered by each router option. Security gateway and Security gateway Pro are the two options for USG. EdgeRouter also comes in multiple variants - EdgeRouter Lite, EdgeRouter 4 and EdgeRouter PoE to name a few. For this comparison, EdgeRouter Lite and Security Gateway non-Pro were used.

This comparison should give you a brief idea of the features that the two routers provide.

Conclusions

That's exactly what we've got with regards to the two routers - USG and Security Gateway - and a brief comparison of the two. The two routers are, of course, designed for slightly different purposes and should perform well in the scene they were developed for.

Do you have experience with either of those routers? Share your thoughts and experiences with either of them in the comments section below if you have.

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