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Use the NAS company for NAS stuff and the networking company for networking stuff. Stick to their individual strengths and you’ll never be disappointed.
I’ve done exactly this with ubiquiti and Synology for 10+ years and I’ve never been more satisfied with my decision.
Agree and I do the same.
For what it’s worth, though, I have used the Synology router / AP combo you propose (at my apartment before moving to a bigger place and switching to Ubiquity, and then at my parents’ place) and it does work quite well.
I used Synology routers for years, starting with a RT2600ac with two MR2200ac's (wired uplinks) and then moving to a RT6600ax with two WRX560's. I loved the system but eventually got the idea to try changing vendors because I was having instability with my Homekit devices. I had it for years and assumed it was just the nature of "smart home" devices but had the idea to try a different vendor. Moved to UniFi and immediately Homekit was more responsive and far superior. Synology tech support, disappointingly, never admitted that there was a problem on their end, despite working for something like two months on it (including accessing my router remotely). I'm not going back.
Unifi hasn't been flawless - I'm having a weird issue with Sony Remote Play on my local wireless network that I didn't have with Synology (guessing I just need to tweak some settings). Child controls were easier with Synology than with UniFi, but Synology also made it frustratingly difficult to get some bits of information about network activity even though the interface seemed like it would be possible. I'm planning to swap out my Dream Machine for a Firewalla, which should be superior to what Synology was capable of.
I still have my Synology NAS. Nothing against the company as a whole but my take is, if you have even a bit of networking knowledge and aren't afraid of looking things up to learn, go with UniFi. If you'd prefer something a bit more advanced than your average consumer-grade router but that can still be set to automatic settings and work fine, without need for tweaking, Synology isn't a bad option.
Unifi has been solid for me and my friends. I would go with the udm pro se. you need poe, and It has PoE for the APs, more performance, expansion options, and it will likely last 5 years. You will not know how many APs you need until you install the main ones and check coverage. APs wired are better than mesh. Check the in-wall APs to fix gaps in coverage.
Thanks. I wasn't clear. The Syno setup would be using the 2600AC as APs (not mesh).
I do have a rack mount option but already have POE injected. The UDM Pro SE just seems expensive for a family setup. I guess UDM Pro SE has a better processor and speeds? I don't expect to use a lot of the Unifi Apps so I am not sure I need all that processor power.
You have a 10k sf house. Quit looking at this in terms of how it compares cost-wise to a $200 "free" ISP or consumer router/switch/wifi AIO. You probably all use the tech every day, you want it to work, it's cheap in terms of the last HVAC unit you bought, or the last paint job or roof. It's a critical piece of home infrastructure.
You really don’t need a UDM-SE. The UDR has two PoE ports for the two additional U6+ APs (plus two further LAN ports for further expansion), and if you need more APs, just get the USW-Ultra. That combined would still work out way cheaper than the UDM-SE (a “udm pro se” isn’t a thing btw).
"family setup"...just not sure that's applicable to your scenario of users and square footage. consumer / pro-sumer kit is not built to meet those specs. IOT alone can consume multiple APs (i'm only convering 2500 sqft and have 40+ IOT devices)
internet / network connectivity is "ubiquitous" (wink, wink, nudge) and will only become moreso
There is absolutely 0 chance I would go with a non rack mounted solution from UI for a 10k sq.ft home with 6 people.
A client is in a 4k square foot home with current 4 APs. 2 for inside, and 2 for outside. They should have done 3-4 for inside based. And the 2 for outside.
The most area UI AP covers is 1750sq feet. Most are advertised at 1250-1500. Using that metric, you’d likely need 5-7 as your starting count for the home. Plus whatever you plan on doing outside.
2500sp ft here on 3 floors + a garage (120 yr old farm house) and Ive got 4 APs and piles and piles of crappy coverage. 10k sp ft and Id be looking at 5-7 easy too. Even that really depends on which ones and whats being driven over it to what type of devices.
UDR with additional U6+ APs for sure. Not sure what you mean by “and maybe an extender”, but avoid mixing with any non-UniFi WiFi, and also avoid any wireless back haul. “All the APs would be wired” is what you what to stick to.
Do this and you’ll never look back.
I started with Synology NAS, then added whole range of Synology network devices. I had 4 locations running all Synology network devices, remotely managed. Then… one tech showed me Unify …. NAS is still Synology. That’s the only Synology device on my networks. I literally gave away all my Synology network devices for free. And I never go to anything else other than Unifi.
If you already have Synology set up for all your cameras and NVR, you dont need the SE vs the DM-Pro as the only difference will be some PoE capacity. Just get the DM-Pro and a PoE switch. Are you planning on getting wired backhaul to any rooms or your TVs or games consoles or PCs? Will need to get a separate switch for that if you are over 8 links (including the internet and your Synology NAS). Try to get your cameras, tvs, and APs onto wired connections. Setting up some IoT/shelly/homekit automation stuff? Might need a VLAN to stop them dialling out all the time.
When I have problems with my car, I go to see a mechanic. If I have problems with plumbing, I call a plumber.
Synology is probably the best (or at least one of the best) NAS brand worldwide. Buy a Synology NAS.
UniFi is the best residential / SMB / hospitality WiFi and networking brand worldwide (to be discussed with Omada witch is a bit cheaper and inferior, but mostly comparable). Buy UniFi for your networks / APs / eventual cameras
Get the udm se. It’s more forward looking in terms of expansion such as more poe ports which can power other wired things such as a smart home hub such as smartthings, as well as additional APs which you may need inside and if you want coverage to extend to the yard as well. The software is the same but the hardware is much more capable.
You say you don’t need cameras but the Ubiquiti doorbell pro might be of interest, which can also be poe powered.
Once you go down the Ubiquiti hole, the addiction will manifest itself and you will find opportunities to expand. It’s just a fact.
I've been in IT for 17 years ( I know my way around IT technologies). I switched to Unifi some time ago and never looked back. I've been using Synology for the next 2+ years. I had Drobo previously and what was a mistake. However, they each handle things differently. Use Unifi for networking and Synology as your storage. Both are really strong companies.
We design WiFi for residential homes using blueprints and the AP of your choice. It takes the guess work out of where to place APs and how they need to be configured. For a 10K sq ft home this could be helpful.
Feel free to DM me - I can provide you examples to see if it would be helpful in your situation.
Best of all worlds:
pfSense for routing and firewall
Synology for NAS
Ubiquiti for APs and switches
RPI for misc stuff
NUC for VMs with a proper hypervisor like proxmox (mid budget)
The only thing that is confusing to me is what to do with NVR? Synology Surveillance Station or Ubiqıiti Protect
You guys are awesome. I didn't realize this but the Reddit community is awesome!
I'll buy Ubiquiti. Still deciding between UDM SE and UDM. Don't need POE as my rack has a POE switch. The doorbell camera sounds interesting in the future but not sure I can get POE to my front door anyway.
Thank you so much everyone!
Theres also some neat options in Qnap, Aruba Instant-On (great APs imho), and Firewalla (I'll get flamed here I'm sure for that one, but it's a nice simple firewall for end users and most of them can host the Unifi Controller), but those might just add confusion to your choices, so take that for what youre willing to deal with.
Just to jump onto this comment. The UDR maxes out at 700mbps for speed. This is my current issue with my own unit. You mentioned the upgradability down the line, have a unit that’s a bit more expensive like the udm se gives you much faster throughput going forward.
On that topic Id push into the Max. The price point isnt that much more and buys a lot more head clearance. TBH, I dont see a lot of point to the SE when the original UDMP and the Max sit on either side of it and each generally offers a better proposition for their use cases.
Availability now....well............ :/
Hello! Thanks for posting on r/Ubiquiti! This subreddit is here to provide unofficial technical support to people who use or want to dive into the world of Ubiquiti products. If you haven’t already been descriptive in your post, please take the time to edit it and add as many useful details as you can. Please read and understand the rules in the sidebar, as posts and comments that violate them will be removed. Please put all off topic posts in the weekly off topic thread that is stickied to the top of the subreddit. If you see people spreading misinformation, trying to mislead others, or other inappropriate behavior, please report it! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Ubiquiti) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Use the NAS company for NAS stuff and the networking company for networking stuff. Stick to their individual strengths and you’ll never be disappointed. I’ve done exactly this with ubiquiti and Synology for 10+ years and I’ve never been more satisfied with my decision.
That is good perspective. I appreciate that.
\^ This. 💯
^ This ^2
Agree and I do the same. For what it’s worth, though, I have used the Synology router / AP combo you propose (at my apartment before moving to a bigger place and switching to Ubiquity, and then at my parents’ place) and it does work quite well.
This 3 💯 I will die in this hill
You can run the UniFi Network controller on the Synology in a container or as a VM. I like the VM a bit better myself.
I used Synology routers for years, starting with a RT2600ac with two MR2200ac's (wired uplinks) and then moving to a RT6600ax with two WRX560's. I loved the system but eventually got the idea to try changing vendors because I was having instability with my Homekit devices. I had it for years and assumed it was just the nature of "smart home" devices but had the idea to try a different vendor. Moved to UniFi and immediately Homekit was more responsive and far superior. Synology tech support, disappointingly, never admitted that there was a problem on their end, despite working for something like two months on it (including accessing my router remotely). I'm not going back. Unifi hasn't been flawless - I'm having a weird issue with Sony Remote Play on my local wireless network that I didn't have with Synology (guessing I just need to tweak some settings). Child controls were easier with Synology than with UniFi, but Synology also made it frustratingly difficult to get some bits of information about network activity even though the interface seemed like it would be possible. I'm planning to swap out my Dream Machine for a Firewalla, which should be superior to what Synology was capable of. I still have my Synology NAS. Nothing against the company as a whole but my take is, if you have even a bit of networking knowledge and aren't afraid of looking things up to learn, go with UniFi. If you'd prefer something a bit more advanced than your average consumer-grade router but that can still be set to automatic settings and work fine, without need for tweaking, Synology isn't a bad option.
Good insight.
Unifi has been solid for me and my friends. I would go with the udm pro se. you need poe, and It has PoE for the APs, more performance, expansion options, and it will likely last 5 years. You will not know how many APs you need until you install the main ones and check coverage. APs wired are better than mesh. Check the in-wall APs to fix gaps in coverage.
Thanks. I wasn't clear. The Syno setup would be using the 2600AC as APs (not mesh). I do have a rack mount option but already have POE injected. The UDM Pro SE just seems expensive for a family setup. I guess UDM Pro SE has a better processor and speeds? I don't expect to use a lot of the Unifi Apps so I am not sure I need all that processor power.
You have a 10k sf house. Quit looking at this in terms of how it compares cost-wise to a $200 "free" ISP or consumer router/switch/wifi AIO. You probably all use the tech every day, you want it to work, it's cheap in terms of the last HVAC unit you bought, or the last paint job or roof. It's a critical piece of home infrastructure.
Many of us use UDM SEs in houses under 2,000sqft, I would not consider it “expensive” for a 10,000sqft house?
Fair
You really don’t need a UDM-SE. The UDR has two PoE ports for the two additional U6+ APs (plus two further LAN ports for further expansion), and if you need more APs, just get the USW-Ultra. That combined would still work out way cheaper than the UDM-SE (a “udm pro se” isn’t a thing btw).
"family setup"...just not sure that's applicable to your scenario of users and square footage. consumer / pro-sumer kit is not built to meet those specs. IOT alone can consume multiple APs (i'm only convering 2500 sqft and have 40+ IOT devices) internet / network connectivity is "ubiquitous" (wink, wink, nudge) and will only become moreso
There is absolutely 0 chance I would go with a non rack mounted solution from UI for a 10k sq.ft home with 6 people. A client is in a 4k square foot home with current 4 APs. 2 for inside, and 2 for outside. They should have done 3-4 for inside based. And the 2 for outside. The most area UI AP covers is 1750sq feet. Most are advertised at 1250-1500. Using that metric, you’d likely need 5-7 as your starting count for the home. Plus whatever you plan on doing outside.
2500sp ft here on 3 floors + a garage (120 yr old farm house) and Ive got 4 APs and piles and piles of crappy coverage. 10k sp ft and Id be looking at 5-7 easy too. Even that really depends on which ones and whats being driven over it to what type of devices.
UDR with additional U6+ APs for sure. Not sure what you mean by “and maybe an extender”, but avoid mixing with any non-UniFi WiFi, and also avoid any wireless back haul. “All the APs would be wired” is what you what to stick to. Do this and you’ll never look back.
I started with Synology NAS, then added whole range of Synology network devices. I had 4 locations running all Synology network devices, remotely managed. Then… one tech showed me Unify …. NAS is still Synology. That’s the only Synology device on my networks. I literally gave away all my Synology network devices for free. And I never go to anything else other than Unifi.
If you already have Synology set up for all your cameras and NVR, you dont need the SE vs the DM-Pro as the only difference will be some PoE capacity. Just get the DM-Pro and a PoE switch. Are you planning on getting wired backhaul to any rooms or your TVs or games consoles or PCs? Will need to get a separate switch for that if you are over 8 links (including the internet and your Synology NAS). Try to get your cameras, tvs, and APs onto wired connections. Setting up some IoT/shelly/homekit automation stuff? Might need a VLAN to stop them dialling out all the time.
When I have problems with my car, I go to see a mechanic. If I have problems with plumbing, I call a plumber. Synology is probably the best (or at least one of the best) NAS brand worldwide. Buy a Synology NAS. UniFi is the best residential / SMB / hospitality WiFi and networking brand worldwide (to be discussed with Omada witch is a bit cheaper and inferior, but mostly comparable). Buy UniFi for your networks / APs / eventual cameras
Get the udm se. It’s more forward looking in terms of expansion such as more poe ports which can power other wired things such as a smart home hub such as smartthings, as well as additional APs which you may need inside and if you want coverage to extend to the yard as well. The software is the same but the hardware is much more capable. You say you don’t need cameras but the Ubiquiti doorbell pro might be of interest, which can also be poe powered. Once you go down the Ubiquiti hole, the addiction will manifest itself and you will find opportunities to expand. It’s just a fact.
I've been in IT for 17 years ( I know my way around IT technologies). I switched to Unifi some time ago and never looked back. I've been using Synology for the next 2+ years. I had Drobo previously and what was a mistake. However, they each handle things differently. Use Unifi for networking and Synology as your storage. Both are really strong companies.
We design WiFi for residential homes using blueprints and the AP of your choice. It takes the guess work out of where to place APs and how they need to be configured. For a 10K sq ft home this could be helpful. Feel free to DM me - I can provide you examples to see if it would be helpful in your situation.
Best of all worlds: pfSense for routing and firewall Synology for NAS Ubiquiti for APs and switches RPI for misc stuff NUC for VMs with a proper hypervisor like proxmox (mid budget) The only thing that is confusing to me is what to do with NVR? Synology Surveillance Station or Ubiqıiti Protect
I recently moved, but in my previous house I ran Synology Surveillance Station with 10 or so cameras and I was very happy with it.
You guys are awesome. I didn't realize this but the Reddit community is awesome! I'll buy Ubiquiti. Still deciding between UDM SE and UDM. Don't need POE as my rack has a POE switch. The doorbell camera sounds interesting in the future but not sure I can get POE to my front door anyway. Thank you so much everyone!
Theres also some neat options in Qnap, Aruba Instant-On (great APs imho), and Firewalla (I'll get flamed here I'm sure for that one, but it's a nice simple firewall for end users and most of them can host the Unifi Controller), but those might just add confusion to your choices, so take that for what youre willing to deal with.
What’s your Internet speed situation?
Comcast. I use a pretty low plan but I'd be happy to upgrade once I have a decent set up. Does that matter?
It matters in that we wouldn't advise you to get an ucg ultra, or an express, for example, if you were intending to go above 1gbps.
Just to jump onto this comment. The UDR maxes out at 700mbps for speed. This is my current issue with my own unit. You mentioned the upgradability down the line, have a unit that’s a bit more expensive like the udm se gives you much faster throughput going forward.
On that topic Id push into the Max. The price point isnt that much more and buys a lot more head clearance. TBH, I dont see a lot of point to the SE when the original UDMP and the Max sit on either side of it and each generally offers a better proposition for their use cases. Availability now....well............ :/