Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Machine Pro

I used to have a number of tp-link access points running OpenWRT, a few netgear switches, and a protectli minipc running at first pfsense, then untangle. Nothing super fancy...I have a few vlans but that setup supported it well. It was great, except I longed for a single pane of glass to manage it...especially for vlan configuration. Librenms at least provided visibility into the vlans across devices and ports, but not management. And upgrade time, especially on the openwrt front, was stressful, as I have had updates render a router unbootable. I switched to Unifi products around 1.5 years ago, and now everything just works. I have a Unifi Dream Machine Pro, 2 16 port Unifi Switch Lites, and 3 Unifi access points. It's been pretty flawless, and the interface is extremely nice. It was pricey, but now I get to focus on solving problems that add value rather than constant tinkering. Don't get me wrong...tinkering is great, but you reach a point where you'd rather not have to.

Unifi makes a doorbell and consumer (and commerical) security cameras which run and store data on a local device, but still reachable online with their app connecting directly to your device. I used their dream machine pro with a big HDD, but they're released a few other devices in the last few years which might be cheaper and use SSDs. And I think you could run the stack in docker. But if you want to hack it yourself, there's probably easier projects. If you want to spend a bit more but have everything more or less just work with nice hardware and apps, Ubiquity's Unifi system is really great for home security. Not to mention the wifi and other networking solutions they have.

I've been slowly accumulating Unifi gear and I'm happy with it, though my experience is mixed - the prices are relatively good for a unified ecosystem, IMO. OTOH I've had two pieces of equipment die: an outdoor camera that shorted PoE pins because it really wasn't an outdoor camera, and the original doorbell that died after about three years of use (cause of death unknown, but I suspect a heavy rainstorm). Technically I had a third 48-port, 1st gen EdgeRouter Pro (750W model) that I saved from e-waste that died, but that already had quite a few years under its belt. I still lean towards liking them. I have a set of 5 in-wall APs that have been functioning for 5? 6? years straight and still get updates and work with the unifi console. My Dream Machine Pro works pretty well for its purpose. I don't like that it doesn't offer more PoE+2.5G port options, and that only two ports are true PoE++, but from an effort perspective it's been so nice to manage. All this being said, I think that their strength is in APs that are a good balance of tech + cost, and cameras which lean slightly more expensive but are trivially easy to manage locally and remotely. Going forward I'd probably skip unifi cameras and try to integrate OTS ONVIF cameras which will be a better value. I'd avoid any of the large switching gear. I don't think that stuff is well-priced, and it lags a bit behind what you can find from Mikrotik and other manufacturers. It's not that important to have that stuff included in…

Not the GP but I have more or less this with all Unifi gear, a Dream Machine Pro and PoE switch in the network cupboard, a Flex PoE switch in the loft with 4×G5 Bullet cameras plugged into it. Unifi restricts choice but everything works in a few clicks and both the web app and mobile app management interfaces.

- unifi dream machine pro, wifi6 pro - retropie - Sonos arc and sub

That's fair. In the end though, I got fed up with my consumer gear (Orbi mesh system) never being very reliable, so had the house wired for Cat 6 and shoved a UDM Pro, USW-Pro-48-Poe and 3 U6 Pro access points in and it's been far more stable and problem free than the Orbi, to the point where the kids have stopped telling me "Dad, the wifi sucks!" and needing to reboot the whole thing, which I had to do at least once a month previously.

This is my main issue with pfSense/OpnSense. Even the dedicated hardware appliances are quite power hungry compared to some of the rather capable Linux ARM boxes out there. For comparison, an 8 Gbps capable pfSense appliance (like the Netgate 4100) requires 40W-50W (max 60W), where the UniFi Dream Machine Pro, also capable of 8Gbps, has a maximum power consumption of 33W, which includes a 3.5" harddrive for UniFi Protect. Mine uses about 18W without the harddrive, and 22W with a WD Red. A difference of 25W over a year at current european electricity prices (€0.5/kWh) means a saving of 219 kWh (€109/year). Considering that electricity has been as high as €1.12/kWh this spring, it could be even higher. As for virtualization, while it's a great learning experience, it's probably more trouble than it's worth. I greatly prefer appliances for network.

Don't overthink it...unless your idea of fun is spending evenings being a sysadmin doing network management: Cable modem -> Unifi Dream Machine Pro -> 2x Unifi Access Points (w/injected POE). I have the ability to create multiple WIFI networks, including a guest network with temporary credentials, and configure QoS, firewalls, etc. if desired. The multiple access points provides full coverage across my 4-bedroom single-story (rambler) home. You could achieve similar results with even less effort (and cost) by doing: Cable model w/built-in wifi -> 2x Eero Access Points (mesh networking)