You may have noticed that we haven’t been posting any new blogs for the past few weeks. No, we’re not going away and we certainly haven’t material to write about. Quite the opposite, actually. We’ve taken some time off from writing to get our video blogs up and going.
Our first video blog is a showcase for the Ubiquiti UniFi AP AC. Our goal for this one was to make an "unboxing" video with a little more meat. I think we've accomplished that. In addition to seeing what's in the box, you'll learn a little about the AP AC and you'll meet John and his dog Meeka.
Ubiquiti has a built it’s customer base by offering high-performance wireless gear with market disruptive pricing. The AP AC is no exception. This unit offers gigabit wifi (802.11ac) in an access point priced at only $299.
Tech Specs
- 802.11a/b/g/n/ac radio
- Operating band: 2.4GHz, 5GHz
- Max throughput: 1300Mbps in 5GHz, 450Mbps in 2.4GHz
- 3x3 MIMO in both operating bands
- Up to 4 BSSIDs per radio
- Advanced traffic management, including:
- Per-User Rate Limiting
- Guest Traffic Isolation
- 2 Ethernet ports - both ports accept PoE to power the unit or bridging
- Front LED provisioning ring
In The Box
Included with the AP AC are a few useful bits that many other, higher priced manufacturers leave out. Ubiquiti includes a passive 48V, 0.5A Gigabit PoE injector as a power supply. Many manufacturers don’t include a power supply at all. PoE is the only power option on the AP AC, it does not have a plug for an AC adapter. It also supports PoE (802.3af) and PoE+ (802.3at) from a PoE switch.
They also include the hardware to mount the AP AC to the wall or a drop ceiling panel. Some in our office have wondered about the wisdom of mounting an AP to the ceiling panel rather than directly to the T-rail. The AP AC weighs in at only 1lb 1oz so there shouldn’t be any problem with a sagging ceiling tile. If you're worried about cutting holes in the panels, the hole doesn't have to be any larger than the one you'd cut for a T-rail mount.
Easily The Best For The Price
Let’s be honest, it’s the only thing for the price. $299 for an 802.11ac access point? It’s true. Other manufacturers have recently released 11ac APs that are priced lower in an attempt to make the switch to 11ac a little more palatable for those with tighter IT budgets. Those APs are all nearly double the AP AC’s price. And if you want 3x3 MIMO, like the AP AC, get ready for triple the price.
The UniFi 3.0 software can be downloaded here and installed on a number of different operating systems, OS X, Windows Vista, 7, or 8. More on the controller software in upcoming videos and blog posts.
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