Which UniFi Wireless Access Points You Should Buy For Your Network

Despite their lack of Wi-Fi 6 so far, Ubiquiti makes some of the best bang-for-the-buck networking equipment. They market their UniFi ecosystem at small businesses, but they can make great home networks as well. If you are a nerd who likes getting their hands dirty, or just want a network that performs better, UniFi is a great option.

Edit (5/15/2020): The UniFi 6 Lite Access Point just hit the early access store today, and immediately sold out. This is Ubiquiti’s first Wi-Fi 6 AP in the UniFi line. Expect more models and general availability over the next few months. For now, this guide covers all available APs. I will continue to update as more models are made available.

The UniFi ecosystem is modular, which lets you pick the components that fit your setup. This increases both flexibility and complexity. When I tell people to consider going with UniFi, they usually can make their own decisions for their router, switches, and Cloud Key. They often come back with the same question — which access point should I buy?

It’s hard to make generalized recommendations, every network is different. My goal for this post is to provide the info you need to make the decision for yourself. If you want to know more about the UniFi ecosystem, I cover that here.

Wireless networks can be tricky to setup and optimize, but we’ve come a long way since 1999. It helps to understand a few Wi-Fi fundamentals when you’re planning a network.

Before you research and plan, consider your goals:

What do you want the new network to do? Specific capabilities, coverage area, speed, etc.

How many devices will be using it?

What is your budget? Money, and more importantly, time.

Overview of UniFi Wireless Access Points

Ubiquiti make many different access points, and it’s important to pick the right one. They have a list on their site that shows the different models and generations.