Best Place to Buy Unifi Gear at Lowest Price if Possible

Hello Cheapies,

Have been thinking of investing in Unifi for some time. Planning to get UDR7 + U7 Pro AP + (maybe a switch or poe injector for now) in a month or 2. Weighing my options of how to move forward. Don't plan on having any cameras or NAS. It seems quite expensive here as we can't get it directly from UI.

Currently have Asus GT-AX6000 and happy with it. Would be moving to bigger place soon and would need more wifi coverage + existing homelab stuff. So probably a good time to switch. Yes, I can get another Asus and use it with Aimesh, but want to go further into networking/vlan/iot/firewall/parental control etc. Asus is great for now.

I see pbtech, Ascent, Acquire, GoWireless etc sell them, but prices seems variable and not sure about support/warranty. I can also order from bhphotovideo at quite a discount rate but found out that US stock is geo-locked and it can't be changed. Good I saw else would have almost ordered it. What is the best cheapest place to buy from? or do you get it from the cheapest place available? Any place to avoid?

Still debating between 2 below options. Initially plan to have 2 APs, if that is not sufficient will add another. I tried there design website with uploading the floorplan but it doesn't work that well for wifi coverage between floors. I can see the wifi coverage only for that floor, so no overlaps. I don't think I will go for cameras as they are really expensive, rather I am thinking of getting reolink which I can use with frigate/HA. As I already have HA for everything else this would be better.

  1. UDR7 + U7 Pro AP — cheaper
  2. UCG-Fibre + U7 Pro x 2 — expensive but more ports and future proof for expansion.

Anyone here have to claim any warranties on unifi brand? what are your experiences?

I am aware of stock issues currently, but it will be fine by the time I need them.

Comments

  • I design and supply UniFi gear regularly - it's good stuff. However it does sometimes fail (see 1st Gen CloudKey debacle) so having local support is important to me. I buy from GoWiFi at wholesale typically - they're good to deal with. I can tell you that the margins aren't big. You might be seeing some bleeding edge pricing since it's new kit until it lands properly. I personally wont jump straight in until the usual early glitches are resolved with firmware updates. You might have more patience than my commercial clients.

    • Not sure about your pricing with GoWIFI, but mine is certainly worth using from their retail price.

      @ace310 PM me if you want some pricing for specific things.

      EDIT: Just noticed the stuff you listed isn't even in country yet. This is a common issue as they struggle to keep stock in the UI store let alone little ol NZ.

      • Sure, thanks for the offer. I will get in touch.

    • I am in no hurry. Just planning out my network before hand so that when time comes I am prepared.

    • I can't send pm to you. Can you enable it or send me a pm. Thanks

      • Me? We've been PM'ing. I need to put your code in my work account when I can be bothered grabbing my work laptop.

        • No. Sorry it was not to you. I am in no rush as mentioned.

  • Can you flash the firmware via TFTP to resolve the geo-lock issue if you buy from the US?

    • I don't think so. I read a link from UI forum yesterday that it is hard lock. So I am not willing to take a risk.

      Edit: Here is the forum link(community.ui.com). Now I am not sure if US bands & NZ bands are same or not.

  • I was going to suggest b&h refurbished, but i didn't know about the region lock issue

  • I've bought there 8 port switch from B&H before, and they're not geo locked.
    Ubiquiti Networks UniFi Lite 8-Port Gigabit PoE+ Compliant Managed Switch (UBSLITE8POE)

    • +1

      I think it is more to do with wifi. I see that some of items have 'us' in their product code. Those might be the case.

      • I've bought there 8 port switch from B&H before, and they're not geo locked.

        I think it is more to do with wifi.

        That's correct - the channels that are approved for use in each country can vary.

        In NZ, I think is is legal to use Ch1 to Ch13 inclusive (my modem / router from Slingshot, albeit some years old, gives me those options, so I assume they knew what they were doing!)

        I have no idea what is allowed in the US, but it might be the same, or a subset, or a superset, or maybe even something like Ch5 to Ch15. I'm sure a quick search online will tell you if you want to know.

        I guess the potential issue is that if you buy a US locked unit, you might be forced to use a smaller range of channels (which might make it more difficult to avoid 'congestion' wherever you are), or you risk using channels that are not authorised for use in NZ.

        No idea what the chances of Radio Spectrum Management NZ(rsm.govt.nz) coming knocking on your door are, but if they do, and once you have recovered, please do let us know how it went, and whether rubber hoses were involved ;-)

  • Purchased from B&H they were a bit difficult at 16months of a 12month warranty had to ship back to Utah USA for warranty took around 1 month so have a backup.

    I believe most stock here is from Aussie or Go Wireless.

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