@@maziarzarea2540 thank you! The rack threw me the first time I set one up. You’re not alone! Glad that it sounds to be working and you’re on the UCK as a controller. For the price, it’s the way to go!

@@TCD_TheComputerDad don’t you think one of the new express gateway ultra devices would be a better buy for $200? Or do they not have a cloud key built in?

@@maziarzarea2540 they may be - they run the UniFi OS and would serve as an edge device on the network. It doesn’t offer the protect feature as it lacks the NVR component with a drive. Unless you need an edge device for more granular control, I think the UCK is the better buy. I also have been reading bad QC reports on the routers. That said, I’ve also had a bunch of drive failure on the UCK. Easier to change the disk than RMA an entire unit.

Absolutely! Thanks for watching!

Thank you, Bryan!

Awesome - glad it was helpful!

and the install went well yesterday, next UXG-lite @@TCD_TheComputerDad

Yes, correct! The devices are typically managed by a software controller sans a UniFi OS device like a UCK or UDM. The UCK is the controller so you wouldn't adopt the UCK. You would adopt devices into the UCK. It is the controller and the only one you would want if using it on your network. To do this, make sure it has an IP on the same network as your existing gear then reset your other UniFi equipment. You would reset them on the physical device with the reset button or SSH in via a terminal emulator like PuTTY to adopt onto the UCK. The devices pop right up when ready for adoption. Rebuild your network, SSID, PSK to match what is there today and you're golden!

@@misterkush7 Hey there! Negative - the UCK is not an edge device like a router or firewall. It is simply a controller appliance running the UniFi suite of apps. You could have the ISP as the edge providing DHCP and other features, but the UCK remains the controller. The network would still point to a third-party gateway in this case being your ISP equipment. If you wanted to setup a full network, I’d recommend using the Ubiquiti Dream Machine. I have a few videos in my playlist about that platform and what it can do. It sits between your ISP and local network allowing more control than what typical ISP routers permit.

Yes, I deploy these often with non-Ubiquiti switches in the production environment. If using VLANs, make sure to know how the switch handles 802.1q tagging. I trunk the port up to the AP and set the network/VLAN ID in the Network settings. The network is assigned to an SSID and off you go.

You can order a 2.5” drive right from Amazon. Here is the link from Ubiquiti about incompatible drives to stay away from: help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/360037340954-UniFi-Storage-Requirements-and-Compatibility This is a drive we used to test the swap procedure to SSD with a spare UCK: a.co/d/d9cOWAO Keep in mind SSDs are reported to not be the best for NVR applications. Review and research before deciding, but any drive outside of the incompatible list should do you well. The premature drive failures appear to be related to heat. The units NIC gets hot and the unit bakes a little. I have seen heat sinks installed on the chassis that help reduce the ambient operating temp and may improve drive longevity. Let me know if you need any further help!

@@TCD_TheComputerDad excellent video... my ck plus is on it sway and yes i am thinking on replacing the drive with an ssd so it is a simple swap right?

@@alvarohiguero yes! It’s plug and play as long as the drive is supported. Check the link above for compatible drives. To be safe, take backups of your console and network configuration. If using Protect now, make sure to back up any videos you want. There’s no simple export import for recordings. Good luck!

UniFi OS is a central management console that runs on the UCK and other UniFi devices like the Dream Machine Pro. The software allows administrators to control UniFi’s various applications like Network, Protect, Access, and others.

I do not yet, but I am finishing a series on upgrading the UCK to the UDM Pro. I'll spin off a video on drive replacement on the UCK - very simple process that I have done for work but not yet for my homelab! Stay tuned!

Thank you, I ordered a replacement but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get things back on line

@@mary6090 It’s not a difficult process. If you have backups, it makes it even quicker. If not, it’s not terribly challenging to rebuild from scratch. The OS and important stuff isn’t on the spinning drive. It’s running on the 32 GB eMMC storage. You can swap the HDD and boot right up. Happy to answer any questions as you get it back online!

Thank you, I’m going to try .

I appreciate that feedback, thank you! I have one of the U6+ units and can highly recommend! Using a cloud key makes life easier in my opinion. You allow that device to manage the UniFi OS instead of it being tied to a laptop or PC. Further, it allows you to access the console remotely without having to leave a laptop or PC online all the time/set it up as a service so the software stays running. I recommend the Ubiquiti Cloud Key Gen2 Plus since its a $20 difference from the non-Plus model without the HDD. The Plus provides the ability to use the protect application with the built-in HDD. Ubiquiti has WiFi cameras that are reasonably priced and range from 1080p to 2k. They're very easy to setup and to adopt APs!

@@TCD_TheComputerDad Thank you so much for the detailed feedback, I’m going to go for it!

@@ShadowDragon1180 Awesome! Let me know if you have any issues! Have fun!

@@TCD_TheComputerDad Hi, one more question please. So Ive configured all the Unifi devices on my network using the online software, still waiting for the cloudkey to arrive before moving everything to there. When the cloudkey comes, how do I transfer everything please? Currently does the online platform do backups? If so where are they stored? I guess I need to reset all devices and rejoin them on the Cloudkey, I hope I can restore from backup as Ive renamed devices and they are connected to the respective APs which I want them to be connected to.

@@ShadowDragon1180 Here is a resource link for backups using the software controller and for when the UCK is in place: help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/360008976393-UniFi-Backups-and-Migration Honestly, I have done over 50 of these UCK deployments taking over for a central controller so we could reduce VPN traffic between sites. It is not hard to rebuild. Some recommendations: - Document your AP naming conventions and IP addresses (if static) - Document your AP Groups (if applicable) - Document your SSIDs and PSKs (or other auth method) If you recreate the SSID 1:1, everything will reconnect just fine. It's when you change up the SSID or PSK that you have to play the fun game of run around and reconfigure all the wireless IoT devices :)

"IP addresses and DHCP must be configured on your third-party gateway. - For a full-featured experience, consider using a UniFi OS Console that comes with integrated gateway functionality."

When you have a UCK, the UniFi Access Point will need to be adopted by the UCK. This acts as a controller for the AP and enables you to use the Network application in the UniFi OS to configure SSIDs, the wireless networks, as well as any non-default VLAN networks. Check out my latest video which goes deeper into the network setup in the UCK. It might offer some insight!

Yes, this feature is available using hotspot authentication to require vouchers.

Hey there! This all depends on how you want your infrastructure to look. For 10Gbps, you will need at least the Pro 48 PoE switch with the 10G SFP+ ports up to a gateway like the UDM Pro or Pro SE with a single 10Gbps LAN SFP+ port. The UDM Pro could be your network controller, gateway, and NVR for the Protect application all-in-one. If not using the UDM Pro or Pro SE and wanting to use the Cloud Key Gen 2 Plus, you are looking at a single 1Gbps NIC that requires PoE from the switch. I am not sure how running the UNVR would behave as that also runs the Protect Application from the UniFi OS. Again, it depends on what you want/need. If wanting a 10Gbps LAN side backbone, you would need the UDM Pro and the Pro 48 PoE. That would be my recommendation. If you need a ton more storage with RAID and other redundancies for video recording, then the UNVR would be an option to add as well. All three of those appliances support 10Gbps SFP+ interfaces. In my opinion, an aggregation switch would be overkill as you have only one 10Gbps uplink on the UDM Pro, one on the UNVR, and four on the Pro 48 PoE. The aggregation switch is Layer 2 only and typically used if you have multiple switches spread out over fiber runs for additional 10Gbps uplinks to an MDF from an IDF for example. Hope this helps!

@@TCD_TheComputerDad Thanks yeah, copy that. Will make a few changes in the setup. Appreciate your time.

@@Photoshopuzr My pleasure! Keep me posted on how you make out!

@@TCD_TheComputerDad I definitely will, building this slowly but im getting there. I wanted to ask about the software GUI such as settings and firewall and vpn do they look the same like for the udm and all the rest of the UI hardware im going to add a uxg pro or the gateway max im a little concerned about how it will look. As for the gateway such as the uxg's only the hardware will be doing the job and the software will run the same way? im not expecting a new option for the uxg gateway to pop up on the same side for this device.

@@Photoshopuzr It is all the same UniFi OS. Keep in mind each console - UDM, UXG, UCK, etc - all have their own feature set that would be unique. From an aesthetic and user interface perspective, it’s all the same OS shell.

Ah, good to know. Thank you for watching!

Got it - appreciate the feedback! Will work on fixing voice volume!