Top critical review
1.0 out of 5 starsDoes not support cloud ubiquiti controllers, requires a local ubiquiti controller
Reviewed in Australia on 31 August 2021
Had an inconvenience with this item, where it was unresponsive for several hours after plugging in — the ethernet lights would flash, however the reset button was unresponsive and the center light never illuminated. After hours of debugging and several power cycles, it finally decided to start becoming responsive - the center light start blinking and eventually became solid (after about 5-20 minutes) and the reset button would trigger the LAN2 orange light flashes. Perhaps this delay in responsiveness was a faulty unit.
After that inconvenience the item was completely undetectable by the local controller, or by direct access via the IP, despite DHCP and manual IP configuration. Connecting this to the NBN box was futile, as that requires PPPoE authentication which requires configuration first, so connected it to the modem however that required changing the modem's gateway from 192.168.1.1 (which the USG is hardwired for) to 192.168.5.1. This then enabled to the local controller to detect it.
Unfortunately, the local controller is the only option for the USG. There is no way to have it adopted by a cloud controller, such as UI/UNMS/UBNT/UISP (whatever they are calling it these days). The local controller also only runs on Windows or x86 Ubuntu, which we do not have on this network with only x86 Arch Manjaro and ARM Ubuntu installations, furthermore, the point of ordering this device was to allow remote management of the network, which a local controller does not allow for.
In the end, I would have been much better served by the EdgeRouter X, which we have already deployed several times over with success. The EdgeRouter X was able to be setup instantly without any IP nonsense, and allows easy management by the Ubiquiti cloud controller option.
I can only recommend the USG if you are using it in combination with the Ubiquiti Dream Machine hardware or the Ubiquiti Cloud Key hardware, however the Dream Machine already matches the functionality of the USG and then some, and the Cloud Key plus USG combination would just be a more expensive option than the EdgeRouter. As such, the USG is only worthwhile if you want to use local controllers with expensive hardware.
