Picking The Right Ubiquiti All-In-One Router

TL;DR:

• AmpliFi is mesh Wi-Fi on easy mode
• UniFi is better for tech-savvy users, and provides more advanced networking features

Ubiquiti's two most recent all-in-one routers are the AmpliFi Alien and UniFi Dream Machine. In this post I’m going explain the differences and help you pick the right one. Most consumer "routers" are all-in-one devices which act as routers, switches and wireless access points. Having all those functions in one device usually works well for smaller networks, especially homes and small businesses.

When stretched to their limits, all-in-ones have downsides -- usually range, speed and expansion options. The downsides of all-in-ones helped make mesh networking popular. It's easy to expand a mesh network with another wireless node.

If your Wi-Fi is slow or doesn't cover your whole house, mesh networking can help. Mesh networking allows you to expand the coverage and speed of your Wi-Fi network without running Ethernet cabling. It will give you better results than the old-style wireless extenders, which limit performance.

Mesh networks use multiple nodes which communicate wirelessly, working together to make one seamless network. There are a wide range of mesh-capable systems available, and Ubiquiti makes a few different ones themselves.

If you can’t decide between them, hopefully this post clears things up for you. I'm going to go over which is faster, which has better coverage, and which one is better suited for your needs. Let's start by comparing the AmpliFi Alien and the UniFi Dream Machine.

AmpliFi Alien

AmpliFi products are meant to do one thing, and do it well: Make mesh networking easy. Plug them in, open the smartphone app, and in a few minutes you have great Wi-Fi without any hassle. AmpliFi is separate from UniFi for a good reason, they are meant for different uses.

The AmpliFi Alien is a Wi-Fi 6 mesh system with two parts, The Alien Router and the Alien MeshPoint. You have the option of buying the Alien Router by itself, or as part of a two-piece mesh kit. So far they don't let you buy MeshPoints separately. You can add on additional Alien Routers for use as part of your mesh, though.

Both units have the same unique physical design, with black sides and a green LED ring at the bottom. The Router also has a skinny, colorful touchscreen which shows basic information like the current IP address, current utilization and number of clients. The screen and LED ring can be turned off at a specific time, or completely. It's also bigger than most mesh routers, at 110 x 110 x 250 mm (4.33 x 4.33 x 9.84").

The two Alien units are identical except for a few things. The main router features the touchscreen, one gigabit WAN Ethernet port, and four gigabit Ethernet LAN ports. The MeshPoint has no screen, and only one gigabit Ethernet port. The MeshPoint's Ethernet connection can be used for wired backhaul to the router, or giving Ethernet to a client device.

You can add on more Aliens if more coverage is needed. Two is a lot for most houses though, because the radios and antennas are so powerful. Both Alien units have a 8x8 5GHz and a 4x4 Wi-Fi 6 radio, which allow for higher speeds and much higher multi-user throughput, depending on the device. It also has another 4x4 5GHz Wi-Fi 5 radio.

On the software side, the Alien uses the AmpliFi smartphone app, available for iOS and Android. The app has few nice features like device profiles, which can schedule shutting down internet access for a certain device. It also covers most basic networking functions, like UPnP (enabled by default) for online gaming, DHCP, custom DNS, and bridge mode for when you only want to use the Alien as an access point. It can also easily add a temporary or permanent guest Wi-Fi network.

The software is simple, but the Alien is definitely on the high-end of performance for a typical mesh system. It shows in the price, too. The Router MSRP is $379, and the 2-piece kit is $699. Wi-Fi 6 mesh systems are rare and expensive so far, unfortunately.

Overall, the Alien is a high-end mesh Wi-Fi system that is going to be simple to setup and operate. If you just want to get better Wi-Fi and not worry about it, the Alien will cover a lot of people's needs. If you are more into networking and want some more advanced features, the UniFi Dream Machine may be a better fit.

UniFi Dream Machine

The UniFi Dream Machine (UDM) is a complete UniFi network in a cylinder. It lacks Wi-Fi 6, but it has a lot of other benefits. The UDM looks like a normal home router. In UniFi terms, it is a UniFi OS Console. That means it runs the UniFi Network software. It also routing and firewall features, a 4-port switch, and a wireless access point.

The UDM has a powerful quad-core ARM CPU, making it a capable router and firewall for fast internet connections. It's integrated managed gigabit switch lets you connect up to four wired devices. The 2x2 2.4 GHz and 4x4 5GHz 802.11ac Wave 2 wireless access point is good enough to cover apartments or small-to-medium sized houses.

It's 10 spatial streams shy of the Alien, which will limit its maximum performance under load, especially with Wi-Fi 6 clients. 4x4 Wi-Fi 5 is nothing to sneeze at, though. The UDM is capable of the same speeds as the Alien with Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) and older clients. Most single clients won't be able to max out the UDM, let alone the Alien.

For example, I can get 400-500 Mbps of throughput to my iPhone 11 Pro with my UDM. The Alien has a slight edge here, due to the improvements in Wi-Fi 6 -- more on that later.

While the radios aren't as capable, and the spatial streams aren't as plentiful, the UDM excels on the software side. The built-in UniFi controller allows you to monitor and configure your network from anywhere, in a web interface or smartphone app. It's your gateway into the UDM and all your other UniFi devices.

UniFi lets you setup VLANs, guest networks, routing, firewall rules, and a lot of other common network needs. Features like these are where the UDM has the edge over AmpliFi.

UniFi networks are a good for a homelab, letting you do more than a typical consumer all-in-one like the Alien would. They don't do well in an enterprise environment, or if you're in need of one of the features it's missing right now. The UDM platform is still young. Over time, the software will hopefully catch up with the hardware, and the bugs will be ironed out.

If you don't know networking well, you can get yourself into trouble with UniFi equipment. If you know enough to be dangerous, the UniFi UI makes things easy to configure and fun to play around with. There are a lot of guides out there, but plenty of bugs and missing features, too.

Even with what we have now, the UDM is a very capable, easy to use all-in-one. It unlocks features you don't have access to in the Alien, or most other consumer equipment. It is a cost-effective way to get into UniFi, and can be expanded in a bunch of different ways.

The UDM is what I use at home. It's the better option for me, but it might not be for you. Let's compare the two devices themselves a little closer.

Alien vs. Dream Machine

In some ways they are a lot alike. They are both aimed at consumers who want high-performance home networks. Both act as routers, switches and access points. Both have one gigabit Ethernet WAN port, and four gigabit Ethernet LAN ports. Both have mobile applications for configuration and management.

Where they differ is more interesting. The AmpliFi Alien being Wi-Fi 6 is a big point in it’s favor. That is the big, obvious difference. The AmpliFi Alien supports 8x8 Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), the UniFi Dream Machine tops out 4x4 Wi-Fi 5. (802.11ac Wave 2). The less obvious difference is the software and the ecosystem differences, and different expansion options.

For example, both the UDM and the Alien have four Ethernet LAN ports. With UniFi though, you can create multiple virtual networks, and customize them more than you can with AmpliFi. The Alien is limited to a single 254-host LAN network. Even devices that join the Alien's guest network are put in the same network as all your devices, with some basic protections in place like client isolation.

Right now, the Alien is unique. Ubiquiti doesn’t sell anything else with a 8x8 5GHz Wi-Fi 6 radio, which will give you the most capacity (and highest speeds) for those Wi-Fi 6 devices you have, or will add in the future. It’s a good future-proof option, if you're OK with the limits of the AmpliFi ecosystem.

Comparing the Two Ecosystems

AmpliFi Ecosystem and AmpliFi Teleport

With AmpliFi, you’re not going to get all the advanced networking features that you will with UniFi. AmpliFi devices keep things simple. This may be a good thing or bad thing, depending what you are looking for.

The Alien can be expanded by purchasing more Alien Routers, or with other AmpliFi devices. The most interesting of those is the AmpliFi Teleport, which creates a VPN for you to access your home network.

Setup of the Teleport is dead simple, and just like the Alien, don't expect too many customizations or options. It's an easy way to tunnel your internet traffic back to your home network when away from home. It also lets you remotely connect to devices in your internal network. There are no subscription fees, you just need to buy a Teleport and set it up at home. You can share access to the VPN with friends and family if wanted.

Besides the Teleport, there really isn't anything like the UniFi ecosystem to expand with. AmpliFi devices aren't meant to compete with UniFi. You can add UniFi devices, or other brands of equipment, but it's not going to all be controlled with the same software.

UniFi Ecosystem

UniFi networks scale from small to large, and are easily expanded with additional routers, switches, access points. You can't do the same thing with AmpliFi equipment. Even though they are both made by Ubiquiti, they are managed separately.

The biggest advantage of UniFi is the controller software. This software allows you to you manage your network, and view statistics about the devices connected to it. The software is free, and the UDM has a built-in controller that is always on.

The controller software lets you adopt any additional routers, switches, access points or other UniFi devices you add. It's how you configure and monitor your devices. There's a lot more to talk about with UniFi controller software, but those are the basics. If you want more detail on the UniFi ecosystem, read that here.

There are many different models or switches and access points that can be added on to the UDM. Ubiquiti makes In-wall, outdoor, and many varieties of indoor access points. Any UniFi AP can form a mesh network with the UDM, or use wired backhaul for maximum performance. The same is true for switches: pick the model you need, adopt it, and it will be managed like the ports in the UDM.

One of the latest UniFi APs, the BeaconHD, is designed to work with the UDM over wireless backhaul. The Beacon HD is a 4x4 5GHz and 2x2 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi 5 mesh AP. It covers an electrical outlet and lets you expand your UniFi network. All Unifi APs can use wireless backhaul, but the BeaconHD, AC-Mesh, and AC-Mesh Pro are designed for it.

More Depth on Alien vs. UDM

Which Is Faster?

The AmpliFi Alien, but it's complicated. The Alien's big advantage over the UDM are the Wi-Fi 6 radios and 12 polarity antenna. The Alien is going to have the highest single client speeds, if you have Wi-Fi 6 devices.

Each Alien has a 4x4 2.4GHz, 4x4 5GHz (low band), and a 8x8 5GHz (high band) radio, with a dual-band metal stamp antenna with 12 Polarity. If you're not familiar with what those numbers refer to, the #x# numbers are the number of send and receive antennas, and spatial streams, per channel. A spatial stream is a single stream of data, to Alien can send many streams at once. Having all those spatial streams allows the Alien to communicate with multiple wireless clients at the same time.

Truly understanding what "12 polarity" means is out of the scope of this article. The TL;DR is that 12 is a lot, and that's good for mesh Wi-Fi performance.

The 8x8 5 GHz MU-MIMO with potential 4.8 Gbps link rate is more about the aggregate, or multi-client throughput. Most wireless clients aren't Wi-Fi 6, and most Wi-Fi 6 clients aren't using 8x8 radios. A typical Wi-Fi 6 laptop or smartphone is going to be 2x2. The popular Intel AX200 is 2x2, the iPhone 11 Pro is 2x2, as are many others.

The Alien having all those streams does allows it to communicate simultaneously with multiple 2x2 clients. This is where you will see a big improvement over the UDM: multi-user throughput. The Alien can push more data to more devices, just don't expect to see more than 400-500 Mbps to a typical Wi-Fi 5 or 6 client.

So yes, the Alien will be faster, depending on the situation, and the client. This will matter more in the future, as more Wi-Fi 6 devices are added to your network naturally over time.

The UDM is not slow by any means. Since Wi-Fi 6 is so new, there’s a good chance most of your devices don’t support it yet. In those cases, the UDM should give you equivalent performance. The UDM is a 4x4 Wi-Fi 5 AP, and will still give great speeds to single devices. It won’t be able to match the Alien with Wi-Fi 6 clients.

In reality, this isn't going to be as big of an impact as the software and feature differences between the two brands.

Which Gives Better Coverage?

Wi-Fi coverage all comes down to the RF environment, access point placement and choice. That is true no matter which specific devices you are talking about. The Alien Router has strong radios and antennas, but it can't beat physics.

If you're comparing a single UDM vs. a single Alien, their coverage won't be that different. If you only need to cover a smaller area, they are both going to give great coverage. To cover a larger area, a single access point may not be enough. That's where multiple wired or mesh APs comes in.

Larger homes, or homes that have multiple floors or a spread out layout, usually benefit from multiple access points. Having multiple sources for your Wi-Fi signal improves performance and range. That applies to the Alien mesh kit, UDM + BeaconHD, or any network with multiple access points.

Strategically placing multiple high-end UniFi APs with wired backhaul would give you the best, and most consistent coverage. Having the same setup with Alien units would have a slight speed advantage, especially if the Alien is using wired backhaul. Keep in mind the highest speeds on the Alien are only going to show up on Wi-Fi 6 devices, such as an iPhone 11 Pro. The improvements in Wi-Fi 6 don't always show up in a speed test.

Generally speaking, the Alien is better suited for a high-performance mesh network. The UDM is capable of creating a mesh network with any other UniFi AP, but it can't match the Alien's pure grunt. This may or may not show up on a single-client speed test, but the capacity and capability differences are real.

Now that we know what they are and which should be faster, let's talk about how they can be used to make a network in the real world. There are a lot of factors to consider when planning your network. Here's some important ones to keep in mind:

Planning Your Network

Wireless vs. Wired Backhaul

Having an Ethernet cable run from your Router to your mesh point is known as wired backhaul, and it can make the biggest difference in the performance of your mesh Wi-Fi system.

You will have the best performance with wired backhaul. Wired backhaul from AP to your router is just as important access point differences, or AmpliFi vs UniFi. Mesh networking (wireless backhaul) can still perform well, and it is easier to install. If you want max performance and speed, run a cable.

Typically, a mesh network will be outperformed by a wired backhaul network. Reducing the number of wireless connections helps the network perform better. Wired connections are going to be more stable, consistent, and have lower latency. They will usually be faster, as well.

If possible, always run Ethernet to your access points, no matter what system or brand you are using.

Access Point Quantity

If you need to cover more than an apartment or small home, my first recommendation would be to look into a mesh system or something that has multiple access points. As a very general rule, you don't want to have more than 2 walls and 20 feet or so between you and your access point. This depends on the building material, the AP, and a bunch of different factors.

For most homes, you can start with a rough plan of one AP per floor, placed as centrally as possible. You probably want to avoid two APs per floor unless you have a lot of horizontal space to cover. If you move to two per floor, you probably want them on opposite sides of the house. A lot depends on your floor layout and the building materials.

Overall, don't keep throwing more APs at the problem. Too many APs, or having them too close together, causes it's own issues, usually with interference and roaming. Too much transmit power is a bug, too. Jim Salter covers this in a lot more depth in this excellent ArsTechnica Guide to AP Placement. I compare the different UniFi access points in a lot more detail in my UniFi AP guide.

Access Point Placement

Something to be careful with is AP placement. You don't want to throw an AP just anywhere. Too many APs, or misplaced APs, can cause more issues than it solves.

Generally, you want to prioritize where you are going to be using Wi-Fi the most. Don't have your APs too close -- one room away, or one floor directly above is probably too close. Also consider the antennas and performance of the APs you pick. Different models of Unifi AP have different coverage zones, and are made for different situations. Refer to my UniFi AP guide, Ubiquiti's comparison article and Jim's article for more details.

Radio Performance: Wi-Fi 5 vs. Wi-Fi 6

Most of the benefits of Wi-Fi 6 apply to throughput in dense, crowded Wi-Fi networks. Speeds to a single device are also up, thanks to some efficiency improvements in the new standard.

With a single spatial stream in a 80 MHz-wide channel, the maximum link rate for Wi-Fi 5 is 433 Mbps. With Wi-Fi 6, that is 600 Mbps. This improvement scales with different channel widths and additional spatial streams, allowing Wi-Fi 6 to get higher link rates and higher speeds.

There are a lot of other changes in Wi-Fi 6 which will lead to better performance with compatible clients. If you want more detail, refer to TechSpot's excellent article, or my post explaining the difference between Wi-Fi 5, Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-fi 6E.

Don’t Stress: Enjoy The Equipment You Have

If you’ve read this far, you hopefully have a good understanding of the things to be aware of when deciding between Ubiquiti’s two all-in-one routers. Every network is different, and I can’t cover everything in a guide like this.

My final advice would be to relax, and enjoy the equipment you get. There are more important things in life than getting the maximum throughput on your Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi quality can’t be measured or represented by a speed test result. The true test of a Wi-Fi network is how it performs in the real world. The UDM and the Alien are both good options, as are many of their competitors.

If you have your next network 90% figured out, you can stress over that last 10% if you want to, but that’s not necessary. Enjoy the equipment you have. Plan your next purchases as carefully as you want to, but keep in mind the whole purpose of this equipment is to be used and enjoyed. No matter what you go with from Ubiquiti or some other brand, I hope it does what you need and you enjoy it.

Other Ubiquiti Guides and Reviews

• UniFi Router Comparison: USG vs UDM vs UXG
• UniFi Dream Machine (UDM) Review
• UniFi Dream Machine Pro (UDM-Pro) Review
• How To SSH Into Your UniFi Dream Machine
• UDM Setup Guide: Discovery and Basic Settings
• UniFi Next-Gen Gateway (UXG-Pro) Preview
• Unofficial Ubiquiti Guide
• Ubiquiti FAQ
• Ubiquiti's UniFi Ecosystem Explained
• Ubiquiti: UISP Is The New UNMS
• How Wi-Fi Works, From Electricity to Information​
• UniFi Wireless Access Point Buyer's Guide: 2021 Edition
• UniFi BeaconHD and Smart Power Plug Review
• Upcoming UniFi Switches Preview
• UniFi Switches Explained
• UniFi Switches Buyer's Guide

If you have more questions about Ubiquiti or anything in this post, leave a comment or contact me. I will do my best to point you in the right direction, or help in any way I can.