The marketplace launch of Ubiquiti’s very first Wi-Fi 7 item in their UniFi lineup has actually been fiercely expected because its FCC filings ended up being public late in 2015. Unlike standard customer equipment, Ubiquiti’s UniFi lineup of software-defined networking items targets prosumers, organizations, and business by splitting the performance of a standard home Wi-Fi router into different entrances, switches, and gain access to points. This permits end-users to upgrade various elements at various moments based upon requirements. This makes good sense for lots of large-area releases, as the speed of technological improvements in the cordless area and wired area are rather various.
Ubiquiti’s UniFi lineup is normally not understood for being on the cutting-edge, that makes it ideal for situations where stability and scalability are more vital than raw efficiency. Wi-Fi 7 items have actually been around for a while, even from suppliers running in the very same area as Ubiquiti Networks. Ubiquiti is taking an extremely various method to Wi-Fi 7 by presenting a cost effective design to begin with.
The U7 Pro, priced at simply $ 189, avoids the 4×4 radio setups increasing the cost of other Wi-Fi 7 APs/ cordless routers. Rather, it goes with 2×2 radios in 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands, permitting it to retail at a sub-$ 200 cost point. This ceiling-mount AP conceals to 1500 sq. feet, and supports more than 300 customers. It is geared up with a single 2.5 GbE port and utilizes the very same port for power. A PoE+ switch is needed on the uplink side, as the U7 Pro has an optimal power usage of 21W.
The 2×2 setup in each radio permits as much as 688 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band, 2882 Mbps on the 5 GHz band, and as much as 5765 Mbps on the 6 GHz band. The 6 GHz band supports the high throughput thanks to making use of 240 and 320 MHz-wide channels according to the 802.11 be (Wi-Fi 7) requirement.
The UniFi U7 Pro uses a Qualcomm Wi-Fi 7 chipset – more than likely the Networking Pro 620 series with the IPQ9554 WiSoC (quad-core Cortex-A73 @ 1.5 GHz) and the QCN9272/ 6272 Waikiki series of radios. There is an Immersive Home Wi-Fi 7 platform from Qualcomm with comparable radio assistance for 6 streams, however utilizing a quad-core Cortex A53 @ 1.5 GHz. We have actually connected to Ubiquiti to validate the real platform, though our informed guess leans towards the Networking Pro 620.
The U7 Pro needs either a UniFi Console running UniFi OS v3.2+ with UniFi Network application v8.0.7 or more recent, or a self-hosted controller running UniFi Network v8.0.7+. Bluetooth is significantly missing from the requirements, which might be an obstacle to some users who have actually embraced Ubiquiti’s line of Bluetooth-enabled sensing units that depend on APs with BT assistance to incorporate with the remainder of the UniFi network. Another element to remember is that the 2×2 operation in the 5 GHz band implies that the in theory readily available bandwidth because spectrum (2882 Mbps) is lower than the comparable in the U6 Pro (which has a 4×4 setup in the very same band for 4.8 Gbps). This might affect release option based upon the mix of customer gadgets anticipated to link to the AP. Multi-Link Operation (MLO), which is among the essential benefits of Wi-Fi 7 over Wi-Fi 6, is likewise set up to appear just in a later firmware upgrade although the item is readily available for purchase today.