Ubiquiti UniFi 6 Lite Access Point | US Model | PoE Adapter not Included (U6-Lite-US)

I work in an office where our state-provided Internet was garbage and we had the opportunity to add a regular ISP and our own hardware to the mix. I went with four (and growing) Ubiquiti APs and they have all worked -flawlessly- since install. Adopting them into our network was easy (it also helps greatly that we're using a Ubiquiti DreamMachine Pro SE to drive it all). The UniFi app is pleasant enough to use and has the features I was looking for in prosumer-grade network devices/software. Keeping track of what devices are on what AP, which are using a lot of data, securing the network, etc. is all very easy with these access points (and the UniFi app & UDM Pro SE.)I love the simplicity of having one CAT5/6 line running to each radio and that being all you need (assuming whatever it's connected to has 802.3af PoE and not passive PoE - I learned this the expensive way). Devices also may roam around basically anywhere in the office without losing connection. The included mounting hardware should also cover most situations and has also performed perfectly so far. I can also remotely administer them/the network (as long as the Internet connection feeding it all stays up.)The TL;DR of it is that these are devices you basically never have to babysit - they just work after the initial setup. I likely won't be at this agency for the rest of my career and I need something that will work spectacularly after I leave; these are it!

Integration of this AP into my home network was very straight-forward. Ubiquiti does require that you use their app or network appliance for configuration, as they do not provide a web interface like a SoHo router/AP would. However, the result of this decision is a more streamlined device with better speed and less overhead. For the adventurous and those that still really don't want to trust the app, you might instead choose to convert the AP to run OpenWRT. Be warned, however, that the result of doing so is an interface that is not as friendly as the Ubiquiti app, and performing the conversion would probably void your warranty as well.Installation: General installation is mostly a simple matter for someone with basic home handiwork skills. Drill the holes in the proper places, add the backing plate (if mounted to drop ceiling) or use the wall retainers** for drywall, mount the mounting plate, drill the cable hole and feed the cable^^, and settle the AP onto the mounting plate with a twist. This sounds easy and the AP even has markings for alignment onto the mounting plate. However, there are two gotchas I found with this kind of installation.**: The wall retainers and screws included with the mounting kit are, to put it simply, useless. The retainers don't have enough grip to properly hold the AP on a ceiling installation. All four retainers pulled right out on me during the installation, and I needed to replace the parts with something better to get a good, solid mount.^^: Seriously, make sure you have the space all around the mounting site and drill the hole for the cable AFTER you have the mount plate in place. The cable hole must be positioned very carefully or you'll have serious issues getting the unit to mount properly because the cable will be in the way. If the cable hole MUST be distant from the mounting bracket, there is a pop-out cable pass-through opening on the back of the AP.All that said and done, the signal distribution from the central, ceiling-mounted orientation is absolutely perfect. With all previous attempts I had using desktop or wall-mount consumer-grade APs, there were always dead zones that led to no amount of headaches. With the UniFi 6 Lite in place, there isn't a single dead zone. Coverage appears balanced and even across all spaces.End result: There's a clear reason why APs like this are used in corporate and enterprise environments. However, it doesn't require you be in an office to buy and deploy one. Even the Lite version does an excellent job in a basic home environment.

If you have a Unifi Dream Machine or Dream Router, and you have the app on your phone, when you go to power on a new AP it will show up in the app like airpods do lol. It's cute. Adding it to the network is a piece of cake.These are especially great if you have a second house or something! I set up a site-to-site VPN and an edgerouter at my second location, and then adopted the APs to my Unifi Dream Machine at home. Now my networks are synced and have the same SSIDs and passwords in both locations. Pretty fun!For this particular AP: They're $99 and you need either a 48v passive PoE injector, or an 802.3af POE injector like the U-POE-AF ($8 on unifi's website). I wish Amazon was an authorized retailer because my goodness, I'd pay the extra $$ to have same/next day delivery! I.. don't understand this.The range is fine. The performance is good. I have yet to really put my U6-lites through their paces but wanted to mention that.Also: These things can do wireless uplinks just fine. How does that work? You have other Unifi APs in the same location? Ok great. Plug this one into your ethernet network, adopt it, set it up. Now go ahead and unplug it from power and ethernet. Take it to where you want to use it wirelessly. Plug the power in but not the LAN connection. It will adopt wirelessly. (If you have custom wifi settings, you may need to enable meshing).Other neat thing: When you're using wireless uplink, if you plug something into the LAN port on your PoE injector, it'll connect to the network. Good way to bridge an ethernet desktop or camera or whatever in a remote location. :)Anyway, Unifi can be pretty simple, or ridiculously complicated. It's up to you!