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Hello, we are looking into potentially setting up our business with a Ubiquiti Unifi AP system but do I need to purchase the Security Gateway and the Switch in order to be able to set it up? Could i just use our current router and POE switch we have instead of having to purchase the additional devices?

@Ubiquiti_Inc

6 Spice ups
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You can setup Ubiquiti products without a security gateway or their switch. They come with their own 24v poe adapter, most POE switches will only provide 48v. You would need to setup the unifi controller software on a PC in order to set them up. It has a bit of a learning curve, but once you have the hang of it they are very very simple to deploy. Once you have the “site” setup you can setup your SSIDs and then just assign them to the APs that you want to have them on. The adoption process can sometime be a bit weird with unifi controller. Also the cloud key gen 2 or gen 2 plus is a simple interface that will allow all of the same setup as the unfi controller software, but is not required either.

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No need to purchase anything else. If all you want are the AP’s, install the controller software on a computer and set up the AP’s.

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So I wouldn’t need to also purchase the cloud key also? I’m purchasing a 4 pack and a single unit, would the four pack come with the adapters or would I have to purchase those separately?

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Cloud key is not required, but can be helpful as it takes the place of the controller software. They each come with a POE injector.

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As others have said, not required… but nice to have. The cloud key gen2 plus is a nice unit. For sure if you will be running some of their security camera. All the controller software is on board and acts as the NVR.

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I don’t know if the 4-packs come with the poe injectors but the 5-packs definitely do not.

The AC-Lite supports both passive 24V and 802.3af so you should be able to use your existing PoE switch without using an injector.

The price difference between the Lite and Pro is not much so I never saw the need to invest in the Lite.

As said, you need to install the controller on a computer to set it up but it does not need to be running all the time. That said, there are certain features that require the controller to be running like the captive portal guest feature so I always install the cloud key.

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I would also suggest a cloudkey gen 2 with your setup. Some of the more advanced guest policies and captive portal are hosted there and are not(I believe) included with the controller software install.

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The cloudkey gen 2 runs essentially the exact same controller software as the Windows version. We migrated from Windows to Cloud Key and all the features were the same.

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