Ubiquiti Unifi setup procedure

Introduction This procedure will explain how to set up the Ubiquiti Unifi system from scratch and help you avoid some common pitfalls ...

Introduction

This procedure will explain how to set up the Ubiquiti Unifi system from scratch and help you avoid some common pitfalls that are commonly asked in the community.

This how-to is targeted at the Unifi Wireless system primarily but the initial steps apply for all pieces currently under the Unifi platform including

Wifi APs
Network Switches
Voip Phones
Security Appliance

This How-to also pulls together reference materials from Ubiquiti's web site that are otherwise scattered and not easily found if you are not already aware of them

Steps (7 total)

1

Before connecting any hardware

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First before unboxing and plugging in any hardware you need to choose your management method. There are 4 choices provided by Ubiquiti.

Discovery utility
DNS
DHCP option 43
SSH

My preferred method is DNS so I will use that method for this how-to

for details and instructions on any of the other methods please see Ubiquiti's Knowledge base
http://community.ubnt.com/t5/UniFi-Controller-Installation/UniFi-Layer-3-methods-for-UAP-adoption-and-management/ta-p/455643

On your DNS server (this assumes you have an internal DNS server) create an A record called "Unifi" and point that record to the IP of the server \ computer you plan to install the Unifi Management Software onto.

When a Unifi device boots up it will get a DHCP address and then do a DNS query for this A record. If found it will use the record to call home to the management software. This options works across L3 boundaries and allows easy central management of Unifi devices from a single controller.

Note.....
With the introduction of the new Unifi Security Appliance. If your deploy one of these devices on a network once adopted this devices will automatically point all other Unifi devices on the same network as the USG to the controller IP using this DNS method

2

Install the Unifi Controller software

If installing on a windows box go to https://www.ubnt.com/download/ and download the latest version of the Unifi software. At time of writing this 4.6.3 is release but is considered Beta 4.6.3 is required for Voip, Switching and the security appliance. If you are only using wifi use the Stable build 3.2.1 listed under Unifi

4.6.3 can be found listed under Unifi Switching and Routing or Unifi Voip.

Personally I recommend running Unifi on a Linux based platform. It saves you a windows license. Is generally more stable and runs as a service out of the box. For detailed installation instructions go to the Ubiquiti community under unifi and scroll down to the blog section.

http://community.ubnt.com/unifi

The latest stable release and beta release should be pinned there for easy reference
For 3.2.1 the link is currently
http://community.ubnt.com/t5/UniFi-Updates-Blog/UniFi-3-2-10-is-released/ba-p/1165532

For 4.6.3 the link is currently
http://community.ubnt.com/t5/UniFi-Updates-Blog/UniFi-4-6-3-is-released/ba-p/1215585

3

Important Note about the Unifi Controller Software

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This isn't really a step. But I needed to highlight this point.

There can only be one instance of the controller software. Once a device has been adopted it will not talk to any other instance of the controller without one of 2 things being done

1) the device is factory reset
2) the controller settings are backed up. The controller taken offline. A new controller created and restored using the previous backup and the DNS A record pointed to the IP of the new controller.

This is by design is a basic security feature and is how hardware works in a controller environment. I point this out because I have seen numerous posts in the community with frustrated users trying to use multiple controllers installed on multiple computers to configure a single set of hardware. This will lead to disaster Don't try it.

The controller is web based once installed you can access it from any network device and manage your Unifi devices from anywhere.

4

Firewall configuration

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You need to ensure that all required ports are open on all firewalls in your network. This means the server firewall and any network firewalls you may have between subnets if deploying across L3 segments. The below ports must be opened and allowed to pass to your Unifi Controller Software

The server installs will normally open the required ports as part of the install. But it never hurts to check.

Verify that the following ports have been opened to allow traffic from your Unifi devices to your Unifi Controller Software.

TCP Ports
8081
8080
8443
8880
8843
27117
8881
8882

UDP ports
3478

Referenced from
http://community.ubnt.com/t5/UniFi-Frequently-Asked-Questions/UniFi-What-are-the-default-ports-used-by-UniFi/ta-p/412439

5

Unbox and Install the Unifi Hardware --- Finally

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Finally the fun part.

Now you get to open the fancy boxes and take out the new toys. Remember when hooking up your devices to verify the POE requirements of the device before connecting it to your POE switch.

Many Ubiquiti devices use passive 24 volt POE. Ubiquiti of course sells switches (including the Unifi switches) that can be set on a port level to use Passive POE or Standard 802.3af POE

You can also use Ubiquiti's Passive PoE to 802.3af Adapters to change 802.3af to Passive or use the included POE injectors.

https://www.ubnt.com/accessories/instant-8023af-adapters/

Now go install your devices. If steps 1-4 where completed successfully the device will be showing in your Unifi Controller as waiting for adoption by the time you get back to your desk

6

Configure Your Devices

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Adopt your devices in the controller, update the firmware and apply your desired configurations

7

Finished!

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Enjoy. You should now have a fully functional Unifi set up. Depending on the devices you chose to deploy this could mean simply having a few AP's or it could mean your entire network end to end is now at your finger tips!

Conclusion

I hope this article and information will be useful and help new people to avoid some common Unifi set up pitfalls that tend to frustrate people when setting up this system.

The system is very powerful and easy to use. But unfortunately Ubiquiti's documentation tends to be scatter and lacking relying on community to provide this information