Adopt UniFi Access Point using SSH
This a guide to help adopt a UniFi access point using SSH. Secure shell protocol, or SSH as it is more commonly known is a way to securely connect to another computer or device over a network
Find IP address of UniFi Access Point
The first thing we need to do is to find the IP address of the UniFi access point. It needs to be powered on and connected to a network. The access point should receive an IP address from the network and we need to identify what it is. There are several ways to find out:
- Find it from the DHCP leases on the network gateway/router
- Use the Chrome device discovery tool. Must be on the same network (subnet) as the UniFi access point. This will display the IP address of the UniFi access point
SSH into Device
The next step is to SSH into the device from your computer/laptop. It is important that you are on the same network (subnet) as the UniFi access point. You can connect to the network using either the WiFi of the network or by connecting directly by ethernet cable into the network. If using ethernet, where possible connect into the same network switch that the UniFi access point is connected to.
Windows
We need a tool called Putty on windows. If you do not have it installed, you can find instructions in this guide. Open Putty to see the following screen
Next, type in the IP address of your UniFi access point from the step above. When entered, press the ‘open’ button at the bottom
Following a successful connection, Putty will display a security message about the rsa2 fingerprint. Press ‘Accept’ to continue with the connection
The terminal screen will open and the device will ask for a login, which is ‘ubnt’
Next the device will ask for a password, which is ‘ubnt‘. After this you should be successfully logged in and you will see the welcome message
Note
The password will not show in the putty window when you type it
MacOS
MacOs devices have an inbuilt service called terminal. Open the terminal app to continue
Type in ssh <ubnt>@<ip-address> then hit return. In the example below, the IP address is 192.168.1.247
Next, hit the return key and the device will ask for a password. Again, the password is ‘ubnt‘. After this you should be successfully logged in and you will see the welcome message
Adopting the UniFi Access Point
Once you have successfully connected to the UniFi access point, either by Windows or MacOS, the next step is to apply a command. The command is called a set-inform command and it instructs the device to report into a cloud based controller so that it can be managed. A command needs to be written into the terminal (Putty or MacOS) and it is important that the format is correct, as below
Ensure that you use http:// and :8080/inform. You should also use a hostname, where the <your-server> text is, as opposed to an IP address. This means that if the IP address changes, the devices will not disconnect.
For example, if your controller was available at https://unifi.myitco.com, the command would be as follows
If you are adopting a UniFi access point to a MyPlace UniFi cloud controller, please refer to the instructions provided for hostname and user credentials
Once this command is set, the access point will show up for adoption in the UniFi controller. When you see it as available for adoption, select the adopt option
