Reasons to Upgrade UniFi Equipment
There is no doubt that UniFi equipment is a workhorse when it comes to reliability and durability. Many networks are still running very successfully with the original UAP and toughswitches, however although they may be operating well, there are important reasons to consider upgrading. If you are an IT provider or MSP you need to convince your clients of these arguments to upgrade UniFi equipment. If you have your network, most of these reasons will still apply
Faster Download Speeds
The older UniFi access points are running older technologies and while there many tech improvements, the ability of newer equipment to provide faster download speeds is the most important. Older UniFi access points are running 802.11n wireless standard, whereas the newer models are running 802.11ac wireless standard. There are much more improvements than just this of course, like airtime fairness, spectral analysis and band steering among others. This is an easy one – if you want faster WiFi speeds, then you need to upgrade UniFi equipment
Better Performance
The older generation UniFi Access Points can only broadcast on 2.4Ghz frequency, which is effective and reliable. The downside to this is that the 2.4Ghz frequency is extremely congested as there are so many devices competing in the same channels. All new UniFi access points are dual band as standard, which means that in addition to 2.4Ghz radios, they also have 5Ghz. The 5Ghz range has many more channels and is much less congested. It is also much faster than 2.4Ghz. So for less congestion, better performance and higher speeds you need to get upgrading
Maintenance and Support
As good as the UniFi range is, it will, like all network equipment become more susceptible to issues if it has been in active use for many years. All these issues consume precious resources, be it spending time figuring out the issues, or paying for support to get potential issues fixed. This is a distraction from your core business and as WiFi is becoming more critical to business operations, it is not one that you should be wasting time on. New equipment will not require anywhere near the same level of maintenance and support, saving your business time and money. Newer models also have a very high monitoring capability, meaning potential issues are identified and dealt with sooner. To save energy, time and money upgrade your UniFi equipment for much less hassle
Access to New Features
Like all modern technology, WiFi is continuously evolving and although we have already addressed WiFi performance issues, there is also a collection of connection technologies associated with WiFi. Huge advances such as Internet of Things (IoT), beacons and Hotspot 2.0 among many others are examples of new technology connecting the world around us. Central to these new technologies of course is WiFi. Older UniFi equipment will not have the capabilities to facilitate many of these new technologies in the way that will be required. Third party services like Guest Portal Software for capturing email perform much better on the new UniFi range. If you want to stay ahead and get access to all the best new technology for your business, then you need to upgrade UniFi equipment right away!
Security
The most recent WiFi access points from UniFi use more recent wireless standards and as such offer a higher level of security for guests. Security is becoming a more important issue with public WiFi and more and more guests will question their options, to make sure that they are as protected as possible.
Single Unified System
Older UniFi equipment may be on several management platforms, such as UNMS as well as the UniFi controller. Even more likely is that the gateway on site and the switches are not managed at all, leaving only the access points with some level of visbility. Upgrading your equipment means that everything is under the UniFi controller and you will have full visibility. It is highly recommended that you use a cloud hosted UniFi controller. If you don’t know how, please check out our hosted UniFi controller service starting at $19 per month complete with a free SSL cert and automatic setup. A hosted controller along with new equipment will make your life much easier
Upgrade UniFi Equipment for ROI
Your original UniFi network may be running just fine, and probably will run just fine for a long time to come. That does mean that you will not benefit form upgrading your UniFi network. Their suitability to the small business market and their affordability means that it will be a relatively small investment. UniFi remains the best value for the quality of equipment by a long way in the market. There is no doubt that taking into the consideration the factors discussed above your business will get a return on investment (ROI) in a very short space of time. The reasons to upgrade are compelling – Better WiFi, happier customers and less hassle at a low cost.
