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Optimising UniFi Performance

· 3 min read
Adrian Mace

Introduction​

Below are the key settings that I apply my UniFi installation for optimal performance.

I have observed these settings improving reliability and performance across a large number of customer sites and hardware, and in my latest Dec 2023 update of this blog I lean on Ubiquiti's improved default options, now more than ever.

My personal environment includes the following parameters:

  • Regulatory Domain: Australia.
  • Hardware: 4x U6-Pro Access Points.
  • Controller: Unifi Dream Machine Pro running UniFi OS 3.2.7.
  • Clients: Mostly Apple & IoT devices with HomeKit capabilities.

The hardware in my personal environment have been positioned using the UniFi Design Center to target -67dBm or greater signal to all clients when the access points are configured at a High power level.

Radios​

  • Select all 2.4GHz radios and ensure:
    • Channel Width is set to 20[MHz].
    • Transmit Power is set to Medium.
  • Select all 5GHz radios and ensure:
    • Channel Width is set to 80[MHz].
    • Transmit Power is set to High.
  • Ensure all radios have their own unique, manually selected channels
    • For 2.4GHz, alternate between 1, 6, and 11.
    • For 5GHz, alternate between 36, 52, 149, 100, and 132.
Selecting WiFi Channels

For more information on selecting the right WiFi channel, check out Gough Lui's article from 2018 which still holds true today for WiFi 6.

Settings​

WiFi​

This section was possibly the most important and influential section of the blog post for many years, but it is no longer necessary (and for a very good reason!).

My recommendation is to now leave the Advanced setting set to Auto for all of your SSIDs.

This decision was not made lightly. I have spoken with various Ubiquiti representatives and have learned that all of my recommendations are now the default values, so we do not need to override these settings any more.

Networks​

Global Network Settings​

  • Ensure IPv6 Support is enabled.
  • Ensure Multicast DNS is enabled and your network is selected.
  • Ensure IGMP Snooping is enabled and your network is selected.

Global Switch Settings​

  • Ensure DHCP Snooping is enabled.
  • Ensure Jumbo Frames is disabled.
  • Ensure Flow Control is enabled.
  • Ensure 802.1X Control is disabled.

System​

Updates​

  • Ensure Device Auto Updates is set to On.
  • Ensure Daily Check is set to 6 AM.

Backup​

  • Ensure Auto Backup is enabled.
  • Ensure Schedule is set to Weekly.
  • Ensure Maximum Number of Files is set to 7.
  • Ensure Data Retention Days is set to Settings only.

Advanced​

  • Ensure Wireless Meshing is disabled.
Wireless Meshing

Most UniFi access points are not great at meshing, because they do not have a dedicated mesh radio. If you know that you need a wireless mesh you can keep this setting enabled.

If you are a home user who requires wireless mesh capabilities, I would recommend Eero devices instead.

  • Ensure New WiFi Device Auto-Link is disabled.