Hey everyone, I'm helping someone set up a small office for about 4 users, and we need to have around 12 active ports plus Wi-Fi. My previous experiences have been with devices like Cisco ASA, Fortigate, and Meraki, but I'm a bit out of the loop now. We're starting from scratch here, and the only potential resource might be a license manager running on a laptop. I'm considering using Tailscale if necessary. I'm thinking of going for a combination of Cloud Gateway Ultra, Switch Light POE 16, and UAP-AC-U6 Pro, but I want to confirm if I'm on the right track. Any suggestions would be super helpful! Thanks!
2 Answers
Totally agree about going with UniFi for a small office. A lot of folks overthink it—if the network works fine after a reboot, that’s all you really need. I've had an Edgerouter X with UniFi access points running at a small business for years with no major issues.
For small branch setups, we've had good results using Fortinet with Aruba Instant On gear. Just keep in mind there’s some uncertainty with Aruba due to recent company changes. If you're looking for an alternative, definitely check out Ubiquiti; their offerings have improved, especially with their recent firewall updates.
Exactly my thoughts! I’ve been in IT for over two decades, and it seems silly to overcomplicate things for just four people. The anticipated setup cost is around $600, but using high-end options like Fortigate would skyrocket that. Do you use the VPN features with your Ubiquiti gear? That might be important for the license manager.