Set up your first UniFi network

Goal and prerequisites

Build a working network with one gateway, one switch and one access point, then confirm that a wired computer and a wireless device can reach the internet. Start with the gateway's existing default management LAN. The Main, IoT, Guest and Cameras VLANs used later in this tutorial series can be added after this basic installation works.

You need an active internet service, its connection settings, a UniFi Cloud Gateway, an Ethernet switch, an appropriately powered UniFi AP, patch cables, a phone with the UniFi app and a computer with Ethernet. An integrated gateway with Wi-Fi can perform both the gateway and AP roles. A CloudKey manages applications but does not replace the internet router. Check the application and hardware specifications of your chosen models. [1]

Before disconnecting an existing router, photograph the cable connections and record the internet settings. Keep that router available for recovery. Use a wired computer for the initial configuration whenever possible.

Set up the equipment

  1. Identify the internet handoff. Locate the Ethernet connection supplied by your nbn equipment or modem. Connecting to the nbn guide explains Australian connection types. Connect that handoff to the UniFi gateway's port labelled WAN or Internet. Do not connect an ordinary AP directly to the nbn handoff.
  2. Connect the local network. Run one cable from a gateway LAN port to the switch. Connect the computer to the switch. Connect the AP to a compatible PoE port, or use a compatible injector with its LAN side connected to the switch and its powered side connected to the AP. Avoid a second switch-to-gateway cable during this first installation.
  3. Complete the gateway wizard. Power on the equipment. Open the UniFi mobile app near the gateway, permit the local discovery permissions it requests and select the new console. Follow its setup wizard. Name the site, select Australia and the appropriate time zone, and configure the WAN using the ISP details. A browser setup is also supported; use the gateway address or setup address shown by your model's guide. [1]
  4. Record your management details. Save the site name, local gateway address, owner account and recovery information in your password manager. If the old and new routers are temporarily in series, their LAN subnets must differ. Record that temporary arrangement so it is not mistaken for the final topology.
  5. Review updates. After basic connectivity is available, check the console and Network application's update screens. Read the release notes for the offered official release and apply required compatibility updates during this setup window. Let each update finish before removing power. Record the installed versions for future troubleshooting.
  6. Adopt the switch and AP. In Network, open UniFi Devices. Select each pending device, check its model and MAC address against the physical unit, and choose Adopt. Keep the AP and management host on the same initial LAN. Give the devices useful names such as SW-Study and AP-Hall. Adoption should finish before you change VLAN assignments. [2]
  7. Create the first wireless network. Open Settings › WiFi and create Home-Main. Select the existing default LAN in its Network field and select the intended AP. Set a strong unique passphrase. Keep the initial advanced settings at their defaults unless a particular client requires a documented adjustment. The selected network must be carried across every switch connection between AP and gateway. [3]
  8. Join and inspect a client. Connect a phone to Home-Main, with cellular data temporarily disabled for the test. Confirm that the phone appears in Client Devices. Record its IP address, gateway, connected AP and wireless band. Do the equivalent check on the wired computer.
  9. Save a configuration backup. Once the tests below pass, open the console's Backups settings and download a local backup. Record its date and the software versions. A configuration backup does not contain every file stored by every UniFi application. [4]

Verify the result

Use both the wired computer and phone to open two unrelated websites, resolve a hostname and reach the gateway's local administration page. Check that both devices received addresses from the intended subnet and that no unexpected second DHCP server is supplying leases. Disconnect and reconnect the phone, then confirm it rejoins the intended SSID.

Record the gateway WAN link speed, switch uplink speed and AP uplink speed. A functioning internet connection alone does not establish that every cable is negotiating the expected rate. Keep one short, known-good cable as a troubleshooting reference.

Troubleshooting and recovery

If the wired computer works but Wi-Fi does not, check the SSID's selected network, AP selection, password and client address. If neither works, work backwards from the gateway WAN status using Connecting to the nbn guide. If the AP never appears, check power and the switch port before resetting it; AP offline or not adopting guide provides the full sequence.

To return to the previous installation, shut down the new gateway normally and reconnect the photographed cable arrangement to the original router. Do not connect two routers' LAN ports while both are running DHCP on the same network. Keep the successful baseline backup before beginning the VLAN tutorials.

Sources

Back to the series

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