UniFi WAN Switches

Ubiquiti UniFi WAN Switches let you run two UniFi Gateways in Shadow Mode from a single internet connection. Plug your internet service in once and the switch feeds both the primary and shadow gateway, so if the primary fails, the shadow takes over in seconds. Choose 10G SFP+ ports for fibre and DAC links, or 10 GbE RJ45 ports for copper handoffs. Both are short-depth 1U rackmount switches with dual AC power inputs, managed right inside UniFi Network.

Keep the Internet On, Even When a Gateway Fails

Your gateway is the front door to everything on your network: Wi-Fi, VoIP, cloud apps, security cameras and payment terminals. If it fails, all of them go offline with it. UniFi Shadow Mode removes that risk by pairing two identical gateways, with the second running as a live standby for the first. The catch is that most internet services arrive as a single handoff, and two gateways need to share it.

That’s the job of the UniFi WAN Switch. It sits between your ISP and your gateway pair: one port takes the internet connection and two ports feed the primary and shadow gateways. Both gateways stay connected to the WAN at all times, so if the primary goes down, the shadow takes over in seconds, usually before anyone notices.

How It Works with Shadow Mode

In Shadow Mode, the standby gateway continuously syncs configuration, firewall rules and connection-state tables with the primary over a dedicated high-availability link, while its own WAN connection waits in reserve. The moment it loses contact with the primary, it steps in. There’s no cable swapping, no site visit and no reconfiguration, and you only need a single IP address from your ISP.

Because the WAN Switch is a first-party UniFi device, it’s adopted and monitored in UniFi Network alongside the rest of your stack, with failover detection built in. You get full visibility of the WAN edge instead of a generic switch you can’t see or manage.

SFP+ or RJ45: Choosing the Right Model

Both models share the same short-depth 1U chassis, 20 Gbps switching capacity, 10 Gbps non-blocking throughput and redundant power. The difference is how your ISP and gateways connect.

  • UniFi WAN Switch (USW-WAN): three 10G SFP+ ports (10G/1G) for fibre modules and DAC cables. The natural fit when your service is delivered over fibre or your gateways connect via SFP+.
  • UniFi WAN Switch RJ45 (USW-WAN-RJ45): three 10 GbE RJ45 ports with multi-gig support (10G/5G/2.5G/1G/100M) for copper handoffs from a modem, ONT or NTD, and for gateways with multi-gig RJ45 WAN ports.

On both models, one port serves as the ISP uplink and two connect to your gateways, with a separate GbE RJ45 port for management.

WAN Switch (USW-WAN) WAN Switch RJ45 (USW-WAN-RJ45)
WAN ports 3 × 10G SFP+ 3 × 10 GbE RJ45 (multi-gig)
Management port 1 × GbE RJ45 1 × GbE RJ45
Switching capacity 20 Gbps 20 Gbps
Non-blocking throughput 10 Gbps 10 Gbps
Power 2 × AC inputs 2 × AC inputs
Max. power draw 13 W 18 W
Form factor 1U, 120 mm deep 1U, 120 mm deep

Built So Your Failover Hardware Doesn’t Fail

A redundancy device shouldn’t add a weak point of its own. Both WAN Switches have two independent AC inputs with internal power supplies, so losing a single circuit or PDU won’t take the switch offline. At just 120 mm deep, they slot easily into shallow comms cabinets and wall-mount racks, and power draw stays low. Both are housed in a steel enclosure and are NDAA compliant.

Part of UniFi’s Full-Stack High Availability

The WAN Switch protects you against gateway failure. To guard against an ISP outage as well, add a second internet service with its own WAN Switch, as each ISP connection needs one. Pair it with MC-LAG on UniFi aggregation switches and redundant rack power to remove single points of failure from the edge to the core, with no licences or subscriptions required.

It’s a smart addition anywhere downtime is costly: multi-site retail and hospitality, medical and dental practices, schools, offices that run on cloud apps and VoIP, and MSPs managing client networks remotely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a WAN Switch for UniFi Shadow Mode?
If your ISP provides a single handoff, both gateways need a way to share it. The WAN Switch is Ubiquiti’s purpose-built option: plug the service in once and it feeds both gateways, fully managed in UniFi Network.

Do I need a second IP address from my ISP?
No. Shadow Mode works with a single IP address. The shadow gateway mirrors the primary and keeps its WAN connection on standby until a failover.

Which gateways are compatible?
Shadow Mode requires two identical rack-mount UniFi gateways: UDM-Pro, UDM-SE, UDM-Pro-Max, UDM Beast, EFG or EF Core, or a pair of UXG Enterprise gateways.

Can I use it with two ISPs?
Yes. Use one WAN Switch per internet connection, then set up multi-WAN failover on your gateways to stay online through both a hardware failure and an ISP outage.

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