Ubiquiti UniFi UDM-SE Dream Machine Special Edition,

I have two of the Non-SE versions and lacking POE is a real problem for small office or home office setups. Not having a hard drive was a bit of a surprise as well.
This version, although being probably a little poor value for money, fixes those two big issues. The extra speed is a nice bonus.
Setup and configuration is as easy as any other Unifi kit. I have two of the Non-SE versions and lacking POE is a real problem for small office or home office setups. Not having a hard drive was a bit of a surprise as well.
This version, although being probably a little poor value for money, fixes those two big issues. The extra speed is a nice bonus.
Setup and configuration is as easy as any other Unifi kit.

I was thinking of getting the UDM Pro, but the lack of PoE held me back, so I was excited to see the UDM SE become available in NZ, and even more so because of the 2.5 Gbps WAN port! (There's also the SFP+ WAN port, but I have no plan for > 2 Gbps Internet connection at this time, and using an RJ45 to SFP+ transceiver can create heat issues.)

Unfortunately, the caveat is that the uplink from the switch component to the router component is limited to 1 Gbps, so you won't get full use of the 2.5 Gbps WAN connection even with a 2 Gbps hyperfibre plan, unless you connect another switch using the SFP+ LAN port. I ended up doing that as it turne...view more I was thinking of getting the UDM Pro, but the lack of PoE held me back, so I was excited to see the UDM SE become available in NZ, and even more so because of the 2.5 Gbps WAN port! (There's also the SFP+ WAN port, but I have no plan for > 2 Gbps Internet connection at this time, and using an RJ45 to SFP+ transceiver can create heat issues.)

Unfortunately, the caveat is that the uplink from the switch component to the router component is limited to 1 Gbps, so you won't get full use of the 2.5 Gbps WAN connection even with a 2 Gbps hyperfibre plan, unless you connect another switch using the SFP+ LAN port. I ended up doing that as it turned out that I needed more than 8 ports anyway.

Nonetheless, as a single network appliance replacement for a Unifi security gateway and cloud key (with disk storage), while offering the option of up to 2.5 GbE WAN connection, is excellent. If I didn't need so many ports, the switch with PoE would have still been alright, even with the disappointing uplink.

If you can manage without some advanced features, it’s still great product! I have not yet found a better affordable networking ecosystem yet. If next generation Unifi gateways will have some other than Unifi OS or they will fix Unifi OS issues, I’m definitely going for it. If you can manage without some advanced features, it’s still great product! I have not yet found a better affordable networking ecosystem yet. If next generation Unifi gateways will have some other than Unifi OS or they will fix Unifi OS issues, I’m definitely going for it.

I’m not that enamoured with this router. I think a better buy would be an ordinary Dream Machine with a switch that provides POE if that’s the reason you are purchasing. I’m also somewhat disappointed with the Wi-Fi performance from the Unifi U6-LR:110D access point that I’m using with it compared to my old router, but that’s another story. The interface is a GUI that does everything the unit is supposed to be capable of. The VPN offering is currently limited to L2TP unless you include the rather limited Teleport function. No Open VPN support or Wireguard. If you like swapping between two Guis and using what can only be described as a...view more I’m not that enamoured with this router. I think a better buy would be an ordinary Dream Machine with a switch that provides POE if that’s the reason you are purchasing. I’m also somewhat disappointed with the Wi-Fi performance from the Unifi U6-LR:110D access point that I’m using with it compared to my old router, but that’s another story. The interface is a GUI that does everything the unit is supposed to be capable of. The VPN offering is currently limited to L2TP unless you include the rather limited Teleport function. No Open VPN support or Wireguard. If you like swapping between two Guis and using what can only be described as a messy unergonomic interface go for it. Otherwise, I would currently give this a miss.