With the internet and network connections becoming important for the users, companies are launching new routers. However, nothing matches the convenience of the all-in-one routers. Ubiquiti has recently launched two of these all-in-one routers, known as UniFi Dream Machine and AmpliFi ALIEN. Both these routers are designed to work as wireless access points, network switches, and routers. For this reason, these routers have become extremely popular among small businesses and homes. Having said that, if you want to choose between the two, we have a full guide to help!
UniFi Dream Machine vs AmpliFi Alien:
UniFi Dream Machine
Commonly known as the UDM, this router has been designed to offer a complete UniFi network in the form of a cylinder. To begin with, there is no Wi-Fi 6 technology in this unit, but that’s compensated with other advanced features of the router. It has the appearance of a regular router (the UniFi experts call it the UniFi OS console). It means that the router is designed to operate on the network software.
In addition to this, it has been integrated with the firewall and routing features, along with a wireless AP (access point) and a four-port switch. It has been integrated with a quad-core CPU with ARM configuration, which makes it a highly capable router, while the firewall keeps the network interferences away to achieve stable and fast internet connections.
There is a managed Gigabit switch in this router which allows the users to establish a wired internet connection for over four devices. When it comes down to the wireless access point, there is a two-by-two 2.4 GHz and four-by-four 5 GHz configuration, which is perfect for apartments as well as small and medium-sized homes. There are ten spatial streams, which sometimes limit the internet performance, particularly when you connect the Wi-Fi 6 devices. However, the four-by-four wireless 5 connections will be perfect.
When it comes down to the internet speed throughput, it’s the same as the ALIEN router with wireless 5 technology. For instance, it offers anything between 400Mbps to 500Mbps speed on smartphones. It has been designed with the UniFi controller that allows the users to configure the network and monitor it to make changes. As far as controlling and configuration is concerned, you can do it through a mobile phone app or the web interface.
It allows the users to set up the routing, guest networks, VLANs, and firewall rules. This router is a promising choice for homes and small offices but won’t be enough in the bigger office spaces. However, the UDM needs some work as the software has some lagging points. When it comes down to the internet speed, it offers over 600Mbps speed on the four-by-sour channel, while the speed is spiked to 1733Mbps on the four-by-four AC channel.
Contrary to AmpliFi ALIEN, it only has one 5 GHz band, but there is an AP mode that allows the users to use this router as a gateway for other devices to connect. In addition, you can set up the router in the AP mode for extending the current wireless connection of the hardware. On top of everything, it has a mesh-ready design, promising flexible network connection. However, it doesn’t have dual WAN and link aggregation features.
Last but not least, it has been designed with 2GB of RAM as well as 16GB of flash storage, promising easier firmware and software update installation.
AmpliFi ALIEN
ALIEN by AmpliFy has been designed to make the mesh networks easier for everyone, irrespective of how tech-savvy they are. All you’ve to do is to plug it in, access the AmpliFi smartphone application, and the app will automatically identify the router for connectivity. This is a Wi-Fi router that supports the wireless 6 technology and has a built-in mesh system that’s designed with two components, including the router as well as MeshPoint. The users can purchase the router separately or as a 2-piece kit; it’s totally your choice.
The best thing about this router is that it can be connected to other routers to establish the mesh network. The router is designed with a green ring-based LED on the bottom part along with black sides. In addition, the router has a sleek design, along with a vibrant touchscreen. The touchscreen shows information about the number of clients connected to the network, the present IP address, and the current network utilization.
The LED ring light and the screen can be switched off as per the schedule (yes, you can schedule the turning off of the unit). In addition, it has a bigger footprint as compared to other mesh routers in the market. The primary router has a touchscreen, an Ethernet port with a WAN and gigabit configuration, and four Ethernet ports for LAN connections. On the other hand, the MeshPoint doesn’t have a screen, and there is only one Ethernet port. In addition, the Ethernet connection of the MeshPoint is perfect for creating the wired connection to the client device.
AmpliFi ALIEN has powerful antennas and radios. As far as the network features are concerned, there is a four-by-four radio (Wi-Fi 6) and an eight-by-eight 5 GHz channel, which promises a high-speed internet connection and higher throughput. As far as the software part is
concerned, it can be used and controlled with the AmpliFi smartphone app, which is available for Android as well as iOS users. The app helps make and control the device profiles, and you can schedule the downtime for these devices.
In addition, there is UPnP for people who participate in online gaming, custom DNS, DHCP, as well as a bridge mode in case you want to leverage the router as an AP (access point). On top of everything, it allows the users to create guest profiles for temporary network connection. To illustrate, the software or UI is quite easy and simple, which makes it perfect for beginners and non-tech-savvy people, but there are no compromises on the internet throughput.
Overall, this is a top-notch mesh system that’s easier to operate and manage. So, if you want to upgrade the Wi-Fi connection, ALIEN would be an apt choice!
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is that AmpliFi ALIEN is recommended for regular home use as the features are basic yet high-performing. However, UniFi’s router has more advanced networking features!