The Unifi Dream Machine SE and Pro versions are great network gateways for most smart home enthusiasts. But what if you want most of this funtionality in a more compact and decor-friendly format? Something that can replace your current all-in-one WIFi router combo but adding far more power and features?
That’s where the Unifi Dream Machine (UDM) comes in as the baby of the trio from Ubiquiti’s UDM product range.
As we saw in our recent UDM-SE vs. UDM-Pro comparison, they are oriented more towards the home server in a rack audience. But the UDM is a simpler affair that will not look out of place in your living room.
So let’s take a deeper look at the Ubiquiti UDM vs. UDM-Pro.
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What is the Unifi Dream Machine?
The Unifi Dream Machine essentially combines a Unifi Security Gateway (USG), a Cloud Key, a managed Unifi switch and a Unifi Wi-Fi access point all into one compact and elegant device.
Differences between UDM and UDM-Pro
The main selling point of the UDM series is a network gateway that packages a hardware firewall, a managed switch and a very versatile management software interface. This software ‘controller’ makes it a breeze to add and centrally manage switches and wireless access points across your home or office.
On the hardware front, these are the main differences between the UDM and UDM-Pro:
- UDM has a single WAN port, but the UDM-Pro has dual-WAN.
- UDM WAN is gigabit ethernet, whereas UDM-Pro WAN has a 10 gigabit SFP port and a 2.5 GbE ethernet port.
- UDM has 4 gigabit ports, but the UDM-Pro has 8 such ports.
- UDM doesn’t have SFP+ port, UDM-Pro has a 10 gigabit SFP port.
- UDM has a built-in Wi-Fi access point, but the UDM-Pro doesn’t.
- UDM has 2 GB RAM, but the UDM-Pro has 4 GB RAM.
- UDM doesn’t have a hard drive or SSD slot, the UDM-Pro comes with a 128 GB SSD drive.
- UDM is not rack-moutable, but the UDM-Pro is.
- UDM doesn’t have redundant power supply support, but the UDM-Pro does (Unifi Smart Power).
- UDM doesn’t have WAN or LTE fail-over, but the UDM-Pro does.
- UDM doesn’t have an LCD display, but the UDM-Pro has a touchscreen LCD display.
On the software features side, this is how the UDM and UDM-Pro differ:
- UDM does not have the Unifi Security Console interface, but the UDM-Pro does.
- UDM has only 850 mbps throughput when DPI is on with IDS/IPS enabled, but the UDM-Pro can do 3.5 Gbps.
- UDM doesn’t have any NVR support, but the UDM-Pro supports Unifi Protect.
- UDM doesn’t have honeypot feature, but the UDM-Pro does.
Full Comparison Table – UDM vs. UDM-Pro
| UDM | UDM SE | |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware Firewall | Yes | |
| Managed Switch | Yes, non-PoE | Yes, PoE |
| Router | Yes | |
| Wi-Fi Access Point | Yes | No |
| Software | ||
| Built-in Controller | Embedded Unifi Network Controller | Embedded Enterprise Application - Unifi Network Console |
| Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) | Yes | |
| Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) | Yes | |
| Intrusion Detection System (IDS) | Yes | |
| Honeypot | No | Yes |
| DNS Filtering | Yes | |
| GeoIP Filtering | Yes | |
| VLAN support | Yes | |
| Automatic QoS | Yes | |
| VPN | Teleport, VPN Server (L2TP over IPsec), Site-to-Site tunnel, VPN Client (L2TP over IPsec) | |
| NVR feature for CCTV | No | Unifi Protect |
| Hardware | ||
| Processor | Quad-Core ARM Cortex-A57 at 1.7 GHz | |
| Memory (RAM) | 2 GB DDR RAM | 4 GB DDR4 RAM |
| On-board Flash Storage / SSD | 16 GB eMMC | 16 GB eMMC Integrated 128 GB SSD (M.2 half-size) |
| HDD bay | No | 2.5" / 3.5" |
| Power Supply | AC/DC power adapter, internal, 24V | AC/DC, Internal, 240W |
| Max Power Consumption | 26W | 50W |
| ESD/EMP protection | No | Air: ± 15 kV, contact: ± 8 kV |
| LCM display | No | 1.3" touchscreen |
| LEDs | White/blue status | Ethernet SFP+ HDD RPS |
| Networking Interfaces | ||
| Dual WAN | No | 1x 10G SFP+ and 1x 2.5 GbE RJ45 |
| WAN | 1x 1 Gbps RJ45 port | 1x 2.5 GbE RJ45 port 1x 10G SFP+ port |
| LAN | 4x 1 GbE RJ45 ports | 8x 1 GbE RJ45 ports 1x 10G SFP+ port |
| PoE | No | 2x PoE+ IEEE 802.3at 6x PoE IEEE 802.3af |
| Wi-Fi built-in | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ac‑wave2 | None |
| Desk-mountable | Yes | |
| Rack-mountable | No | Yes 1U |
| Management Interface | ||
| Ethernet | Yes | |
| Bluetooth | No | Yes |
| External Device Support | ||
| Power Supply Redundancy and Failover | No | Unifi SmartPower RPS (USP-RPS) |
| LTE Failover Redundancy | No | UniFi LTE |
| Performance | ||
| Throughput | DPI with IDS/IPS: 850 mbps throughput | DPI with IDS/IPS: 3.5 Gbps DPI w/o IDS/IPS: 8 Gbps |
| Product Support | ||
| Warranty | 2 years when purchased from UBIQUITI’S Webstores 1 year when purchased from an authorized UBIQUITI distributor or reseller | 2 years when purchased from UBIQUITI’S Webstores 1 year when purchased from an authorized UBIQUITI distributor or reseller |
UDM vs. UDM-SE
Here’s a quick summary of what the UDM-SE adds over the UDM-Pro:
- UDM-SE has a managed PoE switch whereas the Pro only has a managed switch.
- UDM-SE has a 2.5GbE WAN port whereas the Pro only has a 1Gbps WAN port.
- UDM-SE has an integrated 128 GB M.2 SSD whereas the Pro doesn’t.
- UDM-SE has an RPS indicator light for the Redundant Power Supply (RPS) but Pro doesn’t.
- UDM-SE has a physical lock to secure the power cord whereas the Pro doesn’t.
- UDM-SE is more expensive than the Pro – check the latest prices below.
So clearly if you want any of the above features, go for the UDM-SE instead of the UDM.
Conclusion
The UDM is a powerful and feature-packed all-in-one Wi-Fi router & security gateway that has advanced features like port isolation, VLANs, and central management of additional Unifi Wi-Fi access points in your home or office. So think of it as a straight replacement for a trafitional Wi-Fi router from your ISP or Asus/Linksys/Netgear etc.
If you dont need the extra hardware and software features of the UDM-Pro or UDM-SE, the standard UDM should be fine.
But do think about the downside of an all-in-one device: the UDM suffers from the risk of the entire unit being useless if one of its sub-components fail.
So wherever possible, I recommend building your system from discrete parts such as the UDM-SE + Unifi 6 Access Points rather than one single device like the UDM that becomes totally useless if one of its key components fail.
Let me know what you think and please feel free to ask any questions or doubts you have!
Where to Buy
Unifi UDM
Unifi UDM-Pro
