Since the customer also wanted to have the WiFi in the shed, I also needed to buy a Wireless Access Point. I noticed that Ubiquiti recently released two basic access points, Aircube ISP and Aircube AC. The former is cheaper but supports only 10/100 and 802.11n. It's still a relatively good option for budget oriented builds and certainly better than many ISP routers.

The latter support gigabit connectivity and 802.11AC with 2x2 antennas. What makes these really good is the hardware and stability. I've used Ubiquiti gear for a few years and it just works. You don't need to reboot them every week if your speeds drop or you lose the connection, unlike most provider routers. They can also be powered with Power Over Ethernet (PoE), so a single network cable can provide both data and power, rather than having to position the access point next to an outlet.

So, I ordered one and tried to set it up. Not as easy as I thought! I connected a network cable and the included power adapter. Downloaded the UNMS app from Google Store and it immediately showed the Aircube device. I clicked on the device and it showed its IP address. The default username and password ubnt/ubnt didn't work. I noticed there is also an option to scan the QR code (it's on the bottom of the Aircube) and did that. My phone immediately tried to login and after a minute or so the login failed. I tried disabling and enabling WiFi, restarting the phone - it still didn't work. Ok, forget it...

I found the Aircube WiFi network and decided to connect it this way. Not it seems to have worked. Next, I opened the UNMS app and clicked on the device again. It asked for the password, which is also written on the sticker. Bingo! Now I'm in! Accepted the user agreement (does anyone read them?) and the app started "reloading device configuration". I stared at that screen for a few minutes and it seems like nothing was happening. Ok, clicked the log out button and then logged in again. Now I could see the settings and manage the access point. First thing I did was downloading new firmware. The AP was shipped with version 1.0.2 (ACB). Not so fast... the app asked for permission to see local files and then complained that no firmware was found on my phone. I wonder why it can't just download it automatically from Ubiquiti...

I downloaded version 2.4.0 to my laptop. Instead of trying to figure out where to put the firmware file on my phone so the app can see it, I tried typing the AP's IP address and voila! - was able to login to its web interface. Strange, a lot of people complained that these units can only be managed with the app. I clicked the "Upgrade firmware" button and it took about two minutes to finish. Logged in to the device again and I was running the latest version.

Then I did some speed tests. Sitting about 10 meters away from both Ubiquiti Unifi UAC-Pro (one of the enterprise access points) and AirCube, I got the following results.

Unifi - 108 Mbps down, 125 up.

Aircube - 177 Mbps down, 153 Mbps up

The results puzzled me. How come the cheap Aircube has better performance? I decided to try the same with my laptop. It has an Intel Dual-Band AC7260 card and I've seen 400 Mbps in the past...

First, Unifi.

Next, Aircube.

That is really strange! I decided to go and sit halfway between them.

Same story... Aircube is a bit faster.

Ok, what about the distance?

I walked out of our shop and crossed the road. At about 30 meters away from both APs, I had -64 dB signal from Unifi and -84 from Aircube. Being in the same room but 15m away from each, I got -56 dB from Unifi and -62 dB from Aircube. What about walls penetration? I walked to the back room, separated by two walls and got about -74db from both. So, Unifi wins on the range as expected.

Next, the configuration options

Aircube can be configured as either AP or repeater. Every major configuration change results in having to restart the device. For this customer, AP is what I need as it will be connected to a wireless P2P link. Repeater is useful for situations where you want to connect to a router further away and place your own access point in the middle.

From the app, I can also see the devices connected to it, along with their transmit power and download/upload speeds. It also shows total uploaded and downloaded data, and the counters reset every time the device reconnects.

The configuration allows putting different settings for 2.4 and 5Ghz SSIDs. I noticed that only WPA2-AES security is supported. For 2.4Ghz, you can also specify channel width (20 or 40 Mhz), frequency (Auto, 2412-2472 with 5Mhz intervals), and output power (from 5 dBm to 22 dBm). For 5Ghz, the channel width can be 20, 40, or 80 Mhz, frequency either Auto or 5180-5240 with 20 Mhz intervals, and Output power from 5 to 17 dBm. Changes here don't require a restart.

The network settings screen can be used to set up the IP address (DHCP, Static, PPPoE) or put the device into Bridge or Router mode. I read that the router mode is rather useless as the features are limited. Ubiquiti makes a proper home grade router for this purpose, called Amplifi.

The System screen allows enabling PoE Passthrough (the device has PoE in and PoE out - allowing to power two Ubiquiti devices with just one adapter), set the Timezone, and disable the LED. It's not very bright though.

Next screen is Site Survey. It's rather basic but good enough for checking what other networks are in the area, what frequencies and channels they use.

There is also an option to make the configuration backup (stored in the UNMS app) and restore to factory settings. That's it, but it's more than enough for home use.

Couple more things I noticed...

The supplied power adapter is 24V and it can power another Ubiquiti 24V device through the PoE out port without having to connect a PoE adapter into PoE In port. Doesn't seem like a big deal but PoE adapters cost money so this feature will save a little bit.

The access point mode disables the DHCP server mode so if the Aircube isn't connected to an existing network, it's impossible to connect to it. As I mentioned before, scanning of the QR code doesn't do anything. The only way to configure these in the field would be doing all the configuration with the network already in place or by configuring a static IP address on a laptop and accessing the AP configuration directly.