Unifi Router Buyer's Guide in 2021
If you use Unifi at your home, you are probably not so happy with the speed and stability of the WiFi network. That’s because TM is still a business and they cannot give an expensive router while remain profitable. But, luckily, TM doesn’t stop you from buying your own router.
While the router provided by TM isn’t too bad, they have slower CPU and weaker WiFi coverage. This means they aren’t very good if you stay in a bigger home or if you have more WiFi devices at home. Thus, in this article, I will show you some WiFi routers that I’ve tested that will recommend for you to upgrade your home WiFi router.
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⚠️ This guide is only intended for Unifi Fibre users!
Table of Contents
Unifi Fibre Equipment Overview
All Unifi Fibre installation come with 2 devices which is the fibre modem and WiFi router. The Fibre modem comes with lifetime warranty from TM and it is non-user replaceable. But, don’t worry as the WiFi router rarely breaks down and it performs well. What we will be focussing is the WiFi router part which will impact all your home networking performance.
Unifi Router Brands
Once you purchased the new router, please request your Unifi login ID and Password from TM. You will need them when configuring your new router. Once you got everything ready, remove your old wireless router and connect the new router to the ONU. You have to reconfigure your new wireless router. The process depends on the brand of the router but generally, you just need to insert the PPPOE ID and password and select the Unifi profile on the router.
TP-Link Unifi Router
TP-Link routers are fully compatible with Unifi. TP-Link offers really good value for money as their routers are usually cheaper while delivering the same level of performance compared to their competitors. They offer a 3 years warranty on all their networking products.
You can refer to my guide on how to setup TP-Link Unifi router here.
Model WiFi Specification Suggested Plan Beamforming MU-MIMO Maximum NAT speed Retail Price
Archer C5400X Gaming AC5400 800Mbps ✔ ✔ 941Mbps RM1499
Archer C5400 AC5400 800Mbps ✔ ✔ 941Mbps RM949
Archer C4000 AC4000 800Mbps ✔ ✔ 941Mbps RM999
Archer C3150 AC3150 800Mbps ✔ ✔ 941Mbps RM799
Archer C2300 AC2300 800Mbps ✔ ✔ 941Mbps RM639
Deco M9 Plus Mesh AC2200 500Mbps ✔ ✔ 800Mbps RM999
Archer A10 AC2600 800Mbps ✔ ✔ 941Mbps RM639
Archer A9 AC1900 500Mbps ✔ ✔ 941Mbps RM439
Archer C9 AC1900 500Mbps ✔ – 941Mbps RM469
Deco M5 Mesh AC1300 500Mbps ✔ ✔ 800Mbps RM439
Deco M4 Mesh AC1200 300Mbps ✔ ✔ 800Mbps RM399
Archer C7/ A7 AC1750 500Mbps – – 800Mbps RM312
Archer C6/ A6 AC1200 300Mbps ✔ ✔ 941Mbps RM209
Archer C1200 AC1200 300Mbps – – TBD RM279
Do note that HyppTV do not work on their Deco mesh series of products but Internet is working properly.
Asus Unifi Router
Asus is another well known brand in the wireless router industry. They are slightly more expensive but they have really solid performance and the AsusWRT firmware offers the most comprehensive set of features. Asus also pioneer their AiMesh technology which allows you to use several compatible Asus routers to form a high performance mesh network. Asus routers come with 3 years of warranty in Malaysia.
You can refer to my guide on how to setup Asus Unifi router here.
Model WiFi Specs Suggested Plan AiMesh BF MU-MIMO Maximum Internet Speed Price Range
RT-AX88U AX6000 800Mbps ✔ ✔ ✔ 941Mbps Unreleased
Asus ROG Rapture GT-AC5300 Gaming AC5300 800Mbps ✔ ✔ ✔ 941Mbps RM2489
RT-AC5300 AC5300 800Mbps ✔ ✔ ✔ 941Mbps RM2209
RT-AC88U AC3100 800Mbps ✔ ✔ ✔ 941Mbps RM1809
Asus Blue Cave AC2600 800Mbps ✔ ✔ ✔ 941Mbps RM1099
RT-AC68U AC1900 500Mbps ✔ ✔ – 850Mbps RM1039
Lyra Trio Mesh AC1750 500Mbps ✔ ✔ ✔ 850Mbps RM1579
Lyra Mesh AC2200 500Mbps ✔ ✔ ✔ 850Mbps RM999
RT-AC66U B1 AC1750 300Mbps ✔ ✔ – 941Mbps RM859
RT-AC1300UHP AC1300 300Mbps ✔ ✔ ~500Mbps RM569
RT-AC58U AC1300 300Mbps ✔ ✔ ~500Mbps RM479
RT-AC1200G+ AC1200 100Mbps – – ~400Mbps RM449
D-Link Unifi Router
You probably heard of D-Link before as they are one of the oldest brand selling networking gear in Malaysia. They also produce some really great networking equipment. New D-Link routers are fully compatible with Unifi. They are also rather affordable while delivering good performance.
You can refer to my guide on how to setup D-Link Unifi router here.
Other Brands (Tenda, Netgear and etc)
There are also other brands in the market and most if not all Enterprise level gear can be configured to support Unifi. But, we do not include them in this list as they may be harder to configure for most users.
Netgear is known for requiring manual setup of VLAN for it to work with Unifi.
Heads up, I’ve tried the TP-Link C3150 and it does not support IPv6 properly. I’ve tested all the available settings to no avail. Therefore I am returning it. Do not get this router if you want to futureproof yourself with IPv6 connectivity. I now understand why TP-Link is cheaper than the competition.
You are correct. TP-Link IPV6 configuration is a bit of a hit and miss.
Hi Blacktubi,
Just bought Linksys WRT1200AC to replace my D-Link unifi router. Do you have the guide to set it up for unifi and hypptv on linksys router? Thank you very much….
I not sure about the compatibility of this router. I never own any Linksys router unfortunately.
Hi, I have quite a big house. I am currently using Asus N56u and it is set up on the first floor. However, I’m getting poor wifi signal on the ground floor. I tried using the TPLink Powerlink but it is not helping much due to three phase. Can you recommend any good router?
It depends on your budget but I recommend something at least RM500. Since you are familiar with Asus, RT-AC88U or RT-AC68U are great.
Hi,
I’m considering these two; Asus RT-AC1200G+ and TP-Link Archer C7 to replace my stock D-Link DIR-615. Unifi subscription is 50Mbps and device connected are 8 ~ 10. Which one you prefer? If neither care to suggest?
RT-AC1200G+ due to the much newer hardware and better firmware
Do you know how to configure wds bridging for Tp-link AC1750 as secondary router? Im using AC1200 provide by tm as primary router. I tried to configure but I can only receive the internet via Lan with my secondary router but the wireless was not working.
I afraid both of the router do not support a repeater mode for wireless.
hi do you have a list of ASUS routers that supports both Time Fibre?
All Asus routers support Time
Hi, is that possible or impossible for me to change the modem provided by TM & using Asus modem.
Thank you
The Huawei modem by TM is pretty good already. You can change the router
Is TD-W8980 compatible with Unifi
No
Hi Bro,
Just wondering what unifi router model do you recommend for average decent home use with hypp tv and 2 or three more LAN connections? Plus some capability for me to control who can acces at any specific time. We live in a two storey house and wifi access is like oxygen to many of us 🙂
For example Sunday : 8AM to 12PM- Son’s computer with mac adress xxxxxxxx. and so on
Based on your posts above, I feel like buying asus but still uncertain which model number.
Thank you
You will definitely need one of the more advanced Asus routers with a comprehensive parental control firmware. You need to get RT-AC68U and above.
Hi,
I don’t see Asus RT-AC1300UHP and Asus RT-AC58U in your list. Is it compatible? And any review on these 2 products? Am thinking of getting either one of these. Can you explain whether the MU-MIMO feature in this product benefit for us end users?
Thanks.
MU-MIMO allow for more concurrent connections but you need MU-MIMO capable devices for that. So it is rather limited for now. I have not got both of the products for review, I will try them in the near future.
Hi,
I’ve been checking out the new RT-AC1300UHP too and comparing it with the old RT-AC55UHP, and honestly, if I don’t own any MU-MIMO capable devices, what other benefits would the newer RT-AC1300UHP give other then more RAM as compared to the old ?
and since the older RT-AC55UHP has been around the market for awhile, im sure I can get it cheaper relatively to the newer RT-AC1300UHP.
Thanks
Hi,
I just got the RT-AC1300UHP for review and I am still testing it. I don’t think MU-MIMO is valuable but the specs and performance increase is worth the small premium.
Hi, I don’t see asus rt-ac1300uhp in your list? But the box say unifi compatible? I think is a new product from asus. Is it ok?
Thanks.
Yes, it is compatible. I haven’t receive a review unit from Asus.
using unifi lite with tplink archer c1200, Android getting dl 10mbps/ul 0.3mbps with 2.4GHz wifi. No problem when using laptop wifi or lan. Any idea to solved this?
Could be the wifi chip is broken in your phone?