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.
hi Blacktubi, currently using asus rt-ac58u with unifi 300mbps. with upgrade to 500mbps incoming, is the asus router sufficient or upgrade? if there is a need for upgrade, what will be a decent wifi router with good 5ghz wifi strength?
Since you are using ASUS, perhaps you can consider upgrading to RT-AX57 or TUF-AX4200.
these 2 asus routers seems a bit over the budget, apologies for not stating it earlier. I’m looking at rm300 or less, are the routers below this price suitable for 500mbps ? thank you.
At RM300 or less, you might as well just use your old router. You need to spend a bit more to see a signficant upgrade. Things have gotten more expensive these days.
i see, what about other brands like tplink? i read a bit on ax53 and ax55, are these considered as significant upgrade?
Yup, those are Wi-Fi 6 so they will provide a better speed especially when you’re further to the router. However, don’t expect much improvement in the coverage.
Hi Blacktubi
i been using unifi 800Mbps (Turbo Upgrade 2018)
on AC1200 DIR-842 router connecting by LAN to 2 Desktop, a Smart TV, a Tv Box and around 15 wireless device
i have a pair of Mesh WiFi Deco M4 laying around still new in the box
can teach me how to upgrade my setup to get the full speed?
do i change the router or should i go mesh?
Your current system is actually quite weak, I believe you facing frequent slow-down and Wi-Fi problems. Consider upgrading to something at least AX5400 and above for a better performance.
Hello,
I would like to ask I had a D-Link router by Unify which now my plan upgraded from 100mbps to 300mbps, it seems like current Unifi router could not support the speed and fully utilise it, I have a Deco M5 upstair act as range extender, as I have few ethernet cables usage, I couldn’t really utilise Deco, so in this case, is there any good TP Link routers series to recommend with a budget of RM600 ?
My house is double storey, so coverage is really important.
Perhaps you can consider the Archer AX73 model. It should fit your bill.
Hi Blacktubi
Thankyou for your informative reviews.
I’m going to replace my Unifi router.
A friend has suggested I install two Aimesh Asus routers, the RT AX 1800 HP. Cost for two units around RM800.
He said it will provide good cover for my bungalow (20mtr x 12mtr), and also give a signal in the garden.
What’s your thoughts on this?
Thanks 👍
The RT-AX1800HP is a great choice but perhaps I will suggest going for a higher end model like the ZenWiFi XD5 or even the ZenWiFi XT8 for faster speed. The RT-AX1800HP is not that fast especially when compared to the 2 higher end models.
Good Day, with all these speed upgrade. Do i need to upgrade my BTU/fiber optic modem?. Still using the old alcatel lucent I-240G-P but my router is Deco M9plus. Cant seems to get above 200bmps.
Your modem is an older model, perhaps you can give TM a call and complain about it and hopefully they can provide a free replacement without contract renew.
Hi
I have Unifi 100 plan but will change to 300 soon.
It’s very erratic now and streaming is unreliable. I have older Unifi router, Fiberhome SR120.
What should I buy to replace for reliable signal.
House is 1 floor but 4 bedrooms so quite big
Thanks
What’s your budget?
I would like to know if tp-link archer C1200 can use mesh wifi or not? My internet speed is 300mb but unless my device is right next to the router, I can’t get full speed. Is it possible to use mesh wifi with tp-link archer C1200?
I recommend just chaning the Archer C1200 into something newer like the Archer AX53.
hi may need your help for setup router for my house
internet speed 800mbps
double story terrace house; total 4 rooms (staying with family)
Avg 10-12 devices connect to internet (smartphone, tv, tablet, etc)
got 3 laptops connected with LAN cable due to wfh need stable internet connection.
Should i get deco+ switch or 2 wifi 6 router ?
Since you already have Ethernet backhaul at your home, just get Deco X20 and connect them to the existing Ethernet backhaul and they should work pretty great.