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, what do i do if all the light on my router does not light up even after i restart and everything and what could cause it like that?
Send it back for a warranty claim.
Hi Blacktubi, Thank you for reviews on the Deco and Archer routers. Recently i’ve gotten upgrade from TM to 300mbps and they offered Deco M4. And i have connected Deco M4 to fibre modem. It was working fine for 2 days, then it just kept showing Red led light, like it’s bricked and there was no internet connection. Ive tried a few times but the problem keeps happening. Then i’ve reconnected the Deco to DIR-842 router (old one), and now using it as an access point. The Deco App especially during reboot mode, takes so long for rebooting. From my… Read more »
I am not sure whether the Deco M4 supplied to TM is the same as the normal consumer version. But frankly, the Deco M4 is the cheapest model in TP-Link lineup so don’t expect perfect condition. Since the Deco M4 is not working reliably for you, might as well consider getting a router that will perform good.
Thank you for your reply Blacktubi, enjoyed your reviews.
Hi blacktubi, Thank you for such a detailed review on these routers! I am currently subscribed to unifi 500mbps and are still using the black d-link wifi router that they gave me. Recently I purchased the house next to me and had setup a gaming room over there. I cant get any wifi signal in the room hence i purchased the deco m4 (2 pack) from unifi. I place one deco next to the router and the other one in that room, i can get 50-60 mbps of speed now but i would like to get higher speed since i… Read more »
Well, I guess you know mesh WiFi works since you used the Deco M4. The Deco M4 is a cheap mesh WiFi system. I think it’s the cheapest Gigabit model in TP-Link’s lineup. You can consider something higher-end like the Deco X20 or even Deco X68.
Hi, which router is recommended to upgrage from my old Dlink EA08 for 2 storey house (2500 SF). Currently on 500mbps Unifi plan
That’s a really old model. I will suggest go for a mesh WiFi system instead and buy the best one that you can afford.
I don’t have any knowledge about mesh WiFi system, can you suggest any best model/brand I can use.
For cheaper models you can conside TP-Link Deco M5. For higher budget you can consider ASUS ZenWiFi XT8, TP-Link Deco X90.
Thank you for the advice
Using TP-Link C1200 for Unifi 300Mbps right now and I’m torn between changing it to TP-Link Archer AX20 or AX73, any advice?
Go for the most expensive model that you can afford so you’ll have no regrets opting for the cheaper one and spending more to fix it later on.
Hi, I’m currently on 800 Mbps plan but never got the full speed since I’m using the standard router provided by them. The question is, should I get a router (Archer C5400) and increase the coverage via mesh (X90) or just use the mesh as a router itself and expand the coverage with multiple mesh? Thanks!
Just straight away use the Deco X90 twin pack and expand if you need more. As for the full speed, it will depends on the signal and device you use.
Thanks for the reply. I just set my X90 as router as PPPoE and it’s working fine. But somehow I couldn’t use the Ethernet cable with my X90 (router unit). What setting should I change?
Maybe I should add that I connected the 2.5 Gbps port on the main X90 deco to the modem and tried to connect my laptop to the other 1 Gbps port. It says that there’s no internet connection on my laptop. Any specific setting that I should do/change on my X90?
Yup I know what’s wrong. By default, TP-Link reserves the second port for HyppTV. I will try to describe it as words here. You must change the VLAN/IPTV setting as manual. Use VLAN ID 500 for the Internet and disable the IPTV function.
Hi! I’m currently subscribed to Unifi 100mbps plan and is currently using the router that they provided which is the Dlink DIR842 C2.
I’m now thinking of upgrading my router to Tp Link Archer AX20/AX73 and since I am living in a double story house, I’m also considering of buying the tp link deco m5 to add more coverage.
Is this a wise choice to make? Looking forward to hearing from you. Cheers!
If you already planning to get the Archer series, just top up with the OneMesh extender and configure it properly. If you want to get Deco, go full Deco.
Is Tp-link deco M4 works fine for UNIFI 100Mbps ? Double storey house. Thanks
More than enough
Hi, im currently using Ax55 for my unifi 500Mbps with tplink re300 just to extend the connection to room near the back of the house. It is just that sometimes there is intermittency loss of connection. Could it be due to the wifi extender? Or is it stability of Ax55? Any recommendation?
WiFi Extender will always be slower and unstable so this is why people moved on to mesh WiFi these days. Since your RT-AX55 support AiMesh, you can buy another unit of RT-AX55 to boost the WiFi signal.
Hi Blacktubi,
Im currently subscribed to 100mbps Unifi and having problem with lag or spike lag most of the time as well as half the speed I subscribed for. Reported numerous time and TM reps recommended to change the router after having tested that optical fiber is working fine and TM router may be the caused. I’m living in a double storey house. Any recommendations that can solve the lag issues? Budget Rm500 below of whichever that can solve the lag issues. Thanks.
That’s a healthy budget. Archer AX73 from TP-Link is a good choice.