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.
I am moving to a double storey soon with a 2500 sf buildup. Is it an overkill for me to be buying either a TP Link C5400X or Asus RT-AC5300 for ground floor and have the TP Link AC1200 as AP on the second floor? Would it be preferable to have RT-86U on the ground floor? I will be having PS4 and Xbox, and EVPad sharing the line.
Nothing wrong with getting a more powerful router for the better WiFi signal and coverage.
Hi there, I have been upgraded to the 500mbps and using my own bought Asus AC1200, however I’ve only managed to get around 100 mbps on 5GHz. what settings are I’m not doing right?
Try testing using Wired LAN to check what is the fastest speed.
Hi, I have unifi 800mbps and am staying in a triple story house. The router and modem is located on the 2nd floor. Any recommendations for a good performance router?
If you budget allows, consider the ASUS RT-AC86U.
hi bro….i wanted to change my old router which im already use since the first batch of unifi (2014 if not mistaken)….the old silver router from TM….today im went to TM center and they suggest me better to buy new router from outside retail……they suggest me to buy new router which they recommended is Asus and after buy need me to call 100 to ask they technician to set up it for me….anyway, my unifi is RM169 which is include the HYPPTV…..went to PC shop and they recommended to ASUS RT-N800HP…..really need ur opinion bro…. =) very noob about this… Read more »
Don’t but the RT-N800HP, it is not good enough. I suggest either the ASUS RT-AC1300UHP or the TP-Link Archer A9.
which of those Asus and TP Link that recommended also compatible with HyppTV?
All ASUS and TP-Link compatible with HyppTV.
i have a 800mbps turbo unifi plan. so basically, the minimum specs that i need to get to squeeze 800mpbs internet speed is AC2300?
If you want WiFi Speed to reach 800Mbps, that is pretty much impossible.
yeah i know it is basically impossible to get the full 800mbps. Just figuring out how to get best percentage from 800Mbps that i possibly can
It is technically possible to get full 800Mbps with ASUS PCE-AC88. For other devices like the latest smartphone, it is around 500Mbps with a good router like ASUS RT-AC86U or TP-Link Archer C2300.
i know. its just that my plan is 800mbps, but currently i cant get over 100mbps. the max i can get is around 90mbps. i dont expect to get the full 800mbps as it is quite impossible, but surely i should get more than 100mbps, right?
With a modern smartphone and a good router you should at least get 300Mbps at good signal.
Another question, seems I’m ready with to splash my cash on better product, to cover 2 unit ( I’m staying next door to my parent) in total of 3100sqft double storey, should I go for Asus Lyra Trio Mesh or TPLINK Deco M9 Plus Mesh??
The Deco M9 Plus is a better product than the Lyra Trio. To get even better performance, consider ASUS RT-AC86U twin pack.
Which one is better??? Lyra Mesh or Lyra Trio Mesh. I’m subscribed to unifi 800mbps and trying to share my wifi range to next door (my parent living next door) in short, trying to cover 2xdouble storey house
RT-AC86U twin pack.
The DIR-895L is selling for RM799 currently. I plan to put my router in my living room, my unit is around 1300sqft. The distance from the router to the master bedroom and toilet would be around 15-16m. Would the DIR-895L be the best value for money purchase, or is there a better choice to go for at a much lower price point?
This router is no longer maintained by D-Link and comes with a ton of firmware issue.
If I am able to afford the Asus RT-AC88U. Is there any reason I should get it over TP-Link Archer C3150.
Set-up: Double story house with modem & router at upstairs. Unifi Turbo 800mbps. Only uses 1 or 2 lan ports to connect to PC & PS4. Others are mobile devices/tv box (6 to 7) over wifi.
Currently I have no problem getting full speed over wired lan on PC. It’s just that the mobile device over wifi are slow like hell. So I want to fix this by getting a better router.
The current version of the RT-AC88U comes with the latest RangeBoost chipset for really good WiFi performance although ASUS don’t advertise it. Not to mention ASUS track record of firmware support.
What’s the best TP Link and Asus router for Unifi 500 mbps budget below RM1k? And how much are you missing out by getting a TP Link router vs Asus router if both are the same price?
ASUS Router customer service is a lot better and their firmware are always updated. If budget not an issue, I will always recommend to go for ASUS. ASUS RT-AC86U or TP-LINK C5400X are good choice.
HI Alvyn,
I’m torn apart between TP-Link C2300 vs D-Link DIR-882. Both are in same price range (+-) and on paper I believe Dlink has the advantage in term of WiFi speed and coverage. But on the otherhand, TP-Link has the best USB 3.0 speed as per your review.
What is your opinion on this?
C2300 is better in every single way than the DIR-882.
Howdy,
Planning to use google WiFi to replace Unifi’s provided crappy router.
Heard VLAN is required and it can get complicated?
Unless there’s other mesh network router that’s Malaysian Unifi friendly u can recommend
I recommend TP-Link Deco Mesh series, it is very easy to setup and user friendly just like Google WiFi.
Is it true that the Unifi’s provided router is ‘crappy’? and how better does the asus and tp-link router perform than the Unifi’s provided router?
It depends, there’s high end and low end routers. A high end router will give you better WiFi speed especially when you are further from the router, better stability when you have more devices connected.