Ubiquiti airCube AC Home Wi-Fi AP

After researching I bought one of these to meet my specific need: adding reliable, strong wireless to my established home network. It replaces a pair of Linksys EA3500 router/wifi/switches, which did a good job for a long time. The AirCube did not disappoint. Disclaimer: I'm a career IT pro currently working as a Systems Admin for a large organization and bought this partly based on previous Ubiquiti experience (all good). My experience my therefore not pair up with someone who does do networking for a living. That said, the instructions are clear cut, setup can be done using the app via Bluetooth, and is very easy. I chose to do setup via wired connection. As a wireless access point (WAP) the Aircube while provides four Gigabit Ethernet ports. After feeding it Internet using one port, you're effectively left with three out. What I like: • This isn't a "kitchen sink" consumer-grade device. It does wireless, routing/switching, and has a DHCP server. It can be used replace/extend the wireless features on your ISP's router and provides better performance. • You can control the power output in the GUI. • The GUI provides real-time display of bandwidth, not only for the device itself but for each client connection. • Wireless coverage is excellent. This single unit replaced two WAPs and provides better coverage. • Data rates are excellent. Inside my home, which is old and full of plaster walls and ceilings, we went from 10MBps to 50MBPs on 2.4Ghz wireless and even higher on 5GHz. • It can be powered by POE and pass through POE to other devices - so you could easily add another WAP or external antenna. • Build quality is excellent - and the status light can be turned off completely or on a schedule, if you find it annoying. What I dislike: • You can't hide the SSID. The option simply isn't there. Ubiquiti knows about it and may add it in a future AirOS release (https://community.ubnt.com/t5/airOS-Software-Configuration/Hide-SSID-option-gone/m-p/2593188#M51170). Regarding the inability to hide the SSID, it's annoying but not a game-changer (unless you have that as a requirement). Hiding a wireless network is only an inconvenience to a determined hacker, but the reality is that there aren't a ton of people hacking home networks. Setting a strong password is really what you should worry about. However, this is a basic feature on nearly all wireless gear, so it's surprising to find it missing here. I would definitely buy this again, and I'd recommend this to anyone looking for strong wireless performance with basic networking skills. It's a tiny wireless powerhouse with a polished look, excellent GUI and strong performance.