How to choose between Ubiquiti EdgeSwitch and Ubiquiti UniFi Switch. What's the difference?

Ubiquiti has two primary ranges of wired networking equipment, EdgeMAX, and UniFi. At face value, these two ranges have similar specifications and capabilities, so it may be difficult to choose between them. 

Therefore, this guide is here to help you:

• Understand the differences between UniFi Switch and EdgeSwitch

• What environment they are intended for use in

• Which is the most suitable for your set-up.

Ubiquiti EdgeMAX EdgeSwitch

The EdgeSwitch is a fully managed switch with a web-based user interface, CLI (Command-Line Interface) configuration capabilities and a comprehensive set of managed switch capabilities. While the GUI is user-friendly and intuitive, there are inherent advantages to using a Command-Line Interface to run operational commands and make configuration changes in computing and networking.

The EdgeSwitch is based on the EdgeOS Firmware, a proprietary software system for EdgeMAX devices. 

The hardware is similar in design to many other brands like Cisco and HP, rack-mountable in most cases and includes support for SFP and SFP+ on selected models for high-speed aggregation. 

Ubiquiti also sports two separate ranges of devices called airMAX and UFiber, which are aimed at high-speed wireless and wired data transfer over long distances. 

As such, Ubiquiti primarily created the EdgeMAX range to support the markets that EdgeMAX and UFiber are commonly targeted to, the Broadband / ISP and carrier markets.  

Ubiquiti UniFi Switch

UniFi was originally designed as a controller-based enterprise WiFi system. As the UniFi platform developed and gained traction in the SMB and commercial and hospitality markets, it became a natural stepping stone to include wired enterprise networking. 

As Ubiquiti already had the EdgeMAX range with a maturing software platform, Ubiquiti chose to integrate the EdgeMAX software into the UniFi Controller platform, designed to run on similar, but separate hardware to EdgeMAX. As such, the UniFi Switch was created, running on similar hardware and adapted EdgeMAX software to be configured by the UniFi Controller SDN. Instead of the carrier-grade feature set, enterprise features were integrated into the UniFi Controller platform while keeping the EdgeMAX brand invisible. 

The UniFi Switch products are designed for a wider IT audience and tend to be simpler and easier to use. Unlike the EdgeSwitch, there is no built-in software user interface on the UniFi Switch. 

Key Differences:

• Management:

  • The UniFi Switch hardware is a little easier to manage as a group through the UniFi software, while the EdgeSwitch hardware opens up a lot of the bells and whistles underneath. You can generally get more precise controls with the EdgesSwitch options, but if you don't need special access, the UniFi Switch might be more user-friendly. The downside to UniFi Switch is that it must be managed via the UniFi Controller and cannot normally be configured without first being adopted to the UniFi SDN Software.

• Routing features:

  • EdgeSwitch has limited layer 3 functionality. It can do, for example, static inter-VLAN routing. This means that you don't have a bottleneck in the form of, for example, the USG (UniFi Security Gateway) when you need to transport traffic fast between multiple VLANs simultaneously. There is nothing like that available on UniFi Switches.

• Physical appearance:

  • The EdgeMAX brand primarily uses black chassis designed for the hardware, making the UniFi Switches easily distinguishable, which are silver.

• UniFi integration:

  • UniFi Switches are designed to integrate well with UniFi APs (access points) and the USG (UniFi Security Gateway) router, allowing fairly complex network topologies to be created, managed and monitored within minutes via the controller web user interface. Whilst it is possible to do the same thing and more with the EdgeSwitch range, each switch would have to be configured separately and without integrated monitoring tools.

Conclusion

The EdgeSwitch brand vs the UniFi Switch brand is very similar in hardware design. However the primary use cases are very different. With different management concepts, physical appearance and capabilities, it is best to choose UniFi If you are already using other UniFi hardware, and choose EdgeSwitch for powerful functionality and integration into datacenter and carrier networks.