Ubiquiti UniFi Cloud Key: first look

This isn’t a post about Skype for Business, Microsoft Teams or development. It’s part of a set of blog posts I’m going to be doing about the Ubiquiti Unify mesh WiFi system.

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Introduction

When it comes to networking, I’m a hobbyist, not a professional. I like to think I know basic good practice, I can set things up and look after them, but I’d have trouble explaining exactly the difference between ac/n/g, and I’m put off ordering SFP cables because it all seems too complicated.

However, I like technology and I like to fiddle with things. That’s what led me to decide to replace my home WiFi with the Ubiquiti Unify system. I’m going to publish a separate blog post about that soon, but leading up to that I’ve been taking a look at the individual components as I’m getting them out of their boxes.

When it comes to projects like home renovation, building things, or rewiring networks, I’m a planner. I like to know what’s going to happen so that I can do research. Part of the fun of doing it is reading all the reviews, making choices about what to buy, trying to future-proof yourself etc. It took us nearly 3 months to buy a TV because I insisted on understanding how the model numbering system for the brand we wanted to buy worked so that I could more easily compare models as we saw them.  Whilst I was planning things for my new Unify network I had some questions that I couldn’t easily find answers to. What I really wanted was a video of someone opening the box and going through all the parts. When I didn’t find that video I decided to make my own. That’s what these videos are.

Ubiquiti UniFi Cloud Key (UC‑CK)

 

This video is for the Ubiquiti UniFi Cloud Key. This is an optional piece of the puzzle – you need a computer in order to manage all the UniFi hardware and run the UniFi dashboard. You can use an existing computer, or use this Cloud Key. The Cloud Key is essentially a Linux computer packaged into a nice form factor, pre-installed and ready to go. It means you don’t have to worry about keeping the software running somewhere. With the Cloud key you can also access your UniFi dashboard anywhere in the world thanks to Cloud Access.