Master Unifi Mobility Fast!

Ready to master UniFi Mobility? WiFi-U is excited to launch the first in our new line of short courses: UniFi Mobility

In this online class, you’ll learn:

    •    Intro to Mobility

    •    Device Setup

    •    Configuring WAN Sources

-Wi-Fi and Subscription Management

-Advanced Configuration

This course is hosted right here on Thinkific, so you can learn at your own pace, from anywhere. Whether you’re expanding your UniFi knowledge or just starting, this class will give you the confidence to deploy mobility solutions with ease.

wifi‑U is Coming to the Unifi World Conference Miami 2025

🌴 Wifi‑U is heading to Miami!  We’re thrilled to be attending the Unifi World Conference this November — and the countdown is officially on!

Our team will be on-site next week, and we’d love to connect with you. Let us know if you’ll be there — let’s meet up!

Can’t make it in person? No worries — we’ll be live-streaming select sessions, so be sure to tune in and join the experience remotely.

🎓 Plus, we’re hosting Certified Ubiquiti Trainings right after the conference, right in Miami. Want details? Shoot us a message at [email protected].


To Mesh Or Not to Mesh

To mesh, or not to mesh? And honestly, it’s a fair question. Mesh networks sound magical — simple, seamless coverage! But before you go mesh-crazy, let’s talk about what really happens behind the scenes.

Using the Wi-Fi Calculator, we ran a little experiment.

In the first picture you see that at 43.8 ft and using a U7Pro and a client with a Wi-Fi 7 card, we have an expected real-world speed of 310 Mbps.  I can only achieve an MCS of 8 so I can’t take advantage of the high throughput speeds available with WiFi 7

 

When I add a U6 Mesh halfway between the devices I have a 430Mbps link between the Pro and the Mesh  

But only a 215Mbps link to the Client. What happened?  Even though the Signal between the Mesh Device and the Client is excellent and I can achieve an MCS of 1,1 I still only get half the throughput that the Mesh Device is receiving. 

⚠️ Welcome to the Law of Halves

Here’s the catch: Wi-Fi is half-duplex, meaning it can’t send and receive data at the same time. So when your Mesh AP talks to the main AP and your device, it’s splitting its attention — and its throughput.

Every time you add a mesh hop, your speed gets chopped in half:

  • 1 Mesh = ~215 Mbps
  • 2 Meshes = ~107 Mbps
  • 3 Meshes = ~53 Mbps
  • 4 Meshes = ~26 Mbps

And don’t even think about going beyond 4 — Ubiquiti won’t let you. The devices just won’t stay connected.

🛠️ So… Should You Mesh?

Here’s the golden rule: Mesh is great for small spaces with a few out-of-range clients — especially when running cable isn’t an option.

It’s installer-friendly, but user-unfriendly if you’re chasing high speeds or supporting lots of devices. If you can wire it, do it. If you can’t, mesh responsibly.

💡 Final Thoughts

Mesh networks are like fast food — convenient, but not always the healthiest choice for your network’s performance. Use them wisely, and your users will thank you.

 

Author: Eric Weber