Unifi Cloud Key vs Cloud Key Gen2

[JoelM]

I am looking at doing a new install of 2 Unifi nano HD AP's. I was wanting to install a Cloud Key. Is there any justification for the $100 price difference between these two Cloud Key's?
All the installs I have done in the past were with the original Cloud Key & they are still up and running just fine.

 

[Sky-Knight]

G2 has storage, so you can use it for surveillance work loads. But, it's also as a side effect all but immune to corruption due to power failures. G2 has an internal battery, it'll shutdown clean in a power outage. G1 is fine if you're on a UPS, and you have a backup solution for the configuration it contains. You need to have a plan to restore the unit in the event the database goes south.

That backup reality is why I prefer to use the software on a Windows server somewhere. I have that thing backing up via images, so I don't have to think about Unifi's database separately. BUT... you don't want to lock your configuration window for your unifi stuff, behind an LACP group...

Replacing the switch that connects to your server, when it can't be configured because said server is LAG'd into the switch that needs replacing isn't terribly fun. Not hard, just swap the LAG mode into switch independent via out of band management... but not fun.

Again... understand and plan.

 

[Yosebas84]

I got a vm in Google cloud for this, just installed a controller and I manage all my clients from there.

 

[Mercenary Roadie]

Ther is a lot of difference between the Cloud Key and Cloud Key Gen 2. The CK tends to get corrupted on a regular basis and you lose the configuration and anything saved on the flashcard. The CKG2 solves the corruption problem by having a controlled shutdown procedure even when power is lost. It also has a better processor and memory.

 

[glennd]

Agreed about the power issues. Major pain. G2 has the full Protect software onboard ready to go for Unifi security cameras.

Remember, you don't need to have a controller running 24x7. I have a bunch of small one or two device customers. I haven't installed a key at all for these people. I add them to my software controller on my laptop. When I go on-site, my laptop is the controller. Once configured, the devices will run fine without a controller. This is fine if you are sure you will be the only person who will ever need to configure the devices.

 

[Mercenary Roadie]

Agreed about the power issues. Major pain. G2 has the full Protect software onboard ready to go for Unifi security cameras.

That is only true for the CK Gen2 Plus and at only $20 more it's a better deal than just the CK GEN2 in my book.

 

[glennd]

That is only true for the CK Gen2 Plus and at only $20 more it's a better deal than just the CK GEN2 in my book.

I stand corrected. I might also add in my neck of the woods there's $190 diff between Gen1 and Gen2 and another $30 for Gen2+.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

There are 2x newer versions of the small white Cloud Key. They're more like "v2"...not "Gen2".
They have a small power button on the side to allow it to power down more gracefully, and the storage on it is better, much less likely to corrupt if a "rude shutdown" occurs. I've yet to see one corrupt the mongo db. The earlier versions had a very slow storage, which was easy to corrupt.

The "Gen2" is a little thicker than the early white versions, has an LED readout on the end, and it will gracefully power down when power is pulled.

The "Gen2 Plus" is a much larger unit, wider...has a little 2.5" HDD on a drive sled that can eject. To combine the Unifi controller, with the Protect video system. The drive on it is for the video system storage. Also has built in battery for graceful shutdowns.

Way way way waaaay back when Unifi first went multi tenant, I built a controller in our RackSpace account and used that.
And then moved it to Linode.

But I don't feel like maintaining it anymore....well, maintaining "them". Not only the software updates...and occasional blow ups, but maintaining backups, and maintaining security. Yup..security, frequently overlooked...how may people hang an operating system direct on a public IP address without putting it behind a firewall? And keeping the host OS hardened, patched, etc? And monitoring that? Some of your clients network info is there!
We have near 75 sites or so on local Unifi controllers...such as Cloud Keys, or on a Server, or a virtual instance.
And we have about 125 sites on our Unifi controllers...a handful of legacy systems still on an old server on Linode, and the rest of them...I moved over to Hostifi.net They're great! They handle the upgrades, and they take care of backups, and security.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Pros and Cons.....

Pros of Cloud Key:
*Customer takes on the cost.
*Slightly quicker to setup/provision equipment onsite....just plug a new Unifi device into that network, launch the Unifi controller..and it will find the new device and be ready to adopt/provision it, all with the Unifi management GUI.
*If a cloud key or local Unifi controller blows up, just that 1x client site is down.

Cons of Cloud Key:
*Early versions have a good chance of having the mongo database corrupt.
*You can't provision devices ahead of time and ship out to the customer, need to wait until those devices are on the same network, or go do some special steps to make the Unifi controller of the clients network available to the new device(s) at your office. Setup a VPN network and manually SSH into them to set-inform, or temporarily setup port forwarding on the clients site to the CK..and then SSH/manually set-inform.
*More devices for your to maintain...each cloud key needing firmware and controller updates

Pros of your own hosted multi tenant cloud controller:
*You can setup new devices for the customer ahead of time if you wish, at your own office. Prep 'em and ship 'em out all adopted and provisioned. I prefer this.
*Centralized multi tenant controller...much easier to maintain just a single Unifi controller. No firmware updates. Just the Unifi updates. And if you use a service like Hostifi, you don't have to lift a finger for maintenance.
*Reliability
*For small setups, say..just a stand alone Unifi AP...makes it low cost and easy peasy to set one up for a client, instead of doubling the cost and having to include a CK. Course you could just install the Unifi controller on a desktop or Windows server...but, those can get to be a handful with occasional Java glitches.

Cons of your own hosted multi tenant cloud controller:
*Costs. So...for clients with more than a few Unifi devices....I add a little cabbage to their monthly MSP...for some Unifi network maintenance/management.
*If you choose to build and host your own...be it at your HQ or on SlAmazon or Linode....you're on the hook for keeping up with properly securing the host, keeping Unifi software updates going, and keeping backups.
*If it goes down, all your eggs are in one basket...all your client sites....can't do a thing til you restore it. I learned this the hard way back in the early days, when the Unifi controller was more prone to upgrades failing and tanking it.
*Certain functions require a local Unifi controller, such as captive portal.

So...we've run both for many years. Still have a few on local on-prem controllers. Esp much larger networks, like schools, or large clients. And we have I'd say almost 2/2..of clients moved over to our controller at Hostifi.