Tuning up your network is akin to tuning up your car – because your network, like your car, runs at its peak with regular maintenance. As such, we do recommend a maintenance plan to keep your network configured properly and in tip-top shape for years to come.
When we install the equipment we will calibrate your network to perform optimally for your space. This calibration takes into account numerous factors, including: the construction of your walls local-area WiFi congestion areas in the home with great concentrations of internet traffic home WiFi usage needs and more Since a number of these factors naturally tend to shift over time, the settings implemented during the initial calibration will naturally become outdated. Regularly analyzing these metrics allows us to properly load-balance and fine-tune the WiFi settings for your home and needs.
Ubiquiti regularly releases important bug fixes and security updates, and vetting and implementing these updates is important both to ensure your network's security and to maintain a seamless WiFi experience.
You certainly can, but you'll want to have an IT or networking background and a healthy appetite for learning. ;) The UniFi dashboard is pleasant to look at, however the level of granularity and customization can be a little overwhelming unless you know what you're looking for.
Without updates, the network may appear to run fine for months, or even a year or more. However, if the equipment gets too behind on updates it may fall dozens of OS versions behind, eventually opening you up to security breaches and becoming impossible to update remotely. Once the OS is in this state it can be cumbersome to remediate and may require a somewhat painstaking process to manually update.
"Consumer-grade" products such as most routers and WiFi mesh systems are designed as a "one size fits all" model. This means their firmware is restricted and narrowly developed in order to meet the relatively low bar of "sufficiency" in the majority of homes. While there is much to appreciate about the "set it and forget it" mentality of these systems, many use cases require more control, visibility, security, and customizability. The system we use is at a much higher level, and is continuously being updated to both meet the demands of the community, and to deal with potential threats in real-time.