Ubiquiti starts serving ads in their management interface • Hacker News Board

Re: Ubiquiti starts serving ads in their management interface

#111

Post by chenxiaolong » Tue, Mar 30, 2021, 2:19 AM UTC

Are there any good alternatives to their higher end products, like the UAP-AC-HD?

I currently have 2 of those, but have been thinking about replacing them because of increasingly buggy updates and especially after the AP firmware update that added the data collection code (I'm aware it can be disabled now). When I got them, I was looking for something that supported 802.11r, supported VLANs, and could sustain 500Mbps throughput from 2 clients (one on each AP). Ruckus APs also fit the bill, though they were 2-4x the price.

Re: Ubiquiti starts serving ads in their management interface

#112

Post by oxplot » Tue, Mar 30, 2021, 2:23 AM UTC

I'm super disappointed by recent update to Unify Controller on their CloudKey Generation 2. It now requires access to Internet and a Unifi cloud account in order to setup a local controller. I, like many others, have downgraded to the 1.x version.

And now this BS. Ubiquiti was one company I always rooted for, and recommended to friends. Time to move on I guess (for me, I've already spent many $$$ on my equipment unfortunately.

Re: Ubiquiti starts serving ads in their management interface

#113

Post by donmcronald » Tue, Mar 30, 2021, 2:27 AM UTC

karmicthreat wrote: post #98

For people needing alternatives. I've had good luck with foritgate. Some of their APs are dogs, but the fortios in general has been decent.

Way too many SKUs IMO and I think they’re quite a bit more expensive, aren’t they?

Re: Ubiquiti starts serving ads in their management interface

#114

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Mar 30, 2021, 2:33 AM UTC

kogir wrote: post #47

Ubiquiti has really fallen far. The 5.x series of controller with the AP AC (S)HD was great, but everything since has been hot garbage. The 6.x series of controllers is still basically a public beta and riddled with bugs. The newer MediaTek based APs have constant problems with client device compatibility, and can’t even reliably support DHCP on the newest official firmware and controller versions (or any of the last…

[deleted]

Re: Ubiquiti starts serving ads in their management interface

#115

Post by Daho0n » Tue, Mar 30, 2021, 2:33 AM UTC

owl57 wrote: post #44

andremedeiros wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is it misleading? Can you explain to me what the difference between "promoting an update to their own product" and an ad? This is an ad, pure and simple. They're pushing a product they know I don't own with a clear call to action, and without a way for me to remove it or disable it.

Ad is a broad term, this confuses people. This shit is definitely worse than ads on the box, but it also definitely isn't the entire monstrosity we have come to assume when hearing about ads on web pages.

I don't own the device but according to comments in this thread it has an ad you can't remove/dismiss and it uses Google Analytics. That is the same monstrosity as web ads.

Re: Ubiquiti starts serving ads in their management interface

#116

Post by bozzcl » Tue, Mar 30, 2021, 2:35 AM UTC

trylfthsk wrote: post #85

I think it's a common sentiment here, but I'm turning into a more extreme anti-advertising zealot every day. Even the large ad networks show paid content that violates what I would consider widespread ethical norms - presenting everything from hyperbolic claims to straight fraud to people with little repercussion. I'm reminded of a poignant example in television, where episodes of Jeopardy! are intertwined with their…

Yeah, you're probably preaching to the choir here. The tracking and advertising industry has an unprecedented amount of influence and control over our lives, it's getting harder to pry your life away from their claws.

Sadly, I think things need to get much worse before they get better. People still don't understand the dangers of it, though I believe this has already become a sociopolitical problem instead of just an annoyance.

Re: Ubiquiti starts serving ads in their management interface

#117

Post by webmaven » Tue, Mar 30, 2021, 2:36 AM UTC

comboy wrote: post #60

kogir wrote: post #47

Ubiquiti has really fallen far. The 5.x series of controller with the AP AC (S)HD was great, but everything since has been hot garbage. The 6.x series of controllers is still basically a public beta and riddled with bugs. The newer MediaTek based APs have constant problems with client device compatibility, and can’t even reliably support DHCP on the newest official firmware and controller versions (or any of the last…

I second that. Despite investing in their infrastructure and recommending to friends (so basically being biased to like it) they just don't seem to care anymore. I'm waiting for some company to take their place. And I don't see how making router software open source for a company that is selling hardware is not a win.

> I don't see how making router software open source for a company that is selling hardware is not a win.

There are several business tactics that are foreclosed by making the router software open source, mostly around price discrimination.

For example, you can't sell the same hardware for different prices with some hardware features turned off in the higher-volume cheaper SKU (which lets you apply greater efficiencies of scale to producing the hardware).

Of course, most companies that use price discrimination are only trying to maximize their profits, but it is worth noting that since hardware vendors that keep their software closed are able to pursue this tactic, it can leave hardware vendors with open software at somewhat of a disadvantage.

Re: Ubiquiti starts serving ads in their management interface

#118

Post by tumblewit » Tue, Mar 30, 2021, 2:52 AM UTC

I’ve owned unifi at home for about 6 years now. Their access points are a different kind of value for money. But their software stack is really annoying. First it needs java. They have switched to Apps as option but that limits the settings (and I like to fine tune). I think the UDM Pro is a great home router for up to 10G internet but I don’t find their software stack convincing given their phoning home was also under fire a while back. I think building your opnsense box and a managed switch is little more work but if you are buying udm pro you are skilled anyway to get it done on a weekend.

Re: Ubiquiti starts serving ads in their management interface

#119

Post by ballenf » Tue, Mar 30, 2021, 2:53 AM UTC

We need an excise tax on advertising. It’s more destructive than alcohol.

And a prohibition on adding it to any product after purchase.

Re: Ubiquiti starts serving ads in their management interface

#120

Post by pessimizer » Tue, Mar 30, 2021, 2:54 AM UTC

trylfthsk wrote: post #85

I think it's a common sentiment here, but I'm turning into a more extreme anti-advertising zealot every day. Even the large ad networks show paid content that violates what I would consider widespread ethical norms - presenting everything from hyperbolic claims to straight fraud to people with little repercussion. I'm reminded of a poignant example in television, where episodes of Jeopardy! are intertwined with their…

> a poignant example in television, where episodes of Jeopardy! are intertwined with their shilling quackery like Prevagen to an audience using the fear of aging.

Episodes of Jeopardy, now temporarily hosted by Dr. Oz.