After years of running Pfsence as my home router and pairing it with a handful of unmanaged Netgear switches, I finally decided it was time for a change. pfSense has served me well—stable, reliable, and endlessly configurable—but it had begun to feel overkill for what I needed. I wanted something easier to manage, with a cleaner interface, built-in Wi-Fi, and the ability to expand into a more unified ecosystem.
Enter the UniFi Dream Router 7 (UDR7).
With support for Wi-Fi 7, dual-WAN, and a slick central management dashboard through UniFi OS, it ticks a lot of boxes. At £213.96, it isn’t the cheapest router on the market, but the convenience of having routing, Wi-Fi, network control, threat management, and device monitoring all in one device makes the price feel reasonable.
Replacing the Switches: Goodbye Netgear Unmanaged
My previous setup relied on unmanaged Netgear switches. They worked, but they limited me—no VLANs, no PoE control, and no visibility into device connections.
The new UniFi switch lineup gives me:
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VLAN support
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PoE+ for powering devices without messy injectors
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Centralised management through UniFi
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Port-level monitoring and control
For the refresh, I added:
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2 × Ubiquiti USW-Lite-8-PoE switches (52W) @ £81.79 each
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1 × Ubiquiti USW-Flex-Mini three-pack @ £67.25
The Lite-8-PoE units are perfect for powering access points, cameras, or VoIP phones, while the Flex Minis handle the low-demand devices without taking up much space.
First Impressions
The biggest difference so far? The UniFi ecosystem makes network management simple.
Instead of juggling separate dashboards and CLI commands, everything—from firewall rules to PoE power levels—is handled in one place. The visual topology map alone is worth the move, especially after years of guessing what was plugged in where on unmanaged switches.
Wi-Fi performance has seen a noticeable bump too. Moving from an older dual-band AP to Wi-Fi 7 has given better coverage and higher throughput for newer devices.
Was It Worth It?
For home labs, small offices, and enthusiasts, the answer is yes.
The Dream Router 7 delivers robust routing and wireless performance without the complexity of pfSense. The switch upgrades bring control and visibility that unmanaged hardware simply can’t match.
And now, instead of patching together equipment from different vendors, I have a cohesive ecosystem with:
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One interface
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One controller
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One set of logs
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Seamless updates
It’s not the cheapest route, but in terms of ease of use and capability, it’s been a solid upgrade.
The Verdict
Pfsence remains a powerful option, and I still recommend it for those who need maximum flexibility or enterprise-level tinkering.
But for a streamlined setup that blends strong performance with easy management, the UniFi Dream Router 7 and UniFi switches are a refreshing step forward.
If you’re ready to retire unmanaged switches and gain more insight and control over your network, the move is well worth considering.
