Ubiquiti launched the new UniFi Device Bridge Pro (UDB-Pro) a few months ago and due to how similar this looks to the NanoBeam 5AC, people can often get the two confused. These both do very similar things, but take different power inputs and are managed in different ways too.

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What is the NanoBeam 5AC?

The NanoBeam 5AC is part of the UISP side of Ubiquiti and is therefore more designed for the WISP and ISP world. Up until recently, the NanoBeam and other airMAX devices have been the best way to get separate buildings linked together. For most simple deployments, the introduction of the UniFi Building Bridge and now the Device Bridge devices, offer an easier solution for some people.

The NanoBeam can be a standalone device and has its own GUI for management. It can also be managed with the UISP controller if required.

The NanoBeam 5AC is part of the WISP devices that Ubiquiti makes and therefore uses 24V passive PoE, something modern UniFi switches don't support anymore. While adaptors can be used, this adds additional complexity and cost.

For more complex deployments, the NanoBeam or any airMAX devices still might be a better choice than the Device Bridge Pro, as multiple stations can connect back to a NanoBeam if required.

The NanoBeam 5AC offers PoE passthrough, but only at 24V, which is the same as what powers it.

What is the Device Bridge Pro?

The Device Bridge Pro (UDB-Pro) is designed as a simple way to get a wired device online, without running extra data cables. With this Pro model, Ubiquiti suggests a gate camera as the perfect use case. You might have power where the camera is, but don't want to run new data cables. The Device Bridge Pro can power the UniFi Camera, but also seamlessly connect to a UniFi Access Point.

Unlike the NanoBeam, the UDB-Pro doesn't have its own standalone GUI and must be adopted to the UniFi controller to work.

There are some limitations with the UDB-Pro. While multiple of them can connect back to a UniFi WiFi AP as stations, when used as the AP, they can only be used in pairs.

The NanoBeam 5AC offers PoE passthrough and can be powered by 802.3af or 802.3at (PoE or PoE +), but requires 802.3at (PoE+) for PoE passthrough.

How do these differ?

The NanoBeam 5AC offers:

• PtP and PtMP support
• More advanced VLAN bridging and speed limiting
• More flexible wireless settings
• Standalone management and GUI

The Device Bridge Pro offers:

• Simple management with the UniFi Controller
• Plug and play setup with UniFi APs
• 802.3af PoE support, offering better compatibility with new UniFi switches

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HostiFi provides hosting for both Ubiquiti and TP-Link software-defined-networking (SDN) applications, with servers for UniFi, UISP and Omada. We also offer network consulting, with HostiFi Pro.