This week, Ubiquiti launched the oddly named Swiss Army Knife Ultra (UK-Ultra) access point. On the face of it, some of the specs are interesting but with Ubiquiti’s new Ultra line of devices, they are focusing on a lower price as well as the flexibility of the installation. This does add some confusion, as the Ultra name suggests it is somewhat above Pro in one way or another. However, what is this new AP and where does it sit in the lineup?
The UK-Ultra was launched on Tuesday 2nd January at the price of $109 in the US, but it has since been dropped down to $89. Whether this was a mistake or a direct response to some the initial criticisms from the community is unknown. The actual device is pretty small at 137mm x 84mm x 34mm which makes it pretty similar in dimensions to the U6-IW. The UK-Ultra can be used either indoors or outdoors and features a wide variety of mounting options, either on a wall, ceiling, desk dock, or pole.
You also have two ways to broadcast the WiFi signal from the AP, either by using the integrated antenna which has 6dBi of gain on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz, or by using an external antenna using the RP-SMA connectors on the top. Much like the comparable UAP-AC-M, you can use the “bunny ears” antenna or a directional panel. Both of these options are not yet available, but according to Ubiquiti, will be soon.
In terms of WiFi, this doesn’t support 802.11ax (WiFi 6) just 802.11ac. However, Ubiquiti have explained that the market for the Ultra devices are aimed at the cost effective end segment which might explain why this decision was made.
The new Swiss Army Knife Ultra (UK-Ultra) is now on sale in the official Ubiquiti store for $89 in the US and €87.60 in the EU. In Canada and the UK it is marked as ‘coming soon’ and will cost $105CA in Canada and £75.60 in the UK.
