In this post and the next I’ll be going over how I upgraded from a Ubiquiti UniFi Security Gateway (USG 3P) and original Cloud Key to a UniFi Dream Machine SE. Spoilers in advance: the upgrade didn’t go as planned, and I had to start from (nearly) scratch.

Update: part 2 is at /networking/2022/09/01/unifi-upgrade-2022-2.html.

I appreciate good home internet which “just works”. UniFi has been exactly that; seeing the family through lockdowns, proliferating devices, streaming teenagers and 5 years of only very minor technical hiccups. As it’s come time to replace some aging hardware, I planned to consolidate and modernise a couple of devices with as little fuss as possible - and maybe take advantage of new capabilities.

First, the old setup (I’ve previously posted about the initial install in 2017 and added AP/switch in 2020):

NBN modem
 └─ USG                 }
    ├─ 8-port switch    } UDM replacing these
    │  ├─ Cloud Key     }
    │  ├─ AP 1
    │  └─ AP 2
    └─ 8-port switch (not currently used)

The USG had an IP address of 192.168.1.1, and my overall plan was to replace this with the UDM with the same address, and restore a backup from the Cloud Key to the UDM.

Before the UDM arrived, I updated the existing UniFi devices to the latest version(s); following the update, I was running UniFi Network Application version 7.2. I also took a bunch of screenshots of settings from the dashboard - just in case.

Then, I downloaded backups from the dashboard to my computer:

• Support Information > Network Configuration
• Backup > Download Backup > Settings only
• Site Management > Export Site

Once the UDM arrived, I plugged it from the switch to the WAN port on the UDM. I figured this was supposed to work without disrupting my existing network, however it didn’t and I couldn’t get internet on the UDM. Wanting to continue anyway, I unplugged the USG and plugged the UDM directly into the NBN modem. Apart from my computer - which was wired to the UDM - no-one in the house had internet. The clock was ticking!

Next I opened a browser window to the UDM default dashboard at 192.168.1.1 and applied necessary updates, ending up on Network Application version 7.2. At some point during the update, the IP address of the UDM changed to 192.168.0.1, so I changed it back.

I should say this part of the experience was really well done. The mobile app particularly was helpful, in addition to the UDM touch screen.

So far I was about 30 minutes in to the process, and apart from no internet, all was going well.

Then I attempted to upload the backup to the UDM.