UniFi Controller

UniFi Controller

The UniFi Controller is a dashboard add on that will allow you to connect and manage any UniFi access point connected to your SimpleWAN network. The setup of the device is fairly simple and you should be able to get the AP online within 10-15 minutes.

Below is a list of supported UniFi products with our current controller (4.8.15) and the future controller to be released soon (5.6.29).



The reason for the maybe supported on the in-wall UniFi models has to do with the documentation specifically dictating that version 5.4 of the controller be used. We will be updating our controller to the most current available, which is higher than version 5.4. Although, it may work with the new version, we will not know until we are able to test it!

Getting Connected


Before doing anything you will need to enable the Unifi Controller in the edit page of your site. This can be found from the account overview page of the SimpleWAN dashboard. Select the site you want to enable the UniFi product on, and then select the edit icon next to the site name. Once this has been enabled go ahead and connect the UniFi AP to your network. 

DHCP & DNS will need to be enabled on the SimpleWAN device in order for the device to adopt correctly.
Below are the recommended options to fix this issue as well as the warning message that you will see: 
1. Enable this site's DHCP server for any/all VLANs that the Access Points will use, and disable any other DHCP servers which would conflict.
OR 
2. Set your third-party DHCP server to use this site's LAN or VLAN IP as the only DNS server.
OR 
3. Set your third-party DNS server to return the IP of 35.170.36.121 for the unifi.(your local domain) query.
For example: if your DHCP server gives clients a domain name of acme.internal then you should create a HOST (A) DNS entry in your DNS server for unifi.acme.internal pointing to 35.170.36.121 – Note that the IP may change in the future. Refer to the documentation for your DNS server and for Ubiquiti UniFi Layer 3 Adoption for further instructions.

*Please note, you will need to factory reset the UniFi AP in order for it to adopt correctly.*

Adopting the Device

Once you have connected the AP to your network, let it sit for about 5 minutes. After time has passed, go to your SimpleWAN dashboard and choose the UniFi Controller tab on the left side of the site overview.


This will bring you to the UniFi interface. Once there you should see the MAC address of the UniFi AP connected to your network. Copy the MAC address listed, past it into the textbox, and hit save. The device will be adopted to the dashboard within 2-5 minutes.



* Please note that if the MAC ID does not auto populate, you will need to search the ARP table for the UniFi AP device.*


Creating Network

Instructions for Version 4

Once the device has been adopted to the network you will need to configure your wireless network. Go to the UniFi interface page and you should now see a Unifi network overview.  (When editing existing SSID's it will cause the unifi device to reboot, which will drop all wifi connections.)


From here you will need to scroll over to the Wlan option on the page. On that option button you will see a wrench icon. Click on the icon and you are then brought to a page where you can now create your wireless network.

Instructions for Version 5

1. Click on the Unifi Controller area. It should take you to a new Page.
2. Login using the predefined credentials that are placed there.
3. Click on Settings (Pictured Below)


4. Select Wireless Networks 


5. Click on Create a New Wireless Network


6. Fill Out the information needed. 


7. Save

If you wish to connect this to an existing vLAN, just click on the Advanced Options and put a check on: 
and input the VLAN TAG/ID that you created.

Upgrading from Version 4 to Version 5

The upgrade process from Version 4 to the Unifi controller version 5 feature is fairly straightforward.

If the Unifi feature is already active, disable the feature.

  1. Log in to your SimpleWAN dashboard, and go to the Account with the Site you wish to upgrade.
  2. Click on the Edit Button (First Yellow) to open the Edit Site Page. 
  3. Go down to Ubiquiti UniFi® Cloud Controller and  Disable  it.

  4. Save it and wait for the Site to Sync.

  5. While waiting for the Site to Sync, you may begin to Factory Reset the Unifi devices. Press and Hold the Reset Button (often right next to the Ethernet port) for 15+ seconds.
  6. Once the Site has Synced, go back to the  Edit Site Page .
  7. Go down to Ubiquiti UniFi® Cloud Controller (billed) and  Enable  it. Switch the UniFi® Controller Version from Version 4 to Version 5.

  8. Save it and wait for the Site to Sync.
  9. Once completed, you may begin to re-adopt the devices into your Unifi controller by following the steps provided in the page.

    • Related Articles

    • Managing SimpleWAN Device Features

      How to edit a site What you see From here, you can change all site information, activate paid for features and change or update the firmware version.  Add-on Features You can activate the following Add-On Features from here: WAN Failover/Load ...
    • WI-FI

      If you have one or more Ubiquiti devices, you can setup them up through our dashboard. Setup should be snap. You should be able to set it up as a Unifi Controller If you are using the @Home Product or Platinum 250, This section has been ...
    • Can I set up Reverse DNS on the Network using SimpleWAN?

      Yes, you can accomplish this by setting up the DNS Override.  Bi-Directional DNS entries can be done through the DNS override. The image above shows Unifi Cloud Controller Enabled. For those that do not have this option, you may need to enable the ...
    • I Think I “bricked” my unit

      That's okay! It's very hard to do. Verify that the correct firmware version is listed in the dashboard, then use the pin hole reset on the box. Please, be careful not to wedge the paper clip or other object you are using to push into the pinhole ...
    • Firewall Rules

      A Firewall is a network security system that monitors and controls the incoming and outgoing network traffic based on applied security rules. A firewall typically establishes a barrier between a trusted, secure, internal network and another outside ...