Ubiquiti’s UniFi Dream Machine Pro Max (model UDM Pro Max) is not a new product. It was first announced over a year ago on April 23, 2024, and at the time, I decided not to review it, as it was pretty similar to the UDM-SE. Physically, the additional hard drive bay is the most noticeable difference—you can use two internal 3.5-inch hard drives with it to have protected storage via RAID.
However, after the UCG-Fiber, which I found to be the best consumer-grade UniFi console, and most importantly, the newly released Pro XG switches, it was clear to me that the UDM Pro Max deserved a closer look. And while it indeed turned out to be very similar to the UDM-SE, being a namesake after all, it also proved its position as the ultimate rackmount UniFi console for prosumers and SMB environments, notwithstanding its certain shortcomings.
Here’s the bottom line: While the UDM-SE generally will suffice, if you want to elevate your system a notch, the UDM Pro Max has enough features to justify its slightly higher cost of $600, provided you also have a budget for additional hardware. Have a large home with a room for a network rack? Consider the UDM Pro Max, a Pro XG switch, and a couple of UniFi Wi-Fi 7 access points today!
Dong’s note: I first published this piece on April 23, 2024, as a preview when the UDM Pro Max was unveiled, and updated it to an in-depth review on June 2nd, 2025, after thorough hands-on testing.
Ubiquiti Dream Machine Pro Max: A year in and still the most powerful UniFi controller yet
For those new to the UniFi ecosystem, the UDM Pro Max is not a Wi-Fi router, as it does not have a built-in Wi-Fi access point. While that might seem like a drawback, it’s actually an advantage because you can easily add Wi-Fi to it via a UniFi access point, which means the console itself will never become obsolete due to significant changes in the Wi-Fi department—and there have been lots of changes in the past decade.
To put things in perspective, the original UniFi Dream Machine (UDM) remains an excellent console today—it runs the latest UniFi OS and Network app—but the primary reason you might not consider it is that it features the now considered dated Wi-Fi 5. And then, there’s the 2025-released UDR7.
The point is that, if you’re serious about networking and want to explore the world of Ubiquiti’s UniFi, the lack of an integrated Wi-Fi access point is not necessarily a drawback. As long as the hardware features 10Gbps ports, it’ll be relevant for many years to come.
And, by the way, calling the UDM Pro Max a “router” is a tremendous understatement. As a UniFi console, it can do much more than a standard router.
Tip
All UniFi Cloud Gateways (also known as UniFi consoles) share the same basic features and settings, but their capacities, namely the breadth and depth of applications they can handle, vary depending on the hardware specs.
Main applications in the UniFi Application Suite include:
- Network (default): This application enables the hardware to function as an advanced router by managing all things network-related, including network settings/features, security, firewall, Wi-Fi, and support for extenders and access points to form a Wi-Fi system.
- Protect: The support for IP cameras as an advanced surveillance system, including a built-in NVR.
- Talk: A locally hosted Voice-over-IP system.
- Access: A “platform designed for Access Control Systems”—per Ubiquiti. Examples include door-related security IoT devices, such as doorbells, key fobs, locks, etc.
- Connect: Application that manages digital signage and EV Stations
Each of these applications is a world in itself, with various in-depth customizations and different types of UniFi devices.
Like other UniFi consoles, the UDM Pro Max is designed to serve as the central controller of a UniFi ecosystem, allowing you to utilize various types of hardware. However, this review focuses primarily on its Network app, which is the one that makes it a “router”.
As such, like the case of the UDM-SE, the UDM Pro Max comes with two SFP+ (10Gbps) ports, a 2.5Gbps BASE-T port, and eight Gigabit ports. By default, one of the SPF+ ports and the 2.5Gbps port are WAN ports. However, you can reassign the WAN and LAN roles of all ports to your preference as long as the hardware has two WAN ports for its Dual-WAN feature.
Interestingly, the UDM Pro Max, unlike the UDM-SE, does not feature PoE (Power over Ethernet). The table below compares the hardware specs of the two with the UCG-Fiber as the reference.
Ubiquiti UDM Pro Max vs. UDM-SE vs. UCG-Fiber: Hardware specfications
As shown above, the UDM Pro Max primarily focuses on increasing the number of supported concurrent users and devices. Other than that, it’s similar to the UDM-SE and the UCG-Fiber. But that’s generally the case with all UniFi consoles.
Additionally, the addition of the second hard drive bay improves its data safety.
Dual-drive with RAID 1 by default
If you use a UniFi console simply as a router, there’s no need to add more storage to it. However, as mentioned, the hardware can do much more than simply act as a router.
For example, if you use the Protect app to support UniFi security cameras, you’ll need lots of storage space to store the recordings. In this case, the UDM Pro Max’s two drive bays will be particularly useful.
You only need to use one drive, but if you use two drives simultaneously, they will be automatically set up in RAID 1, which protects the data against the event of one drive failing.
It’s worth noting that the RAID build process can take a considerable amount of time, approximately 1.5 hours per 1TB for hard drives, shorter if you use SATA SSDs. In my case, I used two 8TB drives, and the process took about 12 hours.
A (Pro XG) PoE 10Gbps switch is in order
As mentioned, without a built-in PoE port, the UDM Pro Max can’t support most UniFi devices on its own. It’ll need the help of a PoE switch. Technically, you can use an injector, but considering the console has only two 10Gbps (SFP+) ports, a switch is expected to make it a true 10Gbps router.
In this case, Ubiquiti’s 2025 XG switches are good fits. Among them, the Pro XG 10 PoE or Pro XG 24 PoE are the perfect fit for the UDM Pro Max, much like the Pro XG 8 PoE is the ideal companion for the UCG-Fiber. However, you can use any of the UniFi switches or even a third-party switch.
A powerful but typical UniFi gateway
Besides the hardware specifications, the UDM Pro Max shares the same characteristics as any UniFi console, including the same setup process and features. Specifically:
You can set it up like any standard router using its local web server on a computer via the default IP address, which is 192.168.1.1.
If you have used a UniFi gateway (or even any standard router) before, this web user interface, for the most part, is self-explanatory. Alternatively, you can also use the UniFi mobile app, although I prefer and always recommend using the web UI. The app is convenient, but it should be used only for monitoring purposes.
The good news is that, regardless of which one you use, you won’t need to register an account with Ubiquiti to manage the hardware. However, there is an option to create a UI login account and tie the hardware to it, which enables a few additional features and conveniences.
Ubiquiti and your privacy
Generally, Ubiquiti insists on a vendor-connected login account during the initial hardware setup process. However, that’s not a requirement, and logging in with a vendor translates to privacy risks.
UI account and UniFi gateways
Here’s the link to the US networking company’s privacy policy.
Online privacy and security are a matter of degree. Different companies handle their users’ data differently.
It’s a personal preference to use a vendor-connected account or not. But you won’t need one even when you want to manage your console remotely since the UDM Pro Max, like all other UniFi consoles, supports remote management via Dynamic DNS and port forwarding.
After that, running the latest Network 9, the UDM Pro Max has everything you’d want from an advanced router. There are a lot more than a typical home or SMB network would need. Here are a few examples:
- Flexible port management: VLAN, Dual-WAN, WAN/LAN roles, and more. As mentioned, you can reassign the WAN/LAN role to all ports, provided that you retain at least two ports as WANs.
- Advanced VPN servers, including WireGuard, Site-to-Site VPN, Teleport, VPN client, and more.
- Advanced firewall and threat protection, including content/access-blocking per categories/countries and ad-blocking.
- Advanced device and application-based QoS.
- Excellent monitoring system for connected devices, including web filtering (parental control) based on different categories applicable to a group or particular device(s).
- Advanced Wi-Fi and mesh system management when UniFi access points are part of the system.
After that, the console can host hundreds of UniFi devices. Considering its ability to host protected storage, you can build a serious security system with up to dozens of UniFi cameras. That said, the UDM Pro Max has much more to offer than a typical home or SMB network would need.
However, like the case of other UniFi consoles, you can’t use its internal storage for file sharing. In other words, the hardware doesn’t have network-attached storage (NAS) features. For that, you’ll have to get a separate server. On this front, Ubiquiti informed me that the feature may be added in the future, but for now, the rackmount UniFi NAS Pro is the company’s only NAS option and can be a good companion to the UDM Pro Max
Ubiquiti UDM Pro Max: Excellent performance
I tested and used the UDM Pro Max for over a week as a temporary replacement for my UCG-Fiber—you can back up and restore between any UniFi consoles—and it proved to be an excellent performer.
However, considering it has only two 10Gbps ports, one of which is functioning as the WAN port to host my 10Gbps fiber-optic broadband, it was somewhat challenging to test its wired throughput.
On the one hand, it’s faster than the UDM-SE, which has the same port situation. On the other hand, its local bandwidth wasn’t close to that of 10Gbps ports, as testing a 10Gbps port WAN connection results in a significant overhead.
Other than that, the console worked flawlessly, with all functions performed as intended. It was also very responsive and fast, similar to the case of the UCG-Fiber, and a pleasure to use, both via the web user interface and the UniFi mobile app.
The UniFi console proved to be faster than the UDM-SE in wired performance. The two share the same port situation, which forced me to test their wired speeds via SFP+ to 10GBASE-T transceivers and a double NAT setup.
Finally, the UDM Pro Max’s internal fan ran continuously, but it remained relatively quiet. It wasn’t silent, but for a place where you would typically put a network rack, it’s not loud at all. Another thing to note is that the console remained relatively cool to the touch even during long operation with two internal hard drives. And that’s always a good thing.
Pros
Robust hardware to handle large-scale networks via multiple simultaneous enterprise-class applications; excellent overall performance
A complete set of useful networking features, including powerful security/web-filtering and WireGuard VPN; excellent web user interface; useful mobile apps
Dual drive support with RAID 1; no subscription required; runs relatively cool and quiet
Cons
Bulky design with only two SFP+ (10Gbps) and one 2.5GBASE-T ports, no 10GBASE-T port, no PoE support
A Ubiquiti login account is required for some useful features to work
Conclusion
The Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Machine Pro Max (UDM Pro Max) is an excellent UniFi console, although it is not a must-have.
In fact, if you need a similarly capable yet compact device that easily passes the spouse-approval hurdle, the UCG-Fiber is an excellent alternative, which in many cases, is slightly faster and has a lower total cost of ownership. Additionally, for those already using the UDM-SE, there is no need to upgrade, either.
However, if you’re looking to buy a rackmount UniFi console today, the UDM Pro Max is the best option, more than good enough to tempt those currently using the single 10 Gbps-port UDM Pro to upgrade.
That’s because the next grade would be the Enterprise Fortress Gateway, which is generally cost-prohibitive and overkill (yet unsuitable in many ways) for this website’s demographic, who are savvy about what to bring home while balancing needs versus budget.
Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference—all UniFi consoles are generally interchangeable. However, if you’re getting the UDM Pro Max, consider keeping one of the new Pro XG switches, such as the Pro XG 8 PoE, in mind. You’ll need it.
