Three UniFi starter builds: the apartment, the family house, the forever rack

Spec sheets don't answer the actual question, which is "what should I buy." Here are the three builds we end up recommending most, with real prices and honest omissions. Every part is swappable in the kit builder, which also applies bundle pricing automatically as the cart grows.

The apartment — about $430

Full UniFi software, real firewall, WiFi 7 with the 6 GHz band, and five wired ports for the desk. What it skips: PoE switching (the U7 Pro runs from an injector or the gateway's reach) and cameras (no storage in the Ultra — that's deliberate; see the next build). This setup outperforms any consumer mesh kit near the price and it's the start of a system, not a dead end.

The family house — about $1,100

Two floors covered by the one-AP-per-floor rule, a PoE switch powering everything, and the Max's built-in NVR recording the first camera with room for several more. Where it grows: a doorbell, more cameras, a U7 Lite for the basement.

The forever rack — about $2,450

This is the "do it once" build: 10G-capable gateway with PoE and storage, a 2.5 GbE Layer-3 switch with headroom for years, WiFi 7 inside and out, and 4K AI cameras on the entries. What it skips on purpose: nothing you'll miss in year one. Where it grows: an UNVR when the camera count gets serious, and 10G uplink APs when multi-gig internet arrives on your street.

Make it yours

Square footage, construction and client count bend these answers — the coverage planner resizes the AP count in four questions, and the kit builder carries the result straight to a cart with the bundle discount applied. Weird building? Floor plan. Free spec. You know the routine by now.

Prices current at publication.