Addooco is a certified Ubiquiti installer based in Chesterfield, working with businesses across the UK. This is our honest view of UniFi for business: where it fits, and where we would point you elsewhere.
We have been installing Ubiquiti's UniFi range for a long time. In the small and mid-sized businesses we work with, it consistently gives great value for money alongside the features those businesses actually use. And it keeps getting better: Ubiquiti is constantly improving the platform and adding new capabilities to systems that are already in place.
That is why we became a certified Ubiquiti installer. It is also why we are happy to say where UniFi is not the right answer.
Why we got certified.
Certification shows our commitment to giving customers equipment with the latest features and capabilities, at a sensible cost. It also gives you something you can check. Certified installers are listed in Ubiquiti's own public directory at installers.ui.com, so you can see who you are hiring before you commit.
You can find out more on our Ubiquiti installer page.
Where UniFi fits.
UniFi is great for most office environments. Unless you have serious compute or specialist requirements, it will do the job in most places. The range runs from a single home-office user up to large, multi-floor office systems, and Ubiquiti keeps pushing it into more complex territory.
Today, the only place it really does not play is serious data centre networking: the high-end switching fabric that sits underneath large server estates. Outside of that, the size or complexity of your office is no reason to rule UniFi out.
When we would look elsewhere.
The honest gap is vendor support. Ubiquiti does not offer the round-the-clock support desk that comes with a Cisco Meraki licence. Support comes from your installer.
Even then, UniFi is not automatically out. With spare devices kept on site and a partner who can swap them quickly, it can still be a sensible option.
UniFi vs Meraki: which should you choose?
Meraki is probably the better overall product for ease of administration. But it costs a great deal more, both for the hardware and for the licences you pay every year to keep it supported and running. If you can accept the gap in vendor support, UniFi is the cheaper product and still covers what most offices need.
| Option | Ongoing licence | Management | Support | Our view |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ubiquiti UniFi | None needed for core networking or local CCTV recording | One console for network, Wi-Fi, cameras and doors | Online help and warranty; day-to-day support from your installer | Best value for most offices |
| Cisco Meraki | Required per device; hardware stops working if it lapses | Cloud dashboard, easiest to administer | Vendor support included with the licence | The choice for business-critical sites, at a price |
| Consumer / ISP-supplied kit | None | Device by device | None | Fine at home, not for a business |
Based on published vendor information, November 2026. Licensing terms change; we check them as part of every proposal.
Cameras and door entry.
UniFi Protect cameras and UniFi Access door entry work seamlessly with the rest of the system, managed from the same place as your network and Wi-Fi. Access is still fairly new to the range, but the systems we have installed are up and running without issues.
One thing to plan for: emergency doors always need other controls alongside the UniFi equipment, such as exit buttons. We build those into the design from the start. See Addooco Secure for how we look after physical security.
The install matters as much as the kit.
Good equipment cannot fix a network nobody understands. Some of the worst sites we have walked into had switches spread across several buildings, joined by fibre runs that were not labelled, with nobody able to say how any of it connected.
Underneath, everything sat on one completely flat network: staff, guests, on-site servers and secure systems all sharing the same space, with no segmentation between them. One compromised laptop could reach the lot.
At one multi-building manufacturer, we started by mapping the whole network and working out how every switch was linked. Several were doing nothing but extending other switches, so we changed the cabling and put in new routes where needed to take them out. We then brought in VLANs to separate the secure areas of the system from everything else.
The new infrastructure is built on UniFi. It needed half the switches they had before, and it has been far more reliable.
None of the original problems were a fault in the hardware. They came from how the network was put in and whether anyone looked after it afterwards. Designed, labelled and segmented properly from day one, a network stays easy to understand and easy to support. It is the same thinking behind Addooco Grid, our connectivity service.
How we help.
It comes down to your requirements as a business more than anything else. With more than 15 years of experience installing networks on sites, we can advise on what you actually need and build support around that.
01 Look at the site.
We start by seeing what you have and how the building is used, then tell you plainly what is worth keeping, upgrading or replacing.
02 Recommend the right kit.
UniFi where it fits, which is most places. If Meraki is the better call for you, we will talk about that instead.
03 Shape the support.
We agree the level of network support you need during that first look at the site. The team that designs and installs your network is the team that supports it.
UniFi is an option in most offices. Is it right for yours?
Book a free network review. We'll visit or call, then send a clear, no-jargon proposal, whether that's UniFi or Meraki.
0333 344 7887 · makeithappen@addooco.it
Make IT happen.
Sources: Ubiquiti installer directory, installers.ui.com. Ubiquiti Help Center, Getting Started with UniFi Access. Cisco Meraki licensing documentation, documentation.meraki.com.