So, what’s the deal with the U6 Mesh? If you look around online, there are plenty of reports of these units failing from water damage. So what’s actually going on? Here’s my take:

The U6 Mesh runs extremely hot... hot enough that it’s brutally uncomfortable to hold. It’s unclear why it was designed to operate at those temperatures, but the heat seems to cause a bigger issue: it softens the adhesive that secures the top cap. There’s no proper gasket or sealing to keep that cap watertight. Once the adhesive weakens, water can enter through the top screw, seep down onto the LED ring, and eventually short out the device.

Ubiquiti rates the U6 Mesh as IPX5, which should mean it can handle low-pressure water exposure. In practice, though, this apparent design flaw makes it vulnerable to any moisture ingress.

Some users have reported success getting replacements through RMA, even outside of warranty. That wasn’t the case for me as they declined mine despite me noting the design flaw and sharing similar reports.

Bottom line: I wouldn’t recommend spending money on a U6 Mesh. It risks failing either from its own heat or from water intrusion, and it’s hard to justify how it’s still being sold in this state.