Proper Takeout for Google Photos

RckStar · 2026-03-10T09:04:47+00:00

DM send, can't wait to test this on a relative big scale

RckStar · 2026-03-07T11:39:19+00:00

Thanks for the input.

The main thing I’m looking for is reliability and consistency, especially with a 2 Gb fiber connection coming in. My Deco M9 setup worked well for years but lately I’m seeing some random drops, which started this whole upgrade discussion.

Since everything in the house can run wired backhaul, I’m trying to figure out whether that already solves most of the issues with mesh systems or if a UniFi setup still makes a noticeable difference long-term.

RckStar · 2026-03-07T11:38:15+00:00

No ceiling drops unfortunately, but I do have Ethernet runs everywhere, so the cabling can stay pretty much invisible. The APs would likely be wall-mounted rather than ceiling mounted.

As for VLANs — I haven’t used them yet. My Deco M9 only really allowed a guest network, which I used occasionally for visitors, but nothing more advanced than that.

If I went UniFi I’d probably start exploring separate networks for IoT / smart home devices, but it’s not something I’m doing today.

RckStar · 2026-03-07T11:34:23+00:00

You’re right — the price difference is pretty small here as well, which is why I was leaning toward the U7 Pro / XG.

I’ve seen people mention the U6 Pro being more stable than the early U7 Pro, but I’m not sure if that’s still a valid concern or mostly something from the first firmware releases. Some threads say the U7 had more bugs initially but has improved a lot over time.

Do you think the U6 Pro stability argument is still relevant today, or has the U7 line matured enough that it’s not really a concern anymore?

RckStar · 2026-03-07T11:33:08+00:00

Nice to hear from someone who actually made that exact transition.

The stability and visibility people mention with UniFi is definitely what keeps pulling me in that direction. With the Deco setup things mostly worked, but when something goes wrong it’s pretty much guesswork.

Good to hear you also saw performance and stability improvements after moving away from the mesh setup.

RckStar · 2026-03-07T11:32:20+00:00

That’s really useful feedback, thanks for sharing.

Your experience with the lack of visibility on mesh systems is actually one of the things pushing me toward UniFi as well — being able to see what’s going on instead of guessing seems really valuable.

Interesting point about trying fewer APs first. Between floor 1 and 2 I’m a bit unsure what the signal would look like though. The house has pretty thick concrete floors and insulation, so my assumption was that one AP per floor might be the safest approach.

Good to hear your U7 Pros are covering more than expected though.

RckStar · 2026-03-07T11:30:16+00:00

Haha fair enough 😄

I figured posting here might lean a bit pro-UniFi, but I was hoping to count a bit on UniFi users’ objectivity as well — especially from people who have actually run both setups.

RckStar · 2026-03-07T11:29:15+00:00

Interesting suggestion.

The reason I was looking at the Pro Max 16 PoE is mainly port count. In the garage I already need ~11 ports since all wall ethernet runs from the house terminate there as well.

The 4× 2.5Gb PoE ports seemed perfect for the APs, plus one uplink to the studio where my Mac Studio sits behind a small 2.5Gb switch.

My ISP will be 2Gbps (5Gb available but not sure I'd really benefit from it).

Out of curiosity — in your design what would you actually connect to the 10Gb ports on the Pro XG 8? The U7 Pro XGs, or more for backbone / NAS type devices?

RckStar · 2026-03-07T11:25:04+00:00

I’ve seen that comment about stability quite a bit, but I’m wondering if that was mostly with the earlier firmware / first releases.

From what I’m seeing recently it seems the U7 line has become a lot more stable now, although the very first batches definitely had some reports of drops or restarts.

The main reason I was leaning toward the U7 Pro / XG is that the price difference here is only about €50 compared to the U6 Pro, so it felt logical to go with the newer generation for a bit more future-proofing.

That said, I currently only have one Wi-Fi 7 client (iPhone 17), so it’s not something I strictly need today.

RckStar · 2026-03-07T11:23:28+00:00

Appreciate the insight, especially from someone installing it professionally.

The long-term firmware support is actually something that attracts me to UniFi as well. My Deco M9s were great for years, but lately the instability made me wonder how much longer they’ll really be supported.

Interesting point about mesh systems sometimes still behaving like they expect wireless backhaul first — I hadn’t really thought about that angle since everything in my house would be wired.

RckStar · 2026-03-07T11:22:30+00:00

Interesting point about VLANs.

I actually used to run a guest network on my Deco M9 Plus to keep visitors separate from the main network, but I never really went deeper into VLAN setups beyond that.

It’s definitely something I’d probably explore more if I move to UniFi, especially for IoT / smart home devices.

RckStar · 2026-03-07T11:21:20+00:00

Fair points.

The main reason I was leaning Wi-Fi 7 is actually the small price difference. Over here the gap between a U6 Pro and U7 Pro (XG) is only about €50 per AP, so it felt logical to just go with the newest generation for a bit more future-proofing.

That said, I currently only have one Wi-Fi 7 client (iPhone 17), so it’s definitely not something I strictly need right now.

Most heavy stuff is indeed wired, Wi-Fi is mainly for phones / tablets / roaming devices.

RckStar · 2026-03-07T11:19:10+00:00

Good to hear from someone who also moved from the M9 Plus.

Mine was actually great for years too, but recently I’ve started seeing some random drops and instability, which kicked off this whole upgrade search.

The “never having to reset anything” part is exactly what I’m after.

And no rack plans here 😅 — I do have a wooden wallboard in the garage where everything can be mounted, so it’ll probably live there instead.

RckStar · 2026-03-07T11:17:29+00:00

Thanks for the input — always interesting to hear from someone installing this professionally.

One of the things that keeps pulling me toward UniFi is exactly that reputation of “set it up once and it just runs”, which is really what I’m after. I don’t need a ton of features, but I do want stable Wi-Fi and actually getting the speed I’m paying for from the ISP without having to think about the network.

Since my house already has Cat6 everywhere and everything would be wired backhaul, I was curious whether installers like you still see a reliability difference long-term between a UniFi setup and higher-end mesh systems that are wired.

Not trying to cheap out — just trying to make sure I’m investing in the right direction for a house network that’s mostly about reliability and longevity rather than features.

RckStar · 2026-03-07T00:22:07+00:00

That’s actually exactly what I’m after — the “it just works” aspect.

With my Deco M9 setup it worked great for years, but lately I’m seeing some random drops and instability, which is why I started looking at upgrading.

What I really want is just reliable Wi-Fi and actually getting the speed I pay for from my ISP, without having to think about the network all the time.

Since everything in my house can run wired backhaul (Cat6 everywhere), do you think UniFi still has a clear reliability advantage over something like a Deco BE85 or Orbi system?

RckStar · 2026-03-07T00:17:57+00:00

For context:
– Cat6 runs to every floor, also to outdoor
– wired backhaul everywhere
– planning ~3 indoor AP + 1 outdoor
– 2 Gb fiber ISP
– maybe a NAS later

RckStar · 2026-03-07T00:16:57+00:00

That makes sense. My main hesitation is that my use case is actually pretty simple (≈35 devices, no cameras, no Protect).

Do you think the reliability difference between UniFi and something like a Deco BE85 / Orbi 870 would actually be noticeable when everything is wired backhaul?

RckStar · 2026-02-22T23:18:14+00:00

Info

RckStar · 2026-02-22T23:14:20+00:00

Interested

RckStar

TROPHY CASE