Which Omada Controller is Right For You? | Omada Controllers Compared!

[@LA-rl1lu]

Great video, thanks for your breakdown. I am considering going the self-hosted option. I have a Windows PC on my network running Plex media server so it's always powered on, and I think this is a great option for the self-hosted software. But I do have a question about that scenario. If I set it up like this and have everything running properly with the Omada software running on this local Windows PC, would the network continue to operate normally if the PC were to crash or go offline? Obviously, the PC needs to be running to install the Omada software, to configure the network, or to make any network config changes; but once all the setup is done and everything is running, do the network devices require constant communication with the host controller? Relatedly, does the self-hosted controller have the option to create and export a backup config file? My thinking is, once everything is installed, adopted, and configured I'd make a backup of the config and save that file in a safe place. If the PC running the controller software ever needed to be rebuilt/replaced, I could then just import the config file to have all my settings back.

[@simple_networks]

While I haven’t tested that specific scenario myself, I believe your line of thinking is correct. That’s exactly how the PC version of the UniFi controller works and I would bet Omada morris that. I do know that if I unplug my controller, the rest of the devices continue to function without issue. The self hosted software does have a function for backup and restore so you should be set there as well.

[@allenlaliberte4223]

@@simple_networksThanks for the video. I’ve been researching Omada and Unifi for a network upgrade for a few months but have no experience with either. That said, I was pretty sure I read the controller assists in deciding which AP a roaming client should connect to. This was particularly important to me because I have had bad luck with roaming performance on traditional mesh networks so want to go with a SD network. Anyway, I found the site I read that on which says: Here is the 802.11k/v Fast Roaming process of Omada EAP: 1. Omada EAPs collect and evaluate the Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) of the clients and nearby EAPs, and send all the information to the Omada Controller. 2. The Omada Controller maintains a list of the available EAPs as roaming targets for each client. 3. With the information from the Omada Controller, an 802.11k capable client can shorten the time to scan for the available APs. Also, it can decide the best time to initiate the roaming process when there is a possible connection with better quality than the present quality. As the information is maintained by the Omada Controller, *Fast Roaming function takes effect only when the Omada Controller is running.*

[@karmakanic475]

The question is, can I adopt my Omada switch and AP to the software controller and run the software only when I’m making adjustments? Not keeping the PC running all the time.