Ubiquiti News
Ubiquiti has announced UniFi Long-Range PoE Switching, a new approach to getting power and data to devices that sit well outside the building. UniFi long-range switching carries both over a single Ethernet run of up to 800 metres, which is eight times the reach of standard copper. For anyone who has ever costed up a fibre trench and a separate power feed to a gate camera, that is a meaningful change.
The headline product is an eight-port switch with up to 90W of PoE output per port, paired with a dedicated outdoor endpoint that handles the far side of the link and adds surge protection. Everything is managed inside UniFi alongside the rest of your switching, with no licence fees attached.
Ubiquiti has not published pricing, model numbers or regional availability dates, so treat this as a product announcement rather than something you can specify into a job tomorrow.
Copper Ethernet stops at 100 metres, and that single number shapes an enormous amount of site design. Past it, the usual answer is fibre for data plus a local electrical supply for power, which means a contractor, a switchboard change and a lot more money.
Long-range switching sidesteps that by keeping the familiar PoE model and simply stretching the distance. The target applications are the obvious ones that sit at the edge of a property:
The switch carries eight long-range ports, each capable of up to 90W of PoE. That power budget matters, because it covers the heavier end of the PoE device list rather than just low-draw sensors.
At the far end, Ubiquiti has built a dedicated outdoor endpoint. Ubiquiti positions it as the way to achieve the best performance and longest runs, and it includes integrated surge protection for exposed installations, which is exactly the right thing to worry about on a long external cable run in Australia.
Management sits entirely within UniFi. Networking and physical security appear in the same interface regardless of whether the remote endpoint is wired or wireless, and Ubiquiti states the system operates licence-free.
This one is genuinely interesting rather than an incremental refresh. Distance has been the single most expensive constraint in small-site network design for decades, and an 800 metre PoE run on ordinary cabling removes a whole category of trenching, fibre termination and electrical work from certain jobs.
For integrators, the obvious wins are rural properties, schools, caravan parks, depots, wineries and anywhere with a long driveway and a camera at the end of it. The combination of 90W per port and a surge-protected outdoor endpoint suggests Ubiquiti has thought about the practical failure modes, not just the distance number.
For prosumers with a large block, this could be the difference between a gate camera and no gate camera. For SMB IT, the attraction is that remote infrastructure stops being a separate system with its own power and its own management and simply joins the existing stack.
A few things we would want to confirm before promising anything to a client:
Our honest read is that this is worth watching closely but not worth designing around until the specifications and local availability are confirmed. If you have a job on the board where distance is the blocker, it is reasonable to park that decision for now and see what lands. We will update once Ubiquiti publishes full details, and in the meantime we are happy to talk through the conventional fibre and standalone power options that remain the proven answer today.
Read the full announcement at blog.ui.com.
Ubiquiti states that UniFi Long-Range PoE Switching delivers both power and data over a single Ethernet cable at distances of up to 800 metres. Standard copper Ethernet is limited to 100 metres, so this is roughly eight times the usual reach. It is aimed at remote cameras, access devices and IoT sensors that sit beyond the building.
The UniFi long-range switch has eight long-range ports. Ubiquiti states each port can deliver up to 90W of PoE output, which covers higher-draw devices rather than just low-power sensors. Further port and throughput details have not been published.
Ubiquiti pairs UniFi Long-Range PoE Switching with a dedicated outdoor endpoint that sits at the far end of the cable run. It is designed to enable extended reach and includes integrated surge protection for exposed installations. Ubiquiti recommends it for the best performance and the longest runs to the edge of a site.
No. Ubiquiti states that UniFi Long-Range PoE Switching operates completely licence-free and is managed through the standard UniFi interface. Networking and physical security devices appear in the same system whether the remote endpoints are wired or wireless.
Ubiquiti has not announced an Australian release date for UniFi Long-Range PoE Switching. The announcement also does not include model numbers or pricing for any region. Availability details will need to come from Ubiquiti before local supply can be confirmed.
UniFi Long-Range PoE Switching is designed for devices that sit well outside the main building, such as perimeter and carpark cameras, gate and outbuilding access hardware, and IoT sensors spread across a large site. It removes the usual need for a fibre run plus a separate local power supply at those locations. Rural properties, schools, depots and industrial yards are typical candidates.
Not yet, because Ubiquiti has not announced release timing, model numbers or regional availability for UniFi Long-Range PoE Switching. Australian resellers such as BUZY Networks will be able to confirm supply once Ubiquiti publishes those details. Existing UniFi switches, gateways, cameras and access hardware remain available in the meantime.
BUZY Networks stocks the full Ubiquiti range with a 2-year Advanced Replacement Warranty.
