UniFi Network 10.5 adds safer changes, Time Machine and SD-WAN underlays

Updated 08/08/2026

Ubiquiti has released details of UniFi Network 10.5, a controller update aimed squarely at the moments where networks usually break: configuration changes, link flaps and slow troubleshooting. It lands as a licence-free update across the UniFi platform, so the new tooling arrives on existing consoles and gateways without a subscription attached.

The headline additions are a change-confirmation workflow with automatic rollback, a client-centric troubleshooting view called Time Machine, more flexible SD-WAN underlay options, and expanded SAML authentication in Site Manager for enterprises and managed service providers.

None of it changes the hardware you own. What it changes is how much risk sits behind a remote configuration push and how long it takes to work out why one user had a bad afternoon.

Configuration changes now come with a rollback

The new Test & Confirm behaviour holds a configuration change in a provisional state until UniFi access points and switches acknowledge it. If connectivity drops during the deployment, the previous configuration is restored automatically.

That is a meaningful protection for anyone who administers sites they cannot physically reach. A mistyped VLAN or a bad management subnet on a remote switch has historically meant a site visit.

• Changes are not made permanent until devices confirm them
• Loss of connectivity during deployment triggers a rollback to the prior settings
• Reduces the chance of an accidental outage from a misconfiguration
• Particularly useful for distributed and remotely managed sites

Layer 2 changes for steadier topologies

Two additions target spanning tree behaviour. Link Debounce filters short-lived or intermittent port flaps so they do not propagate into the wider topology, and Auto STP Edge identifies access ports automatically to suppress needless topology change notifications.

Ubiquiti says edge ports skip the traditional listening and learning states, which shortens convergence time for clients hanging off access ports. On larger stacked or multi-building topologies, that is the difference between a brief blip and a noticeable outage.

Firewall stats, PPPoE and campus SD-WAN underlays

On the routing side, administrators can now see rule hit statistics for firewall rules, which makes it far easier to identify policies that never match anything or rules that are catching more traffic than expected. There is also 1500 MTU support for PPPoE connections, which matters here given how many Australian services still hand off over PPPoE.

SD-WAN underlays have been opened up as well. Rather than assuming internet transport, Network 10.5 supports building resilient underlays over direct fibre, MPLS or wireless backbones, and trunk connectivity can be extended between buildings using UniFi Building Bridges — again with no licence cost attached.

• Firewall rule hit counters for policy auditing
• 1500 MTU on PPPoE for better throughput and efficiency
• Underlay options across fibre, MPLS and wireless backbones
• Campus trunk extension via UniFi Building Bridges

Time Machine and Site Manager identity controls

Time Machine reframes troubleshooting around the client rather than the infrastructure. It replays historical client activity and connectivity events, shows roaming behaviour and WiFi performance across multiple access points, and puts application usage and traffic flows on the same timeline.

Separately, Site Manager gains expanded SAML support in Early Access, including SAML authentication at the Fabric Admin level and account-level SAML login for MSP-managed environments. Centralised authentication policies and 2FA sit behind that, which is aimed at organisations provisioning administrators across many sites or customers.

BUZY’s take

For prosumers running a single Dream Machine at home, Time Machine is the standout. Being able to scroll back through what a specific device actually did — which AP it roamed to, when it dropped, what it was talking to — removes most of the guesswork from the “the WiFi was bad last night” conversation.

For integrators, Test & Confirm is the practical win. Anyone who has bricked remote management on a client site knows exactly what that safety net is worth, and it lowers the risk profile of doing configuration work out of hours rather than on site.

For SMB IT, the firewall rule hit statistics and PPPoE MTU handling are the quiet improvements that pay off. Rule counters make it possible to clean up policy sets that have accumulated over years, and PPPoE efficiency gains are relevant to plenty of Australian services.

Our honest read is that this is a solid operations release rather than a headline feature drop. There is no new hardware here and nothing that will change how you specify a build, but the combination of rollback protection, faster STP convergence and client-level history makes multi-site UniFi work less nervy. That is a fair trade for a free update, and it strengthens the case for standardising on the UniFi ecosystem across gateways, switching, wireless, cameras and door access rather than mixing vendors.

As always with a point release, we would let it settle before pushing it to a production controller with dozens of dependent sites, and check that your device firmware is current first.

Read the full announcement at blog.ui.com.