Found out that a few years back the Unifi Network Controller got replaced with Unifi Network Application
Posted by jpluimers on 2026/08/14
My Unifi Cloud Key (the original one) had been broken for some years (not just the Micro-SD card: even with a fresh new card it would not boot), but I didn’t bother as my WiFi network was configured well enough.
But then I had to do some configurations and found out newer Cloud Key iterations have their issues well: batteries dying, hard-disks failing, you name it.
[Wayback/Archive] Unifi Network Controller replaced with Network Application ? | Ubiquiti Community
UI Marketing department decided to change the name. However, depending on the version you are on now, the new versions make a lot of changes to the UI as well as the operation of the APs.
Then I discovered you do not need to run it on either hardware or docker container (the latter I know because of [Wayback/Archive] Die wunderbare Welt von Isotopp), you can now also run it on various other host operating systems:
- UniFi OS Consoles and Debian/Ubuntu
- macOS
- Windows
Regrettably no OpenSuSE, but MacOS and Windows will do.
You get them at [Wayback/Archive] Ubiquiti – Downloads (search for “Software” or “UniFi Network Application“; the latter used to be “UniFi Network Controller“).
Note:
- [Wayback/Archive] UniFi – Hoe installeer ik de UniFi Controller applicatie? – KommaGo still mentions “UniFi Network Controller” and “UniFi Controller”.
- [Wayback/Archive] Download and install Ubiquiti Unifi Controller for Windows – YouTube shows the installation steps for Windows starting at 2:40 (which is OK enough for me: MacOS won’t differ much).
Note that the “UniFi Network Application” requires a Java Run-time Environment (or JRE). Given that Oracle in both 2019 and 2023 made licensing more strict (and way more expensive) for almost all non-personal environments, you might want to use a non-Oracle one. See these some links obtained via [Wayback/Archive] java jre licensing for non-personal use – Google Search:
- [Wayback/Archive] software – Is Java (JRE) still free for commercial use? – Open Source Stack Exchange (thanks [Wayback/Archive] Stephen C, [Wayback/Archive] Alexander Pushkarev and [Wayback/Archive] Jasper Siepkes) mentioning alternatives like OpenJDK (on which the Oracle JRE and Oracle JDK are based), Adoptium, Amazon Corretto, OpenJ9 or risk staying at Oracle JRE version 8 or lower.
- [Wayback/Archive] Oracle Java Licensing Changes 2023 – Do you need to pay? with a truckload of information centered around
There have been three Java licensing changes, one in 2019, a second in 2021, and the last in 2023.
- [Wayback/Archive] Oracle Java License Change: Everything You Need to Know
- [Wayback/Archive] New Oracle Java licensing: What you need to know | Flexera Blog
Note there are Docker versions, but there is no Unifi supplied VM (for instance for running the UniFi Network Application on ESXi:
- [Wayback/Archive] jacobalberty/unifi-docker: Unifi Docker files which, according to [Wayback/Archive] unifi-docker/Dockerfile at master · jacobalberty/unifi-docker · GitHub, is based on Ubuntu which in turn uses the OpenJDK (not requiring an Oracle license).
- [Wayback/Archive] Pre-built ESXi *nix Unifi Controller? Or, minimal resources required to install my own? | Ubiquiti Community basically indicates: roll your own
- [Wayback/Archive] Community Edition: UniFi secure vmware appliance 5.5.19 (update) | Ubiquiti Community is from 2019 and never got updated.
- [Wayback/Archive] Where do I find the self-hosted Unifi Network VM ISO/software? | Ubiquiti Community has no meaningful answers
For the mid to long term, I need to say good bye to Unifi anyway because the way they handled Krebs on Security:
- [Wayback/Archive] Jeroen Wiert Pluimers on Twitter: “I agree with Kris: need a medium term solution to replace my Ubiquity gear. It is just wireless access points (all other stuff is different brands), but Ubiquiti UniFi AP-AC Lite were one of the few affordable brands that really do WiFi handover well.”
- [Wayback/Archive] Kris on Twitter: “Ich habe keine Ahnung, wann und wieso Ubiquiti genau über den Hai gesprungen ist, aber ich bin genervt, weil ich mir jetzt mittelfristig andere Tech suchen muß. Dabei war ich so froh, daß ich endlich den ganzen brennenden OpenWRT Dreck vom Hacken habe.”
[Wayback/Archive] Nach Cyberattacke: Ubiquiti verklagt Brian Krebs wegen angeblicher Verleumdung – Golem.de
Note: also read the (archived) replies and the ones to these:
- [Wayback/Archive] Kris on Twitter: “Ich habe drei AP von denen, und hatte noch drei Switches auf der zu-ersetzen-Liste. Was nehme ich denn nun, was vergleichbar ist?”
- [Wayback/Archive] Kris on Twitter: “Keine Cloudlösung. Ich betreibe die Controlplane lokal. Handover zwischen den APs notwendig, der Rest ist nice to have.”
Back then in 2022 there was no real replacement. Mikrotik with CapsMan wasn’t on par, same for TP-Link-Omadas; Aruba and Cisco far more expensive (unless buying second hand), though Grandstream looked promising.
It should not be difficult to get rid of the Unify access points given these second hand market prices in The Netherlands: [Wayback/Archive] Advertenties van Twerwok | Tweakers
Back to the Cloud Key issues:
- MikroTik RB960PGS hEX PoE powering PoE devices: ensure you get a 48V power supply
- Unifi Cloud Key: “We have detected that your SD card is missing. Please insert it and reboot your Cloud Key or disable automatic backup.”
- Ubiquity UniFi SDN – Server status “UniFi Controller is starting up… Please wait a moment”
- [Wayback/Archive] Jeroen Wiert Pluimers @wiert@mastodon.social on Twitter: “@isotopp Too bad: the unifi service on my cloud key 1 fails to start, and I don’t have energy to do a re-install.”
- [Wayback/Archive] Another day, another dead Cloud Key : Ubiquiti
- [Wayback/Archive] *PROBLEM* Unifi Cloud Key Gen 2 Plus upgraded to UnifiOS v3.0.13 : Ubiquiti software upgrades are not a guaranteed success, on the contrary:
I upgraded my Unifi Cloud Key Gen 2 Plus to v3.0.13 and now the UniFi Network and Protect applications “Fail to start.” I’ve tried restoring a cloud backup but it fails as it will only let me select the most recent backup which it created after v3.0.13 installed and I can’t download any of the previous ones from < v3.0.13.
- [Wayback/Archive] Cloud Key Gen2 Plus Stability/Troubleshooting : Ubiquiti is basically what I did for my Cloud Key Gen 1: mount vertical in a well ventilated place, reboot regularly via the web-UI:
My CKG2+ seems to benefit from a restart every 6 months or so.
I’m powering it with a Quick Charge 2.0/3.0 transformer and USB cable. An SSD has been in my CKG2+ for 29 months now (four G4 cams) instead of a HDD. (I’ve got the replacement SSD sitting on the shelf waiting for the first one to die.) The QC power supply and SSD should reduce heat – and I’ve got it mounted vertically with a 4” fan blowing on it. Those are my recommendations for more stability. - [Wayback/Archive] Is the Unifi Cloud Key Gen2+ a bad product? | SynoForum.com – The Unofficial Synology Forum pointed me to the fact you can run the controller on MacOS or Windows:
Last week it stopped working, wouldn’t power at all. After a certain research, it transpires that the batteries expand (as per the iPhone or Samsung Galaxy) and die, thus rendering the graceful shutdown inoperable. I expect this happened some time ago and I simply didn’t detect it, making it something of a pity because at the time it was only days outside the guarantee period.
…
The lithium battery in the CK2s was always going to be a weak spot, especially with the plus model with its HDD. It was a ‘fix’ for the old CKs being fragged when suddenly deprived of power.
…
I run my Controller (now a Network Application) on a M1 Mac mini. If I was to use Protect I would pick a multi-HDD (UNVR) model or, more likely, just use the UniFi cameras with Synology Surveillance.
…
Fast forward two weeks. and I decided to investigate disassembling the old unit to remove the battery and see if it booted again. The battery was very swollen!
Consequently, when pushing out the unit from enclosure, I accidentally knocked a little transistor off the main board. Without reinstalling it, I tried a poe boot and it was 100% working again!
I soldered the transistor back onto the board, and the unit stopped working… I took it off again, and it started working again… So off it remains!!
- [Wayback/Archive] Cloud Key Gen 2 Plus will not power on via POE anymore | Ubiquiti Community (I have a similar problem with my Cloud Key Gen 1):
- [Wayback/Archive] UniFi Cloud Key Gen 1 dead | Ubiquiti Community
No lights at all. I tried PoE switch and USB power, nothing..
I also tried to reset the device by pressing the button for 1 minute or more.…
My Gen 1 also went dead recently. Had it plugged into a USB power supply from a UPS. No lights, so tired power down button, reset, power injector…. nothing. Only thing I observed once it was plugged into the lighted USB transformer that came with the unit, is there was a slight high pitch tone when it was plugged in.
I can only assume it died, so I am stuck having to buy another cloud key :-( Used less than a year, but was sitting for several months after purchase, so can’t even get warranty.
I thought these were suppose to be dependable and reasonably long life. I had it hanging vertically away from any hot hardware, so it couldn’t have died from too much heat. - [Wayback/Archive] Cloud Key dead? | Ubiquiti Community long boot times remind me on the months before mine died: are those early warning symptoms?
I’ve just moved my Cliud Key from using a 5V supply to POE by connecting it to a new Unifi 8 Port switch. I shutdownt the key before the move as I’m aware that things can get corruptrd.
…
It seems like I just needed to leave the CK a long time! I left it for about an hour and when I looked again it had booted.
However, all is not well. Foolishly I hadn’t backed it up after adopting a USG (when I replaced my Edgerouter) and when I got all my devices on line again I found that I can’t set DHCP reservations for Clients – The ‘fixed IP’ switch is greyed out. Also I could only connect locally to the CK, not via the cloud portal.
Also: autobackup is not reliable.
- [Wayback/Archive] UniFi Cloud Key Gen 1 dead | Ubiquiti Community
- [Wayback/Archive] How to Migrate Unifi Controller – The Easiest Way
- [Wayback/Archive] Replacing Dead Cloud Key: What happens to existing network equipment? : Ubiquiti
No backup file means rebuilding your network from scratch. If you have a cloud key with a removable SD card you can possibly grab the
unffile (if it was auto backup). Ohterwise it’s going to be a long / arduous process for setting everything back up. Especially if you have a complex setup.
Once you’re ready to pull a device in you’ll factory default the old device and readopt in to the new controller.
It all started for me investigating if I should buy a Cloud Key Gen 2 or newer based on my Cloud Key Gen 1 experience and looking up their differences:
- [Wayback/Archive] Gen 1 vs Gen 2 cloud key? : Ubiquiti
- [Wayback/Archive] CloudKey Gen2 vs Gen1 | Ubiquiti Community
- [Wayback/Archive] Cloud Key Gen 2 vs Gen 2 Plus | Ubiquiti Community
Queries:
- [Wayback/Archive] cloud key vs cloud key gen 2 – Google Search
- [Wayback/Archive] unifi network controller vs network application – Google Search
- [Wayback/Archive] ubiquiti unifi controller for windows – Google Search
- [Wayback/Archive] running cloud key controller software on windows – Google Search
- [Wayback/Archive] install unifi controller in docker container on “windows” – Google Search
- [Wayback/Archive] install unifi controller in docker container on “macos” – Google Search
- [Wayback/Archive] install unifi controller on “ESXi” – Google Search hardly had any meaningful results apart from rolling your own.
- [Wayback/Archive] UniFi controller vmware appliance – Google Search had just one meaningful results with a, now very dated, virtual appliance image.
- [Wayback/Archive] “Virtual Machine” “UniFi Network Application” – Google Search has no meaningful results.
- [Wayback/Archive] “Virtual Machine” image “UniFi Network Application” – Google Search had no meaningful results.
- [Wayback/Archive] VM image “UniFi Network Application” – Google Search has no meaningful results.
- [Wayback/Archive] cloud key gen 2 problems – Recherche Google
- [Wayback/Archive] cloud key gen 2 dead – Google Search
- [Wayback/Archive] cloud key gen 1 dead – Google Search
–jeroen
The Wiert Corner - irregular stream of stuff 
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