Upgrading from the USG-3 to the UniFi Security Gateway Ultra/Max

Published: at 08:30 PM

max-upgrade-1 src: ui.com

So you bought yourself a new UniFi Gateway Max/Ultra? Amazing…Me too! In this guide I’ll detail the steps to perform a 1-to-1 replacement of our existing USG-3’s that has served us well for so many years. Oh and that Rasperry Pi serving as your Unifi Controller? You won’t be needing that any more either :)

Table of Contents

Open Table of Contents

Take a Backup of your current Controller Config

  1. Log into your current controller’s web interface (Mine’s running on a Raspberry Pi) and download a back up to your local computer max-upgrade-2
  2. Note the IP address of your USG (Probably your network’s default gateway) because you’ll need it later
    1. For me, this was 192.168.1.1

Plug in and Connect the Max/Ultra

  1. Plug the new Max/Ultra into Power
  2. Connect the WAN port of the Max/Ultra into an available port on your current network switch
    1. If you want to set up your Max/Ultra with your UI account, the switch port you connect to will need to have DHCP and a path to the internet
  3. Connect your computer directly to one of the 4 LAN ports of Max/Ultra

First Time Set Up

  1. On your computer, open a web browser and navigate to https://192.168.0.1
  2. Give your device a name and then select Restore From Backup max-upgrade-3
  3. Follow Login Prompts and Speed tests
  4. At this Point the Max/Ultra will reboot. Give it some time
  5. Once your device is back up, navigate back to https://192.168.0.1 and login max-upgrade-4

Restore the Backup

  1. Go to the Network Tab -> System -> Backups -> Restore
  2. Select your .unf backup file you downloaded earlier max-upgrade-5
  3. Wait patiently as the restoration takes place. I think mine took like 10-20 minutes.
  4. When the restoration is finished, your Max/Ultra will have the settings of your old USG. This means your network is probably down at this point. Don’t panic… This is actually a good sign.

Swap out the USG for the Max/Ultra

  1. Unplug your old USG, being sure to take note of which cables were where :)
  2. Unplug the Max/Ultra and swap it in place of where you just removed the USG
    1. If your USG was plugged directly into your modem like mine was, you’ll want to power cycle that as well to get a new IP from your ISP
  3. Give it a few minutes to boot… A perfect time to say a quick prayer to the homelab gods ;)

Verify it worked

  1. Connect your computer back to your home network via ethernet, WiFi or however you did it originally.
  2. In a web browser, go to https://YOU-OLD-USG-IP-HERE
    1. My original USG was reachable at https://192.168.1.1 but this is obviously dependent on how you had your original network configured
  3. If all is well, you should be greeted with the Login page for your new Max/Ultra. You can login with either your UI account or a local account you had configured previously on your USG that was brought over during the restoration max-upgrade-6
  4. Power down your old controller software
  5. Verify that your APs/Switches/Cameras/etc begin to populate in your new Max/Ultra interface. For me, my switch showed up as connected right away, but my two APs took like 15 minutes. max-upgrade-7
  6. Hooray you did it!