I was recommended an Ubiquity Switch Flex Mini, a five port switch, to replace an old router (from 2007) I turned into a switch. The goal was to get maximum throughput so that one device doesn’t have brief drop outs. At this point, the Flex Mini isn’t performing much differently than the old router. Maybe it’s due to the firmware not being up-to-date. To that end, I installed Ubiquiti’s Unifi Network controller software in hopes of installing the latest firmware onto the Flex Mini. The Flex Mini doesn’t appear to have a web interface nor can be ssh’ed into.
I installed this unofficial version of the Unifi Network controller software (7.2.94) from October 22, 2022 via snap:
https://snapcraft.io/install/unifi-unofficial/opensuse
(Ubiquiti only supplies .deb. I considered downloading their latest (7.2.95) and using Alien to convert the package, but the Snap version is fairly recent and easy to install.)
The hardware setup is as follows (notice no controller, just the switch as a “dumb” switch, not a managed one):
internet -> wi-fi router -> wired to Flex Mini -> computers
The Flex Mini (manufactured July 17, 2021) is already inline and working, just not with the latest firmware (July 12, 2022).
The UniFi Network controller software works but doesn’t detect the Flex Mini. It reports “No devices found”. Based on what I’ve read, I’m supposed to see the device and Adopt it. Once it’s Adopted, firmware can be updated.
Anyone familiar with the UniFi Network controller software? Or the Flex Mini? Does the software require a controller before other devices can be seen and Adopted?
There is another method to install the firmware, which is to give my computer a fixed IP address, start a webserver, and follow some instructions to recover the device:
https://help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/360045001914-UniFi-USW-Flex-Mini-Recovery
It would be nice to do it through the Unifi Network software, though.
Thanks for the help!