Overview of UniFi Gateway Lite (UXG-Lite)

I recommend that you watch the video version of the UXG-Lite security gateway review, which is available with Ukrainian voice acting. If you prefer to read, I have prepared a text description for you as well.

Features

Since this router is modern, of course it has quite powerful characteristics:

• Processor Dual-core ARM® Cortex®-A53 at 1 GHz
• Memory 1 GB DDR3L
• Control interface Ethernet and Bluetooth 5.1
• LAN network interface: (1) RJ45 GbE port
• WAN Network Interface: (1) RJ45 GbE port
• Power supply USB type C (5 V/3 A)
• Power consumption 3.83 W
• Dimensions 98 x 98 x 30 mm (3.9 x 3.9 x 1.2 inches)
• Weight 320g (11.3oz)

Of course, these are the main and main characteristics that are needed when choosing a device, this router also supports the following functions:

Performance

• WiFi QoS with UniFi APs
• Application, domain, and country-based QoS
• Application and device type identification
• Additional internet failover with LTE Backup
• Internet quality and outage reporting

Next-generation security

• Application-aware firewall rules
• Signature-based IPS/IDS threat detection
• Content, country, domain, and ad filtering
• VLAN/subnet-based traffic segmentation
• Full stateful firewall

Advanced networking

• License-free SD-WAN*
• WireGuard, L2TP and OpenVPN server
• OpenVPN client
• OpenVPN and IPsec site-to-site VPN
• One-click Teleport* and Identity Enterprise VPN**
• Policy-based WAN and VPN routing
• DHCP relay
• Customizable DHCP server
• IPv6 ISP support

There is a feature – this router can be controlled ONLY through the UniFi controller or through the CloudKey device. If you decide to use a UniFi controller, its version must not be lower than 8.0.7!

Unboxing

Since it was an international shipment, the parcel was tightly packed in a soft transport bag. The box looks pretty sturdy. The router is schematically displayed in white on the front. On the reverse side, the router connection diagram is displayed on top, and information about the device itself with a hologram, which confirms the originality of the product, is displayed on the bottom. In my case, the UXG-Lite is produced in Vietnam and tested on November 29, 2023, which indicates that the model is fresh.

The box opens by pulling the cardboard element. On the inner lid of the box is a bright blue QR code with a link to the electronic manual, with instructions for the first connection.

In the box, the router is placed in the center and protected by a plastic form. UXG-Lite is white in color and has a matte surface, so that dirt does not get into it, it is wrapped in a protective film.

Under the plastic form is the power supply unit. The power supply itself meets the requirements of Quick Charge 3.0, namely 5V 3A or 9V 1.6A. The power supply cable is not removable. Since I ordered this security gateway in the USA, the connector is also adapted to US sockets.

At the bottom of the box, the manual is firmly glued, hinting that you are using the electronic manual. Also, it is still in an additional film, which creates a repeated obstacle to familiarization. In addition to the instructions, there are warranty and safety conditions.

Connection

XG-Lite has a very compact size, which makes it possible to place it in the installation box of the house. The case is minimalist, only four elements:

• Reset button
• Type-C power connector
• RJ-45 for local network
• RJ-45 for Internet access

After physically connecting all the connectors, I tried to add the UXG-Lite to the existing UniFi controller, but the phone could not establish a connection via Bluetooth.

I decided to set up via a wired connection to a computer running Windows 10

To begin with, I needed to determine the IP address that the router gave me via DHCP. In the properties it was indicated:

192.168.1.1 - gateway
192.168.1.28 - IP address of the PC

After going to the specified address in the browser, I got to the page of the router setup wizard. The master immediately proceeded to diagnosing the presence of the Internet and informed me that there was no access to the Internet. This is a result of my ISP using device MAC address provisioning. After changing the MAC address and re-diagnosis, the router gained access and I went to the main settings:

1. Choosing a security gateway name (I left UXG-Lite unchanged)
2. Login to the UI account by entering a login, password and two-factor authentication code
3. Selecting an existing UniFi controller

And then at the third stage there was a conflict again, because the UniFi controller was installed on a device that had an address in a different local subnet, so I had to go back a step and change the subnet to the one I used before

192.168.99.1

After rebooting the router, all devices in the local network received new IP addresses in the new range, and of course the Raspberry Pi, on which the UniFi controller is installed, also received a new address! Using Ubiquiti’s WifiMan Android app, I determined that the Raspberry Pi had received a different address

192.168.99.218

At the stage of selecting the UniFi controller, I selected the “connect manually” option, where I changed the IP address to a new one. After a few minutes, the UXG-Lite registered with the UniFi controller for further settings.

Thus, the first initialization and basic setup can be considered a success!

Features Overview

When you log in, the main screen of the UniFi controller displays general information about traffic, clients, Wi-Fi and other activity.

In this article, I will not describe the UniFi controller interface, but I will note which new sections or functions have become active with the appearance of the new gateway.

On the main page, in the right column, information about the IP address, provider, uptime of the device and access to the Internet began to be displayed. The value of service feedback has also appeared to determine the quality of Internet services.

Gateway – This section became active with UXG-Lite. The gateway has three tabs:

• traffic
• filtering
• geo-blocking

In these sections, you can very flexibly block or allow traffic for certain devices, services, devices, and even for the IP address belonging to a certain country.

Customization Features – In the customization section, many sections have also become active, namely:

• Internet
• VPN
• Security
• Routing

All sections are organized into logical blocks, which allows you to intuitively understand which settings need to be made to achieve a certain result.

If you have any questions, I invite you to discuss them in the comments!