In the ever-evolving world of networking, the demand for seamless connectivity and efficient management has never been higher. Ubiquiti continues to push the boundaries of innovation with its latest offering, Site Magic. This game-changing platform allows you to effortlessly interconnect UniFi Gateways across multiple locations, creating a high-performance and scalable Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN).
In this blog post, we'll delve into the key features and requirements of Site Magic to implement in your own network.
Streamlined Connectivity
Site Magic simplifies the complex task of linking UniFi Gateways at various locations. Say goodbye to setting up intricate manual site-to-site VPNs and intricate networking configurations between multiple gateways. With just a few clicks in the UniFi Portal, you can select the gateways you want to connect. What's more, even if one of these gateways operates behind NAT or relies on LTE/5G services, as long as it has a public IP, it can participate seamlessly in the interconnected network. It is based on Wireguard and therefore offers modern encryption with improved performance in comparison to older VPN technologies
Key Requirements
To take full advantage of Site Magic, it's essential to meet certain requirements. You will need to use UniFi Gateway/Console, such as UDM-PRO, UDM-SE, UDW, UDR, UCG- ULTRA and UXG-PRO. Unfortunately, there is no support for the older USG or USG-PRO models. Additionally, the following requirements must be met:
1. The UniFi Gateway Console should be running UniFi OS 3.1 or newer, and UniFi Network v7.4.150 or newer.
2. At least one gateway must have a public IP address.
3. All participating gateways and consoles must have the same owner.
How it's done
You can configure Site Magic directly on your UniFi portal with its own dedicated menu. It's as easy as selecting a minimum of two sites that meet the criteria and providing a group name to your sites.
You are able to designate networks within each site that you wish to share with the group, ensuring there's no overlap. With a simple click of the "Connect" button, everything is configured and ready to go.
If your gateway decides to change its WAN IP the new address automatically updates across all gateways, preserving your connection to the other sites. If there is any disruption to UI's cloud servers connectivity will still be maintained across sites.
Currently there are some limitations:
1. Up to 5 sites. This is likely to increase in future updates.
2. It only supports a single administrator. If ownership of the consoles is transferred is will no longer participate in the network.
3. IPv4 which should suffice for most installations however IPv6 is on the cards.
Network management which can be complex and challenging is greatly simplified with Site Magic. It is an efficient solution that can transform the way you handle your network connections with no licensing costs. Say goodbye to network intricacies and embrace the magic of simplified network management.
