Comment by h4kunamata

I guess routers and access points are easy to replace with a normal OS but I’m yet to see a managed l2 or l3 switch that runs user provider OS. I’d ditch anything in an eye blink if there was some kind of fully open source network stack that can be controlled through infrastructure code. Affordable that is, not including that Nvidia thingie.

> Overpriced piece of hardware

Sure maybe this NAS is overpriced compared to building it yourself but those are different target markets.

When it comes to wireless access points you really can't beat $99 for home use. I've never had any reliability issues, never had to even think about my network, rebooting my router, those issues are just completely in the past and the single-pane-of-glass makes networking such a non-burden. I feel confident knowing my network is not running on some piddly proprietary TP-link fork of openWRT running who knows what else.

> hardware that you will never own because it runs proprietary firmware,

I don't really buy these things to install a gameboy emulator on them, they're appliances to solve my problem of "need internet" and they work flawlessly. More power to people who achieve that solution by buying their own SDR PCIe cards and wiring that all up, but I don't have time for that nor does it really matter to me.

> forced to install apps to take full advantage from those devices.

As opposed to busting out an RJ11 cable and configuring them over serial or something? The management platform is part of the value prop, you're clearly not the target audience :)

I'm in the market for some wifi access points. If Ubiquiti is not so great can you name some alternatives?