Ubiquiti USW-WAN: ports, power and failover setup
The USW-WAN is a compact 1U switch that takes one ISP handoff and feeds it to a pair of UniFi gateways, so the internet link survives a gateway failure. Click any port on the panels below to see what it does.
- 1U rack mount
- 3 x 10G SFP+
- 1 x 1G MGMT
- Dual AC inputs
- 13 W max
- 4.85 lb
USW-WAN specifications
| Model | USW-WAN |
| Form factor | 1U rack mount, 120 mm (4.72 in.) deep |
| SFP+ ports | 3 x 10G SFP+ (10G/1G): 1 input from ISP, 2 outputs to gateways |
| Management port | 1 x RJ45 (1G/100M/10M), rear |
| Switching capacity | 20 Gbps |
| Non-blocking throughput | 10 Gbps |
| Forwarding rate | 15 Mpps |
| Power | 2 internal 36 W AC/DC supplies, 100 to 240 VAC, 50/60 Hz, one inlet each |
| Max. power consumption | 13 W |
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 1.7 x 17.4 x 4.72 in. (43.7 x 442.4 x 120 mm) |
| Weight | 4.85 lb (2.2 kg), 5.1 lb (2.3 kg) with brackets |
| Enclosure | SGCC steel, steel mounts |
| ESD/EMP protection | Air 16 kV, contact 22 kV |
| Operating temperature | 23 to 104 F (-5 to 40 C) |
| Humidity | 10 to 90% noncondensing |
| Certifications | CE, FCC, IC, NDAA compliant |
| Software | UniFi Network 9.1.119 or later |
Every port on the USW-WAN, explained
Click a card to light up those ports on the panels above.
3 SFP+ ports (front)3 on the panel
Port 3 is the input from your ISP. Plug the modem or ONT handoff in here.
Ports 1 and 2 are the outputs: port 1 goes to the primary gateway and port 2 to the redundant gateway. The blue bars above them mark the pair.
All three take 10G SFP+ or 1G SFP modules, so match the ISP side to what your provider hands off.
MGMT port (rear)1 on the panel
A gigabit RJ45 on the far left of the rear panel. Connect it to your management network so UniFi can adopt and monitor the switch.
2 AC power inlets (rear)2 on the panel
Two independent supplies, each with its own inlet and a safety latch to hold the cord in place. Feed them from separate circuits or PDUs so one power failure does not drop the internet link.
Also on the front
- System LED: on the left, next to the High Availability mark.
- Reset: pinhole to the right of port 3.
- Port LEDs show link on each SFP+ port.
How the WAN switch fits a failover setup
Two Enterprise Gateways run in Shadow Mode, one active and one on standby. Without the WAN switch, the ISP handoff can only plug into one of them. The USW-WAN takes that single feed on port 3 and presents it to both gateways on ports 1 and 2, so the standby gateway can take over without anyone moving a cable.
The datasheet example goes further: two WAN switches, each with its own internet feed, in front of two Enterprise Gateways in Shadow Mode, with two Enterprise Aggregation switches linked by MC-LAG behind them. Every layer then has a spare.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Ubiquiti USW-WAN do?+
It splits one ISP connection to two UniFi gateways so a standby gateway can take over if the active one fails.
Which USW-WAN port connects to the ISP?+
Port 3 on the front. Ports 1 and 2 go to the primary and redundant gateways.
Are the USW-WAN ports 10G?+
Yes. All three are SFP+ ports that run at 10G or 1G.
Does the USW-WAN have redundant power?+
Yes. It has two internal 36 W supplies with separate AC inlets on the rear.
What UniFi Network version does the USW-WAN need?+
UniFi Network 9.1.119 or later.
How deep is the USW-WAN?+
120 mm (4.72 in.), so it fits shallow racks and wall cabinets.
Plan this network switch in your rack
The USW-WAN is in the Ubiquiti library for DaMatrix, with every port mapped so you can drag it into a rack, patch it and print the documentation.
Related Ubiquiti devices
- U7-Pro-Max
- Ubiquiti Aggregation (USW-Aggregation)
- Ubiquiti Dream Machine Pro (UDM-Pro)
- Ubiquiti Dream Machine Pro Max (UDM-Pro-Max)
- Ubiquiti Dream Machine Special Edition (UDM-SE)
- Ubiquiti Enterprise Firewall (EFG)
- Ubiquiti Enterprise Firewall Core (EF-Core)
- Ubiquiti Pro Max 16 (USW-Pro-Max-16)
- Ubiquiti Pro Max 24 PoE (USW-Pro-Max-24-PoE)
- Ubiquiti Pro Max 48 PoE (USW-Pro-Max-48-PoE)
- Ubiquiti Pro XG 48 PoE (USW-Pro-XG-48-PoE)
- Ubiquiti Standard 16 PoE (USW-16-PoE)
- Ubiquiti Standard 24 PoE (USW-24-PoE)
- Ubiquiti Standard 48 (USW-48)
Summarized from the USW-WAN Datasheet. This page is a quick reference; check the full manual for safety warnings and model-specific limits.