UniFi Access Explained: Complete Australian Door Access Guide (2026)

How UniFi Access actually works

The single most common misunderstanding is thinking the reader on the wall is the access control system. It is not. The reader only reads credentials — it has no ability to unlock anything. The hub, mounted securely inside the door, is what makes the decision and switches power to the lock.

Choosing a hub — the most important decision

The hub determines how many doors you control, how many readers you can attach, and what else you can wire in. All PoE-powered hubs take a PoE++ input and provide PoE+ outputs to feed the readers.

Note that all hubs are rated indoor only as devices. The Gate Hub can be deployed outdoors inside a weatherproof junction box, which is the normal approach for a driveway gate.

Every UniFi Access reader compared

All readers support the same NFC standards — ISO/IEC 14443A/B, 15693, 18092, MIFARE Classic and DESFire — with a read range under 30 mm, so existing compatible cards often work.

Which reader for which door?

• Main entrance or reception: the G3 Pro. Visitors use the intercom, staff use a card or phone, and contractors get a PIN — and because it integrates with UniFi Protect, the door is also a recorded camera.
• Internal and secondary doors: the G3 Flex (with keypad) or the G3 — cost-effective and compact.
• Apartment or building entrance: an Intercom or G3 Intercom, IP65-rated for exposed positions.
• Front door with deliveries: the G6 Entry, which adds a second camera aimed at the ground for package detection.

Unlock methods: card, phone, PIN and wave

Credentials are issued and revoked centrally in UniFi Access, so a departing staff member is removed in seconds rather than requiring a lock change or a card hunt.

Electric strike or magnetic lock?

This choice depends on your door and your fire-safety requirements, and it is worth getting right.

Lock cabling: gauge and distance limits

This trips up more installations than anything else. A lock draws significant current, and voltage drops over the cable — so the further the lock is from the hub, the thicker the cable must be. Ubiquiti publishes maximum distances by lock type and wire gauge:

The practical takeaway: mount the hub close to the door, on the secure side. If the hub must be far away — in a comms room, for instance — use thicker cable and check the figures above, or you will get intermittent lock failures that are maddening to diagnose.

Starter kits — what is in each

Kits are the simplest way to do a first door, because everything is matched and nothing is missing.

Beyond the kit you will usually want an exit button, a rescue key switch for emergency manual release, and credentials — access cards or keyfobs, both sold in 10-packs. Mounting accessories such as angle mounts and junction boxes are available where the reader needs to sit on an awkward surface.

Planning a door, step by step

1. Decide the door's behaviour. Badge in only, or badge in and out? Does it sit on a fire-egress path? That determines hub model and lock type.
2. Choose the lock — electric strike for latched doors, magnetic for glass and frameless, fail-safe where egress requires it.
3. Choose the reader for who uses the door: G3 Pro at reception, G3 Flex internally, Intercom at a building entrance.
4. Position the hub inside the secure area and close to the lock — check the cable distance table above.
5. Run one PoE++ cable from a PoE++ capable switch port to the hub.
6. Add the extras: exit button, door position sensor, emergency release, rescue key switch.
7. Adopt in UniFi Access and set schedules, holidays and per-person permissions.

Gates, elevators and multiple doors

Driveway and boom gates

The Gate Hub is purpose-built: two operator relays to drive a gate motor, an auxiliary relay, and inputs for gate exit request, gate position, and a separate side pedestrian door with its own lock output. That means one hub covers the vehicle gate and the pedestrian gate beside it.

Elevators

The Elevator Starter Kit controls floor selection for up to 18 floors with 18 relays, taking inputs for car position, car status and emergency. It uses PoE++ and supports a Homeplug AV connection — useful because running Ethernet into a moving lift car is rarely practical.

Multiple doors

Each PoE hub controls one door (or one gate plus a side door). For many doors you deploy multiple hubs, all managed centrally. The Retrofit Hub is the exception, supporting two doors from one DC-powered unit.

Retrofitting existing readers and doors

If a building already has access control, you do not necessarily have to replace everything. The UniFi Retrofit Hub accepts third-party Wiegand and OSDP readers, controlling up to two doors from 12/24 V DC power. That lets you keep the existing readers and cabling while moving the management, credentials and audit trail into UniFi Access.

The UniFi Retrofit Reader is the matching OSDP reader with NFC and Touch Pass support, running on 12 V DC — useful for replacing a failed third-party reader without re-cabling to PoE.

Power, PoE and network requirements

• Hubs need PoE++ (802.3bt). Not PoE or PoE+. Check your switch supports PoE++ on the ports you plan to use — see our UniFi switch comparison.
• Readers are powered by the hub, not by your switch, over the hub's PoE+ output ports.
• Cat5e minimum for all PoE runs; the usual 100 m limit applies.
• Budget realistically: a Door Hub Mini draws up to 50 W with PoE output, a Gate Hub up to 60 W. Ten doors is therefore a meaningful load on a switch's PoE budget.
• The Retrofit Hub is DC powered (12/24 V) rather than PoE, so it needs a local power supply.

Safety, compliance and fail-safe design

Access control touches life safety, so three points deserve care:

• Egress. People must be able to get out. Exit buttons, request-to-exit sensors and mechanical override are not optional extras — and doors on egress paths generally need to release on alarm or power loss.
• Emergency release. The full Door Hub has a dedicated emergency input, and the UniFi Rescue key switch provides manual release. Fit one.
• Certification. UniFi Access hubs and readers carry UL 294 access-control certification at Level I for destructive attack, line security, endurance and standby power. Australian installations should still be signed off against local building and fire requirements — the certification supports that conversation, it does not replace it.

Which setup for which building