Overview
This article describes the different sets of credentials UniFi uses, along with information on where each would have been set up initially and where they can be changed, if applicable. It is important to note that both passwords and usernames are case sensitive. For 2FA questions, please take a look at this article: How to Enable / Disable Two Factor Authentication (2FA).
Table of Contents
- UniFi Device Authentication Password
- UniFi Network Controller Password
- Cloud Key SSH
- UniFi Dream Machine Models
- Ubiquiti SSO Cloud Credentials: UI Community, UI Store and UniFi Cloud Access Portal
- Other Credentials
- Related Articles
UniFi Device Authentication Password
The Device Authentication credentials are used in the device management user interfaces (UI). For example, when locally accessing a UniFi Security Gateway (USG) by typing 192.168.1.1 in the browser, or accessing a UAP via SSH to upgrade its firmware. They're also used when adopting a "managed by other" device. See this article for more: UniFi - Advanced Adoption of a "Managed By Other" Device.
To see what this password is in UniFi Network, and to change it follow the steps below. See related articles below to see how this is done on UniFi Protect and UniFi Video.
1. Launch the UniFi Network Controller and go to Settings > Site and enable Advanced Features. Save changes and refresh the screen.
2. Now you should see a Device Authentication section under Settings > Site. Note that if you had previously enabled SSH Authentication and then disabled Advanced Features, this section would be visible without requiring Advanced Features to be enabled in step 1.
3. Check the box to Enable SSH authentication and set a Username and Password. Or click the eye to see what your Username and Password currently is if the password is already created.
If these have never been set by an admin, there are two possible combinations of default credentials for UniFi devices: ubnt / ubnt or root / ubnt. However, if you went through the Setup Wizard, it would have required you to assign a new password and username in the Controller Access screen, under Device Authentication. The default credentials of ubnt/ubnt or root/ubnt will be useful when factory resetting a device and managing it in an already installed Controller (hence, forgoing the Setup Wizard).
UniFi Network Controller Password
These credentials allow you to log in to the UniFi Network Controller, either accessing it directly by typing the IP address on your browser, or by going to the UniFi Cloud Access Portal and launching the Controller from there. You created these credentials in the Controller Access screen of the Setup Wizard. You have the option to use your SSO Cloud Account credentials for the Controller as well. See the SSO Cloud Credentials section for more information.
How to Change the Controller Admin Name and Password
If you have access to the Controller, you can change your Controller Admin Name and Password at any moment.
1. Within the Controller, click on your username in the upper, right-hand corner.
2. Select Edit account.
3. Here you can change the password, the Admin Name and the Admin email. It is important to note that when you are resetting your password, this is the only email you will be able to send a "reset password" email to, regardless of what email you are using as a SMTP server.
How to Recover the Controller Password
If you forgot the password of the UniFi Network Controller, you can click on the FORGOT PASSWORD? link under the controller login screen and enter the email you have associated with your Controller (as it appears in the Controller's Edit account section). You will have to click the link in the email to properly reset your password. Until then your current password is still valid.
The password reset email is sent by SMTP server. If you have not enabled the SMTP server and configured it correctly, this option will not work even when appearing to successfully send the reset email. If the SMTP server has not been set up, but you have Cloud Access enabled, you can log in to unifi.ui.com and try to launch your controller using the Cloud, by clicking on the name of the controller and then selecting "Launch Using Cloud" from the drop down that appears in the Site Overview of the controller Details panel that pops out. If you can successfully launch the controller, then you will be able to set up SMTP under Settings > Controller and then request a password reset with the Forgot Password link after locally accessing the controller.
See this article on how to set up a SMTP server with Gmail: UniFi - How To Use a Free Email Service as SMTP Server (Gmail). You can also read the SMTP section in the UniFi User Guide, Chapter 3 (page 57).
If neither of these have been enabled, there is no method to recover the Controller password: it will have to be reinstalled. See this article on how to uninstall the Controller and reinstall by following the Quick Start Guide or User Guide downloadable in the Downloads page (select product on the left hand menu and scroll down to the documentation section).
Cloud Key SSH
The Cloud Key's SSH credentials are the same as the one's used to enter the Cloud Key's configuration interface, accessed when typing the Cloud Key's IP address in the browser navigation bar. The Setup Wizard gives users the choice to use the same Controller administrator name and password for SSH access. However, if a user decides to leave that box unchecked, they will have to provide another set of credentials in the Wizard's Controller Access screen for SSH and Cloud Key access.
In other words: if the option to "Use the same name and password for SSH access to your Cloud Key" is checked, then the Cloud Key and the SSH credentials will be the same as the Controller's, unless you change them later on. To change them you would:
1. Go to the Cloud Key's configuration UI by typing the Cloud Key's IP address in your browser.
2. Select the Manage Cloud Key option and sign in.
3. Click on the username on the upper right hand corner and select change username or change password as applies to your needs. For Gen 1 Cloud Keys these settings are found under Maintenance > Security.
Cloud Key Gen2 Plus
If the UCK-Gen2-Plus was set up using the UniFi Protect mobile app, it will ask you to log in to your UI.com account (using your Ubiquiti SSO Cloud credentials) or to create an account at that time. In these cases, the UCK-Gen2-Plus management and SSH credentials will be username: "root"; and password: your SSO account password.
UniFi Dream Machine (UDM and UDM-Pro)
UniFi Dream Machine
During the UDM's initial setup, you'll be prompted to log in to your UI.com account (using your Ubiquiti SSO Cloud credentials) or you may create an account at that time. You'll use this username and password to log in locally to the UniFi Network Controller hosted on the UDM, the UDM's Management Settings UI, or via the UniFi Network Portal (https://network.unifi.ui.com) for Cloud Access.
SSH credentials for the UDM are username "root" and the password is the same as your SSO account's.
UniFi Dream Machine Pro
During the UDM-Pro's initial setup, you'll be prompted to log in to your UI.com account (using your Ubiquiti SSO Cloud credentials) or you may create an account at that time. You'll use this username and password to log in locally to the UniFi Controllers hosted on the UDM-Pro, the UDM's Management Settings UI, or via the UniFi Network Portal (https://network.unifi.ui.com) for Cloud Access.
To be able to SSH to the UDM-Pro follow these steps:
1. To enable SSH for the UDM-Pro, navigate to the UniFi Portal then click on the UDM-Pro's Name.
2. Proceed to Settings > Advanced, toggle SSH to enable it, then enter an SSH password and click Confirm. The SSH username is "root".
nslookup https://setup.ui.com/. This command will show the IP of the Controller's host (server).
Ubiquiti SSO Cloud Credentials
The Ubiquiti Cloud username and password are your Single Sign-On, UI.com account credentials created in https://account.ui.com/. This set of credentials is used in the UI Community, the UI Store, UniFi Cloud Access Portal and the UI Help Center. To change this username and password go to https://account.ui.com. This is also where you would enable (or disable) your 2FA verification. See this article for more: How to Enable / Disable Two Factor Authentication (2FA).
How to create an account:
Click to Expand
- Visit: https://account.ui.com
- Under the Sign In button, click on Not a Member? Create account.
- Fill in the required information.
- First name - First name of the user account owner.
- Last name - Last name of the user account owner.
- Username - Public display name for the account. Used for sign in on required Ubiquiti websites.
- Email - Email address to receive notification emails. Can also be used for sign in. Will be used by Ubiquiti Support to contact you if necessary.
- Password - This password can be any combination of characters as long as it meets the minimum of 8 characters in length.
- Agree to the terms and policies, decide if you wish to receive periodic newsletters and updates and click Register.
After the account has been registered, check the email inbox for a verification email to make sure that the proper email account was used for the account.
Other Credentials
Wireless Network SSID Password
This is not a common password to get confused, but it is listed in this article since it is also created during the Setup Wizard in the Configure WiFi screen. You can change this SSID name and password, referred to as Security Key in the UniFi Network Controller Settings > Wireless Networks > Edit.
Related Articles
How to Enable / Disable Two Factor Authentication (2FA)
UniFi Protect - Enabling Camera SSH Access
UniFi Video - How to Enable SSH on the UVC-NVR (Hardware NVR)
UniFi - Advanced Adoption of a "Managed By Other" Device
UniFi - How To Use a Free Email Service as SMTP Server (Gmail)