How MSPs can host and manage UniFi controllers for multiple clients

Managing UniFi networks for clients gets messy fast if you’re running individual controllers on laptops or onsite hardware. It doesn’t scale.

But with a remote‑hosted controller strategy, you get centralized oversight, secure access, and easier support workflows.

Let's dive in !!

why MSPs need a hosted multi‑client model

If you have a dozen clients each with their own UniFi controller, you’re juggling updates, security flaws, and messy access. Any hardware failure, or worse, ransomware, can bring multiple controllers down. With MSP-grade hosting you:

• Centralize management in one dashboard
• Isolate each client’s controller and data
• Streamline patching with zero touch upgrades
• Offer granular admin privileges to teams or client IT
• Simplify billing, support, and onboarding

architecting your MSP UniFi stack

You’ll need:

1. Central management server, beither VMware, Linode, AWS, or UniHosted
2. Controller instances, one per client, running UniFi OS
3. Isolation per site, separate admin roles, VLANs, sys logs
4. Monitoring system, uptime alerts, disk usage, certificate status
5. Billing and automation, track controller count, client provisioning

provisioning a new client

When a new client signs on:

1. Create a new UniFi OS site under your hosting platform
2. Preload their SSIDs, VLANs, site settings via templates
3. Reserve a fixed IP or host entry for Inform URL
4. Share credentials with client: admin, billing, read-only as needed
5. Deploy UDM or Cloud Key at the client site, set its inform URL
6. Once adopted, device appears in your central dashboard

All clients get immediate access to unified logging, version controls, and alerting without onsite visits.

secure remote access for your team

Use role-based access built into UniFi OS:

• Admins for internal staff
• Read-only or custom roles for client IT
• Restrict remote access by IP or enable Teleport invites
• Force 2FA for anything beyond read-only

This prevents credential sharing and protects your backend.

firmware and controller maintenance

Set a schedule:

• Every week: controller updates (tested first in lab)
• Every month: perimeter patches and backup verification
• Quarterly: firmware upgrades on UDMs, APs, switches

Use staging to ensure new versions don’t break client workflows. Role it out carefully across low-risk sites first.

backups, versioning & rollback

Each client controller has its own backup path:

• Daily snapshots + weekly archive saved off-site
• On major changes, create restore checkpoints
• Store backups for at least 90 days
• Test restores quarterly to confirm viability

This avoids a bricked site if a firmware push goes wrong.

handling client support and escalation

Use workflows integrated with service desk:

• Log tickets on device offline, site-wide alert
• Onboarding: standard controller build, device adoption checklist
• Remote troubleshooting via controller logs and Teleport
• Document each support case for billing, also to track recurring issues

Clients get quick support without giving direct system access.

billing and cost recovery

Charge based on controller size or service levels:

• Tier 1: basic hosting, updates, monitoring
• Tier 2: includes firmware updates and guest network config
• Tier 3: full WAN failover, IDS/IPS tuning, hybrid cloud services

Use a monthly tracker for controllers, support time, number of devices, and storage usage.

scaling with templates and automation

As you grow:

• Use APIs to provision controllers and client sites
• Maintain library of site JSON templates and VLAN layouts
• Build scripts for DNS records, email invites, and billing setup
• Monitor disk and CPU usage, spin extra hosts as needed

You avoid manual installs and typos while scaling rapidly.

high‑availability & redundancy

For enterprise-grade hosting:

• Use clustered VPS or AWS with load-balanced UniFi OS
• Replicate backups to separate regions
• Design failover plans for region outages
• Automate failback with DNS or floating IPs

Your MSP offering then matches SLAs clients expect in commercial networks.

migration from self‑hosted

When onboarding a client with a locally hosted controller:

• Export full .unf backup
• Create new hosted controller instance
• Upload and restore backup
• Update inform URL on UDM/APs to central Hosted address
• Re-adopt edge devices (they stay provisioned)
• Verify SSIDs, VLANs, and remote access

This clean migration gives you ongoing reliability.

marketing your managed UniFi service

Position your MSP with:

• “Cloud-hosted UniFi with 99.9% uptime”
• “Secure, client-isolated controllers, logs never commingle”
• “Automatic updates and backups, no onsite visits for upgrades”
• “Support teams granted gateway-level diagnostic without we’re exposing email or VPN”
• “Per-site billing tied to devices and storage used”

Highlight control, transparency, and scalability.

pitfalls to avoid

• Don’t shard multiple clients under one controller, they should be separate instances
• Don’t rely on DIY backups, automate and store off-site
• Don’t skip change approval, apply updates only after staging tests
• Don’t ignore billing, track usage or client costs per site
• Don’t expose controller ports, use secure remote access and Teleport

why UniHosted makes this easier

We handle hosting infrastructure so MSPs don’t worry about scale. You get:

• Per-site controller isolation on the same backend
• Auto-migration tools and scripts
• Log aggregation and alerting dashboards
• Daily backups with restore validation
• Support for Teleport, RADIUS, VPN, and remote access