How to Set Up UniFi in a 50-Unit RV Park or Campground: A Real-World Guide to Outdoor Wi-Fi Deployment with Subscriber Management

Setting up Wi-Fi in an RV park is like building a small, mobile neighborhood. Sounds easy, right? Not quite. Between the wide-open spaces, metal and fiberglass RV walls, and dozens of users with varying devices and streaming habits, it can quickly become a complex project.

Recently, a UniFi community member brought up a great question: how to set up a simple, secure, and budget-conscious UniFi network for a 50-slip RV park. They were looking for a way to manage subscribers without using overly expensive hotel-style MDU setups. The plan? Use three U7-Pro-Outdoor access points and a UniFi Cloud Gateway Max (UCG-Max), while isolating users through VLANs or RADIUS without overcomplicating the process. I loved the question, because it's something we deal with often at Flytec. Let me walk you through the best way to approach this.

First, we need to acknowledge the environment. RV parks are unique. Unlike office spaces or apartment buildings, everything is exposed to the elements. Your users are inside aluminum and fiberglass shells, some parked further from APs, and possibly trying to stream Netflix or Zoom into the night. This isn't just about signal reach, it's about density, interference, and user experience.

Let’s start with the access points. The U7-Pro-Outdoor APs are an excellent choice due to their Wi-Fi 7 capabilities, offering faster speeds, lower latency, and better handling of multiple devices, a crucial advantage in a crowded RV park environment. But will three of them really be enough? If your park is compact and line-of-sight is mostly clear, it might work. But in most cases, I recommend considering at least four or five units strategically placed to provide overlapping coverage.

A few placement tips:

• Mount APs higher to maximize coverage and line-of-sight.
• Avoid placing them directly behind or between metal RVs.
• Plan for some overlap but avoid too much channel interference.

When it comes to network isolation, we step into the more interesting part, subscriber management. This case isn’t about giving users an app to manage their own connections like a hotel; instead, it’s about assigning each user a temporary credential, isolating them from each other, and cleaning up access once they leave. That’s where VLANs come into play.

Assigning individual VLANs per user is a smart move for privacy and network segmentation. Each user can be placed on a dedicated VLAN to prevent snooping or cross-device interference. While this is usually done in MDU environments, it can also be handled via RADIUS integration with the UniFi controller. The user connects to a single SSID, but behind the scenes, they are dropped into their isolated VLAN. The good news? UniFi’s built-in RADIUS server can support this. The catch? It takes a little planning.

For a smaller deployment like this, you don’t need heavy hardware. Your UCG-Max can manage the entire environment.

Here are two common approaches for user management:

• RADIUS with VLAN assignment: Great for full control and secure credential use. Allow per-user VLANs and access control.
• PPSK (Private Pre-Shared Key): Easier to implement but lacks WPA3 support and per-user VLAN assignment.

On the backhaul side, make sure you’re not relying on wireless uplinks or meshes especially not across long distances. Use fiber where possible, or at the very least, shielded Ethernet runs with UniFi USW-Flex-XG switches to tie your U7-Pro-Outdoor back to the gateway. Stable, wired backhaul will make a big difference in performance.

If you must use wireless bridging in some zones, be realistic about speed expectations and interference. The last thing you want is bottlenecks between APs.

Now, let’s talk about usage. If 20 out of the 50 guests are online at once, and a chunk of them are streaming, you’ll need to manage bandwidth. The UniFi controller lets you create bandwidth profiles, block certain types of traffic, and enforce per-user limits. This keeps the network fair for everyone.

Another great tip is to create a separate VLAN and SSID for staff or admin use. This lets you monitor or manage the network without being affected by guest traffic. Even in small setups, having a secure internal VLAN can save you a lot of headaches.

When it comes to remote support and monitoring, the UCG-Max really shines. You’ll be able to troubleshoot from anywhere, reboot APs, check user sessions, or disable credentials, all without being onsite.

So, what’s the final equipment list? For a 50-site RV park, I recommend: 

• 4–5x U7-Pro-Outdoor APs
• 1x UCG-Max
• 1–2x USW-Flex-XG or similar switches for distribution
• Optional: RADIUS setup within UniFi or PPSK setup for simpler deployments
• Optional: Dedicated VLAN for staff devices
• Optional: UPS for power backup

Remember: don’t overthink it, but don’t undersize it either. The key is to balance performance and manageability.

At Flytec, we help MSPs and network admins across USA and Latam set up projects like this every week. Whether you’re building Wi-Fi for RV parks, marinas, or outdoor venues, reach out to us—we can help you plan, quote, and support your entire deployment.