The UniFi line has moved away from passive PoE. The "UISP" line is almost exclusively passive PoE, even for brand new products. Ubiquiti has proven they know how to make devices that support both when they transitioned the UniFi line, but they actively choose not to and to enforce the use of bad nonstandard trash with their new products in their ISP product line.
The majority of UISP devices they sell are all relatively old products. For example the 'NanoStation 5AC Loco' is a great $50 product that continues to work well, but it was released in ~2019. And they continue to sell new models of products that have been unchanged for over a decade.
In the last 2 years they've released very few new UISP products and you're right that they continue to be passive PoE. I suspect this is for continued compatibility with their older product line. Upgrading from passive PoE to active 802.3 PoE requires replacing the injector and maintaining passive PoE makes it easier to upgrade. And the UISP product line is really meant for wireless ISP operators, not consumers, where the risks of passive PoE are smaller.
Anyway, I agree with the sentiment, but I don't hold it against Ubiquiti too much for continuing to use passive PoE for their UISP line, since I think it makes sense for their customers. As so-so work around you can get a 802.3 -> passive 24V converter: https://store.ui.com/us/en/products/ins-3af-i-g
> And the UISP product line is really meant for wireless ISP operators, not consumers, where the risks of passive PoE are smaller.
I'm afraid that's not how it works out in actual practice, it's the other way around:
WISP devices are installed in random people's windows, roofs and chimneys. The injector might end up behind their TV set. If their TV doesn't work, they unplug and replug random things. Which will fry whatever has the unlucky pleasure of ending up on the output side of the injector. I'm unfortunately speaking from experience.
Meanwhile, people buying and putting up a wifi AP beyond their CPE wifi router tend to have a bit of understanding. If you told them to never plug anything other than the given device into the output side of an injector, it'd probably go reasonably well.
