Of course, this requires a recent enough firmware version on the AP itself to support that feature, which, when I first tried it, I conveniently did not have, meaning I had to install the controller to upgrade everything anyway...
My lesson for that one is, uh, don't buy the older gear from resellers. Buy the new models from Unifi or Amazon directly.
Unfortunately details are sparse on their incredibly annoying, scroll-hijacking marketing site. But it seems to be a simple enough, plug-and-play mesh network setup, and the industrial design is quite nice. I think Ubnt just doesn't have the marketing machine needed to really push it in the consumer space.
As I write this, I realize it sounds like an ad, so for clarity: I'm in no way affiliated with Ubiquiti - just a satisfied customer.