Netonix Forums

We're seeing long lead times (4-8 weeks) on Ubiquiti ac radios. Does anyone have recommendations on Ubiquiti alternatives? This is for a small, rural wisp.

Thanks!

I would be careful going with AC radios on PTMP unless you have:
1) not so noisy spectrum (low noise floor)
2) relatively short links (3 to 4 miles or less)

Look I warned people to use shielding 8 years ago and it was an uphill battle
Then I warned there was no benefit using Titanium or Legacy M2 and M5 and that was an uphill battle as well

So this time I am not going to not bother too much

Personally I still use Regular M5 radios with RF Armor for PTMP and use the AC 500mm or Rocket AC Lite for PTP links with shielding.

Chris, off topic lol

dhuestis,
alternatives that meet your specific request? no. none in the ubiquiti pricing realm. If you are willing to spend more, Cambium 450 series.
alternatives that are attractive in the near future? Mimosa

The 300 and 400 AC radios had some issues so UBNT has held shipments on them. Supposedly they just released the 300's for shipping, but they are pretty much the same radio just different mounting points in different dishes..

I'm in the same boat as you.. Just about out of AC radios, they work well for us. Did an install today, 135Mbps down, 8ms ping, on speedtest.net. R5AC Prism 20mhz channel, with a 400 AC CPE. This is over 3 AF5X links back to our fiber even.

I personnaly switched to Cambium ePMP.

I've also switched to ePMP.

I tested an ePMP, the RX side was so overloaded with noise, that although a station could get 75-80Mbps down, could only transmit ~5Mbps up on a 20Mhz channel. Prism at the same location yields just over 120Mbps, and 45Mbps up at the same location.

ePMP is great if most of the noise comme from your own device. With GPS sync, you can easily use 40 Mhz channel. From my test, 120 down and 40 up with a 75/25 ratio on a 40 mhz channel while I was not able to use more than 30 mhz channel with M radios with max 70 Mb/s. Don't forget that up and down don't use same airtime so that 160 Mb/s total. Some report around 100 / 100 on 50/50 ratio. Not bad for a N radio. Personnaly, I like better voice reliability and channel reuse over AC.

For really noisy area, ePMP 2000 add the hypure that seem similar to airPrism and the're the optionnal beam forming antenna for even more noise filtering.

ePMP would really rock if the could move to AC and MU-MIMO but I think it would make PMP450m a lot less attractive. Until then, most of our investissement is in FTTx instead waiting for a affordable PMP450m like solution.

What turns me off on the whole PMP line is the ridiculous licensing structure.

So I have a tower guy that is in the Hospital and I just had to go help put in (well upgrade from NanoBridge to AC 500mm) a private PTP link for a high end customer.

I am really thinking I like Rocket AC Lite for PTP links over the AF5X.

Less than $100 per radio vs $350 and the AC radios can get 300 Mbps in both direction with 40 MHz whereas the AF5X can not seem to touch that and you have to specify that damn duty cycle and with my network I do not know which direction I need the speed in.

I was just talking with my CTO for my WISP and thinking we are going to swap out our AF5X radios for Rocket AC Lite radios.