Monthly Archives: July 2024

Ubiquiti Networks’ airFiber is a groundbreaking Point-to-Point (PtP) wireless platform that is reshaping the landscape of high-performance, long-range backhaul solutions. Designed to deliver gigabit-plus performance, low latency, and exceptional range, airFiber ushers in a new era of price-disruptive wireless technology, making it an ideal choice for carrier backhaul, building-to-building enterprise applications, and public safety communications.

 

Efficient by Design

The airFiber series was meticulously designed and engineered by Ubiquiti’s R&D team to achieve superior throughput and efficiency. Every component, from the silicon chip to the innovative split-antenna architecture, has been carefully optimized to create a high-performance backhaul solution.

 

Plug-and-Play Deployment

Powered by Ubiquiti’s intuitive airOS, the airFiber Configuration Interface enables quick and easy deployment. The mechanical design of the airFiber series allows for efficient one-person installation, and a two-person crew can effectively install and align an airFiber link. Fine-tuning the alignment is made simple through the airFiber LED display, the Configuration Interface, and the audio tone feature.

 

Worldwide License-Free Operation

The airFiber series operates in worldwide, license-free 24 GHz or 5 GHz frequencies, allowing users to purchase and operate the devices without the need for special permits, paperwork, or additional licensing costs. Users are free to locate, deploy, and operate airFiber practically anywhere, subject to local country regulations.

 

Speed and Range

The airFiber series delivers exceptional performance, with throughput up to 1.2+ Gbps for the AF-5/AF-5U models, 1.5+ Gbps for the AF-24, and 2 Gbps for the AF-24HD. This translates to transfer speeds that are up to 100 times faster than common broadband providers, with the ability to transmit a 100 MB file in less than a second.

The airFiber series is also designed for long-range use, with the AF-24 and AF-24HD models supporting links up to 13+ km and 20+ km, respectively. The AF-5 and AF-5U models, equipped with the innovative xtreme Range Technology (xRT), can achieve links of up to 100+ km, depending on the regulatory region.

Innovative Proprietary Modem Technology Ubiquiti’s proprietary modem technology, purpose-built for outdoor PtP bridging and high-performance network backhauls, is at the core of the AirFiber series. Every aspect of the radio has been carefully designed to optimize range, speed, and latency performance, even in the harshest RF noise environments.

 

Synchronous Data Transmission and Reception

Conventional wireless standards impose latency by requiring the reception of a packet before transmission. In contrast, airFiber can transmit data synchronously without any wait time. The airFiber radios 

 

utilize patent-pending Hybrid Division Duplexing (HDD) technology, which calculates the propagation delay and synchronizes the transmission and reception of packets, effectively eliminating packet transmission latency.

 

Innovative Dual-Antenna Architecture

The airFiber series features a dual-independent, 2×2 MIMO, high-gain reflector antenna system. Separate yet integrated transmit (TX) and receive (RX) antennas help extend the link budget by eliminating the extra RF losses caused by the switches or duplexers required in systems with common TX/RX antennas.

 

Network Management Features

The airFiber series supports a variety of features to enhance network management:

• Network Management Options: Administrators can choose between the greater security of out-of-band management and the convenience of in-band management.
• SNMP Support: Full SNMP support aids in network management.
  Local and Remote Status Information: Available on the Main tab of the airFiber Configuration Interface

5 GHz Models: AF-5 and AF-5U
The airFiber series offers two models for the 5 GHz spectrum:

 

Model Frequency Range

AF-5 5470 – 5950 MHz

The AF-5 utilizes the popular mid-band frequencies, which are freely used in many parts of the world.

AF-5U 5725 – 6200 MHz

The AF-5U, on the other hand, features robust filtering to enable co-location with devices operating in the lower 5 GHz bands, while allowing operation at a higher output power in many regions.

 

Radio Alignment Display (RAD)

Designed for the AF-5 and AF-5U models, the Radio Alignment Display (RAD) makes aiming the antennas quicker and easier. The dual, calibrated signal strength indicators provide real-time feedback on the signal strength for both the local and remote airFiber radios.

 

Superior Processing

The airFiber AF-5 and AF-5U models are powered by Ubiquiti’s proprietary INVICTUS core communications processing engine, which enhances the overall performance of the radios.

 

Efficient Use of 5 GHz Band

The airFiber AF-5 and AF-5U feature 1 MHz center channel resolution and market-leading Power Envelope Tracking technology. This allows the radios to accurately and continuously control the transmit power relative to the band edge, optimizing performance near band edges and enabling the user to choose the part of the band with the least interference.

 

Long-Range Links

Newly developed for the AF-5 and AF-5U models, the patent-pending xRT (xtreme Range Technology) feature uses an innovative, adaptive multi-channel coding scheme to enhance the radio transceiver performance, maximizing the link budget and spectrum utilization while maintaining regulatory compliance. This results in links that can span distances from 10 m up to 100+ km.

 

24 GHz Models: AF-24 and AF-24HD
The airFiber series also includes two models for the 24 GHz spectrum:

 

Model Throughput Range
AF-24 Up to 1.5+ Gbps Up to 13+ km
AF-24HD Up to 2 Gbps Up to 20+ km

 

The Ubiquiti R&D team has eliminated the RF losses typically experienced in millimeter-wave frequency systems by using separate yet integrated TX and RX antennas, resulting in a robust link budget, improved noise figure, and higher transmit power efficiency.

 

Robust Mechanical Assembly

The airFiber AF-24 and AF-24HD models have been rigorously tested to meet MIL-STD-810G, a United States Military Standard that defines a variety of challenging environmental conditions. The mechanical assembly has also undergone extended vibration testing in accordance with IEC 60068-2-6, an environmental standard of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

 

Best-in-Class Performance and Range
The INVICTUS custom silicon used in the airFiber AF-24 and AF-24HD models dramatically improves wireless performance, supporting dense modulation rates up to 256QAM for the AF-24HD, which is required to achieve data rates up to 2 Gbps.

The airFiber 24 GHz models also feature the most powerful automatic compensation for path loss degradation due to rain fade, providing the best range among 24 GHz products and allowing for constellation threshold extension.