A bridge not too far (Ubiquiti Nanostation Loco M5)

[Q™]

Just installed 2 Ubiquiti Nanostation Loco M5’s to create a bridge from my gazebo (Station mode) in the backyard to my house (AP mode). The connection is ROCK-SOLID, which the Ubiquiti UNMS utility reports the bridge as having a 300 mbps capacity, although the 5 (2mp & 5mp) cameras I have running over the bridge are only using 25 mbps of the the pipe. I used a Plano Guide Series 3400 as a dry box to mount the Ubiquiti Nanostation power adapter and an 8-port poe switch in (the Plano box is all I had laying around after I realized that the dry boxes at Home Depot weren’t going to meet my needs). I sitll need to clean up the lan cabling and install a few more cameras, but it’s pretty much done...

 

[alastairstevenson]

Very impressive.
The gazebo that is, not so sure about the lunch box and the wiring.
But I'm the pot calling the kettle black.

 

[Q™]

Geez Louise...Keep the heid! I did say “I still need to clean up the lan cabling” and that isn’t a “lunch box”...that’s a Plano 3400 Guide Series Watertight Box with a gasket around the lid...a G-A-S-K-E-T laddie.

 

[CCTVCam]

Geez Louise...Keep the heid! I did say “I still need to clean up the lan cabling” and that isn’t a “lunch box”...that’s a Plano 3400 Guide Series Watertight Box with a gasket around the lid...a G-A-S-K-E-T laddie.

Yep that's a lunch box alright:

 

[Q™]

OK OK! It’s a fuQing lunchbox. I tried one of these but it didn’t work so I used the Plano lunch box…

 

[TonyR]

OK OK! It’s a fuQing lunchbox. I tried one of these but it didn’t work so I used the Plano lunch box…

View attachment 27016

Hey! So THAT'S what happened to my tackle box!

 

[CCTVCam]

OK OK! It’s a fuQing lunchbox. I tried one of these but it didn’t work so I used the Plano lunch box…

View attachment 27016

It's a pity it didn't work. That handle would have given you a handy swinging point in the Gazebo. If you'd put in another, you could have kept the missus happy with a swing and had Telly Tubbies to look at!

 

[c hris527]

Yes those Locos are indeed rock solid, I have a few setup to go from building to buildings on the Campus and they have never sweated for what I have asked them to do, very good piece of hardware.

 

[bp2008]

Nice setup.

By the way those particular radios only have 100 Mbps wired connections, not that I expect you to exceed 100 Mbps on your gazebo, but you'll never get 300 Mbps with them

You can reduce the channel width to free up some of the spectrum for other wireless activity, without hurting the wireless link in any meaningful way. You'll notice that the reported bandwidth limit goes down as you reduce channel width, but in my experience sometimes a lower channel width actually performs better (like if there is interference on part of the spectrum that you are avoiding by reducing channel width).

You can also reduce the power output until your signal strength on both ends is only about 30 dB higher than the noise floor (e.g. for a noise floor of -85 a great signal strength is -55). Typically when I do short range links with these Nanostation Loco M5 I cut power output all the way to the minimum and they still have a stronger signal than is needed!

 

[TonyR]

You can also reduce the power output until your signal strength on both ends is only about 30 dB higher than the noise floor (e.g. for a noise floor of -85 a great signal strength is -55). Typically when I do short range links with these Nanostation Loco M5 I cut power output all the way to the minimum and they still have a stronger signal than is needed!

Same here. The 8 or 10 I've installed do very well right at 35dB (floor @ -100, signal @ -65).
Ubiquiti Locos & big brother NSM's ...great hardware!

 

[bp2008]

Yeah, the last link I helped set up was with LBE‑5AC‑23 and a distance of 180 feet, and with minimum output power the signal strength is -31 dBm (noise floor -103 dBm) so it is stupidly overpowered for the situation. I gave it a channel width of 10 MHz which is the smallest option in the list for these, and it claims to have ~64 Mbps capacity.

 

[Q™]

Excuse my ignorance fellas, but what's the advantage of reducing the output power?

 

[bp2008]

Excuse my ignorance fellas, but what's the advantage of reducing the output power?

Your wireless bridge is a constant source of noise for anything nearby that tries to use the same radio frequencies. By reducing the output power, you directly reduce the range and volume of the noise so that other devices can operate better. Even if you don't use 5GHz radio for anything else, your neighbors might.

 

[Q™]

Your wireless bridge is a constant source of noise for anything nearby that tries to use the same radio frequencies. By reducing the output power, you directly reduce the range and volume of the noise so that other devices can operate better. Even if you don't use 5GHz radio for anything else, your neighbors might.

I have one neighbor. I don't like her. If it were possible, I'd turn the power up. Waaaay up.

 

[Fastb]

If it were possible, I'd turn the power up. Waaaay up.

Time for a directional antenna? To direct the RF as you deem fit....

 

[TonyR]

Time for a directional antenna? To direct the RF as you deem fit....

Q™ 's neighbor sent in this picture below, complaining that Q™ already had enough antennas.

 

[bigredfish]

 

[Fastb]

@TonyR
Nice catch!

Q™ already had enough antennas.

Q™ cropped the antennas from his gazebo pic!

And Q™ 's neighbor wonders why her TV screen image keeps rolling.
And why her fluorescent lights glow dimly even when they're switched off!
But she does appreciate listening to the radio, courtesy of her dental fillings (and braces?)

 

[CCTVCam]

He cropped the other lunchboxes as well. I was right all along, lunch boxes and swing, no wonder he hid the lid:

 

[TonyR]

Q™, I hope you know that if we'd didn't like and respect you, we wouldn't be screwing with you!