Low cost wireless bridge?
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Flintstone61
Known around here
Flintstone61
Known around here
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sebastiantombs
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I tried a cheapie and it failed in a few months. Now using a Nano Loco M5, solid as a rock!
Ubiquity Nano Station Loco M5
TP Link Bridge
Ubiquity Nano Station Loco M5
TP Link Bridge
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I'd go with TP-Link since you're not already locked into the Ubiquiti ecosystem. Get the 5ghz version since that frequency does not penetrate obstructions as much, and there's way more radio spectrum available, so interference will be less of an issue than it would be with a 2.4ghz bridge kit.
Ubiquiti has been having supply issues for a while, so there are none of the cheap units available anywhere near MSRP.
There are lots of cheaper Chinese brands nobody has ever heard of offering no-configuration wifi bridge radios too, but I would not waste my time and money with them.
Ubiquiti has been having supply issues for a while, so there are none of the cheap units available anywhere near MSRP.
There are lots of cheaper Chinese brands nobody has ever heard of offering no-configuration wifi bridge radios too, but I would not waste my time and money with them.
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Flintstone61
Known around here
Good point.....Ubiquiti loco prices have gone thru the roof.....and availability looks rough.....
I paid $136.31 for a pair of 2.4 Ghz on Nov 8 2020.....
it's never gone offline in 2 years.....
I paid $136.31 for a pair of 2.4 Ghz on Nov 8 2020.....
it's never gone offline in 2 years.....
I run a lot of Ubiquiti AirMAX radios from the older "M" series and a few "AC" models, and the only parts that I can remember failing are the little black 24v passive PoE injectors. Don't think I've had a failure of any of their newer white injectors.
As far as bridging stability, they are quite good. Never had a problem until last year with a pair of gigabeam plus at close to their max range (poor signal strength). They'd randomly lose connection and require rebooting to get it back. Multiple firmware updates did not fix it so I ended up going with airFiber 60 LR which has been rock solid but sadly much larger and more expensive.
As far as bridging stability, they are quite good. Never had a problem until last year with a pair of gigabeam plus at close to their max range (poor signal strength). They'd randomly lose connection and require rebooting to get it back. Multiple firmware updates did not fix it so I ended up going with airFiber 60 LR which has been rock solid but sadly much larger and more expensive.
If I would think ahead before I do things, I would have Ethernet there along with the power. But when I decide on the spot to do something with as little cost as possible and as quick as possible, this is what happens lol. I dug a trench and ran power conduit but no other conduit. Doh. I never learn, always, always run more then one conduit, cable or whatever it is !!! Always in a hurry, I am.
Well if we all planned ahead for every possibility then just think how much more expensive and complicated things would be.
I'm a big Ubiquiti fan since 2012 and have installed a dozen bridges with NS2 and 5's and Loco2 and 5's and one bridge with 2.4GHz AC versions...all rock solid. But I've bought and installed equally as many TP-LINK switches and ceiling AP's that have performed well. So if I had to have a PtP bridge right now and could not get the UBNT gear, I'd install a pair of these ==>> TP-Link 5GHz N300 Long Range Outdoor CPE for PtP and PtMP Transmission | Point to Point Wireless Bridge | 13dBi, 15km+ | Passive PoE Powered w/ Free PoE Injector | Pharos Control (CPE510) White
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I replaced a "Wavlink" brand bridge at a client's house about 3 years ago that was crap, it was only a year old. I reset it and set it up according their instructions to function as a bridge and it would work but was slow, had drop outs, was off more than it was on. Put in a pair of Ubiquiti's, running smooth since 2019.
Mike A.
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- May 6, 2017
- 4,156
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I have two of the 2.4 TP-Link CPE210s. I'm not super impressed with them but they've OK for the money. Can't complain much about basic performance. Runs better with their TDMA mode turned on. You can get the refurb units for $30. 5 probably would be better as a dedicated link but I wanted it to also function as a general AP for some other wireless devices that run 2.4.
I had a client that l linked his guest house that wanted to surf the 2.4 while at his pool. I talked him into a separate outdoor Ubiquiti AP for that so the bridge could run Airmax, WDS and 40MHz channel width so as to get the most throughput and best performance from the bridge linking the guest house (which had its own indoor AP).
I’d say I’d need to know no more before making an intelligent recommendation. How many cameras and at what frame and data rates?
One temporary camera, probably 15fps, not critical or anything of that nature. I was able to secure two 5ghz TP-Links for a really good price, gonna give them a try.
Just received my TP Link CPE510's and got them up and running with no issues and one cam on them.
