Source
r/networking•
BostonHouse

Ubiquiti wireless bridge device recommendation in a small hotel

I'm in the process of installing a new wireless network at a small hotel featuring about 16 freestanding cabins. I have already installed one Unifi AP Outdoor+ and am thus far happy with its performance. Initially the plan was to bury cable to an adjacent cabin for a second AP; however, I'd first like to explore a wireless bridge given the terrain. Ubiquiti's device offerings are a bit overwhelming and I'm not sure which device would be best for this use case. The idea is to install the bridge on the adjacent cabin (~100 ft. away from the primary AP) and cable it to my second AP Outdoor+ on the other side of the building. What would you recommend? I don't fully understand the differences and limitations among the Rocket series, the Nanostations, going with another AP Outdoor+, or another device altogether.

Posted Dec 4, 2015, 9:08 PM UTC

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lowfwyr•

We have used the nanostations where I work. They work quite well but I think they're for longer hauls than 100ft. I'm sure it would work, though. I don't know if they offer anything better suited for a short distance like that.

If it were me and I had the option, running Cat 6 in a conduit in the ground to the location would be preferable to any wireless link just for simple reliability. We haven't had to restart any of the wireless links we've installed with the nanostations in the 14 months since we've deployed them but my instinct is to go with the less complicated setup.

4
BostonHouseOP•

I agree completely. Regrettably the space between these two buildings features a sidewalk, sprinkler system, electric, and who knows what else. Additionally, the project was delayed so long the ground is now frozen. I hope to run Cat 6 eventually but it's not likely to happen for some time. Thank you for the recommendation. I'll research the nanostations more.

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drakontasHigh Density Wireless, Datacenters, SDN•

Bear in mind that if you run cable underground to another building, you really should use fiber -- using copper cable (Cat 5e/6/6a) puts your network and all attached equipment at risk due to lightning strikes, ground potential differences, etc. Fiber is similar in cost, and provide a much more reliable solution, in addition to being more scalable for higher bandwidth as your network needs grow in the future.

7
BostonHouseOP•

Looking further into this, I'm reading that the NanoStations are not compatible with the UniFi Controller software, and therefore not the AP Outdoor unit already installed. Any thoughts? Have you experienced otherwise?

1
lowfwyr•

In my experience, you would need to get two nanostations and then you would create a bridge between those two devices. They have their own web interface on each device. Then on the other side of the link you can run a short Cat6 to the AP you want at the remote location.

3
gusgizmoCCNA•

The nanostations are managed separately from the unifi setup. They aren't access points, they are dedicated backhaul.

Got plenty of unifi gear on the backside of a nanostation. Works great for years. I have a nanostation chained through the second port of a unifi outdoor, with one run for power from about 40 feet away. Super awesome, vastly, and I mean vastly exceeds my needs and expectations.

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BostonHouseOP•

Thanks for this. That certainly builds my confidence for this approach.

1
n3l3•

I install a lot of bridge setups, I like to use the nanostation m5. I haven't personal had any trouble. Just be sure to turn on WDS. But that may vary depending on your config. I had one situation where the ap's ended up being very close to one another, I just turned the power down some. I recommend them.

3
Oedruk•

I work at a university where we have some apartments and homes in the nearby neighborhood that are used as dormitories. The distance between the access point and stations ranges around 150-400 feet. All in all I'd estimate we have around 4 APs and 25 stations. We use Ubiquiti RocketM5s for the access points and a combination of nanostations for the stations. We manage the units with Ubiquiti's Aircontrol 2 software, but the units can also be managed standalone. While I'm not the hugest fan of Ubiquiti's general access point offerings, their bridges seem to be built well. We have some stations with uptimes over 700 days. Other than UPS failures, the occasional bad POE injector, and power outages, I haven't seen them fail often.

Airfiber is also another great option if you need 1Gb full duplex, but might be a bit overkill for what you're trying to achieve. Considering the price difference is quite drastic it's probably not practical.

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zfa•

4 APs, but 25 stations?

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Oedruk•

Yea. It's a point to multi-point scenario using directional antennas. We have around 5-8 stations per AP. I'm using the term AP based on its description in the Ubiquiti Aircontrol 2 software. By this definition, APs are devices hooked into the wired network and stations are the receivers of the bridged connection. We then have some Aerohive APs hooked into the stations in each dorm.

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zfa•

Ah, that makes sense, thanks for explaining.

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Routeable•

As someone who installs WIFI networks on a regular basis, let me suggest that you avoid a wireless bridge using Ubiquiti gear at all costs. If you are not going to be regularly nearby to troubleshoot the network, it simply is not worthwhile.

As everyone would suggest, physical cable is your best option. If that won't work, I would actually suggest contacting the sales team at Streakwave.com - (I am not affiliated with them, I just buy a lot of stuff from them). They have a bunch of sales engineers that can recommend some decent products in whatever your budget requirements are. I know they have some good options for wireless bridges that are pretty affordable, and are vendor agnostic.

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esseph_insurance companies HATE him!!!•

I think the thousands of W/ISPs running their gear would disagree with you... Especially if it's an AirFiber unit, which are designed by many members of the former Motorola microwave unit.

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DrSilkyJohnston•

I don't do a lot of wireless bridges but I've installed a few Ubiquiti bridges. Nanostation M5 if I remember right and haven't had any issues. One has been in around a year now. Others are less time.

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highinthemountains•

I have been running a ubiquity bridge at a campground for about 4 years now. other than rebooting it every once in a while I haven't had any issues.

Of course ymmv.

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nswizdum•

We still have an old PowerStation2 around here somewhere. It was installed before I even started at this place, to be used as a bridge for the web interface on a digital sign. Its been rock solid for at least 6 years now. I don't even have the login credentials to get into the thing.

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