WiGig Point-to-Point (PtP) LINKS
PtP links can be very useful when installing cables is difficult over long distances. It is often cheaper and faster to install a wireless point-to-point (PtP) or point-to-multipoint (PtMP) link.
Traditional PtPs and PtMP uses Wi-Fi on the 2.4 and 5GHz bands. The 802.11ad and 802.11ay radio systems have adopted the 60Ghz frequency band. Triband Wi-Fi routers utilize this spectrum for faster speeds with commercially available devices.
New Ubiquiti's long-range Ptp devices offer users solutions for their Wireless backhaul to easily expand broadband access to urban, rural, and industrial locations. Despite the challenges of transmitting millimeter wave (mmWave), Ubiquiti 60Ghz PtP link is specified to provide up to 12km (~7.5 miles) of coverage.
Check out some of ubiquiti's long range devices.
Cambium have also tested their 802.11ay compliant cnWave 60GHz radio in various areas. In Texas for instance, they have been able to achieve 1.8Mbps for uplink and downlink. They are also using Facebooks Terragraph technology to extend reach of fiber networks.
Here are some Cambium PtP devices that have been used in the backhauls.
Advantages of the 60GHz ranges include:
- The spectrum is not congested like Wi-Fi and 4G spectrum
- Easy and faster to deploy
- Set up is easy to manage
- Because of the narrow wavelength it is easier to avoid interference allowing better beamforming to the receiver
Disadvantages
- Restrictions may hinder use of 60Ghz in some regions
- Ranges may be limited due to the properties of
mmWave propagation. For example, it is well known that wireless signals
attenuate direct proportion to the square of the frequency (or inversely to the
wavelength of the signal) so the free space path loss at mmWave is much higher
than traditional 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz microwave radios. On the other hand, because
antennas sizes are typically in the order of half a wavelength, mmWave allows
very high gain and small form-factor antennas to mitigate the signal
attenuation.
Typical applications of these PtP radios can include backhaul of an IoT system (in conjunction with LTE and other WAN connections). For example, these radios can be used to monitor a remote construction site with sensors and cameras from a main office several miles away. You could also offer Wi-Fi hotspots for events as these PtPs can be installed temporarily.