In a previous post, I mentioned a 5-mile link using Cambium PTP550s and why frequency matters. Today we enabled the second radio and have some results from that. First, let us talk about some of the parameters.
As you can see from our frequency scan we have a very noisy frequency. Without DFS we have very few open channels. Due to this, the results you will see later are not optimal. The limiting factor is the noise on the band.
After much channel selection, this is what we ended up with. As you can see we are just running a 40mhz and a 20mhz channel. This is because the band is so noisy.
As a result of the frequency, this is what we have ended up with for quality and capacity. The second radio is less than optimal, but it is passing solid data.
So what do speed tests look like across the link?
Some of you may still be asking, it should be more. If you have noticed the noisy frequency band has been the greatest factor on this link. In the quality and capacity screenshot, you will notice the 2nd radio only has a 45% capacity. This is due to channel selection. If we could get better channels this would improve the link.
Wo what is the answer? Better backhaul antennas are upgrade number 1. Currently, we are using UBNT 2 foot dishes, which were chosen due to the gain needed on this link. Secondly, when DFS is certified for these radios we will have more channels available. The frequency scan shows the DFS channels are less noisy in this area, which will increase throughput.
Just for giggles, we had the tech on-site run a speedtest. This was through a wireless router with a 100 meg ethernet port plugged into the local router.
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