Hi, I'm Tim from Scoop, and today we're going to be taking a look at some of MikroTik's 60GHz
wireless devices, and which should best be suited for different installations. Anyone
who has installed outdoor wireless links has undoubtedly come across
the headache of radio interference and throughput limitations. In recent years, a few vendors have
released 60GHz solutions to better facilitate the scalability of outdoor wireless deployments.
60GHz is certainly very desirable to unlicensed operators as it provides
extremely high performance when compared to 5 and 2.4GHz. This is attributed to the wider
channels and a much cleaner frequency spectrum that is available on the band. The downside is you
can only achieve great performance on relatively short distance in good weather. Let me explain.
First of all, high frequencies attenuate quicker than low frequencies, which naturally means 5GHz
would suffer less from path loss than 60GHz. In addition 60GHz can experience up to 98%
of its RF energy being absorbed by oxygen molecules. This makes it extremely vulnerable
to wet weather conditions. Having said this, there are benefits. When using the 60GHz band,
it's far more difficult to hear unwanted signals from competitive devices resulting in virtually no
interference. It also has a smaller Fresnel zone and therefore it's easier to establish clear line
of sight due to its short wave characteristics. Ultimately the biggest advantage offered by 60GHz
is the huge performance boost when comparing it to traditional unlicensed bands,
with several of these products capable of Gigabit speeds. Unlike most vendors, MikroTik offers a
number of different devices which allow you to utilize 60GHz in PtP and PtMP scenarios.
All of the MikroTik 60GHz options are fully integrated devices,
meaning they feature both the radio and the antenna in one unit. All of the 60GHz units
use beam-forming technology which focuses wireless signals to a specific device instead of the more
traditional signal-spread techniques. MikroTik have designed several 60GHz series devices
which include LHG, wAP, Cube and nRay ranges of products. The LHG, Cube and nRay product
also come in a pre-configured kit to allow installers a true plug-and-play installation.
Contrary to the perception that MikroTik requires advanced networking skills to configure, they
have made these kits super simple to allow less experienced users access to the benefits of 60GHz.
These devices can also be individually configured and fine-tuned in RouterOS.
Even if you're a new user, MikroTik offers an easy, quick setup configuration
via all of the User interface platforms. It's also worth mentioning that when configuring PtP
links in MikroTik, only a L3 router license is required in order to achieve a wireless bridge.
Let's take a look at which MikroTik 60GHz products are the best choice for you starting from the
shortest to the longest achievable range. The wAP range offers the shortest distance in both PtP and
PtMP configurations. Cubes should generally be used for intermediate distances, while nRay and
LHG's provide the longest distance. You'll notice that all devices are compatible with each other,
but this affects overall range depending on devices used. When taking a closer look,
each series has at least one feature that stands out from the rest. The Cube60AC is a small form
factor with 5GHz, AC fail-over to keep your link up at all times. This is awesome for locations
with rainy conditions. The LHG has the largest antenna and is suitable for longer distances.
There are a few different mounts available for the LGH to allow for precision alignment or just
a more sturdy option. Though these mounts are sold separately, we'd suggest using these in all
long distance links in order to assist with more accurate alignment. The nRay unit is built for
more extreme environments such as mountain tops, where snow and ice may affect signal when settled
on parts of the antenna. The radome design assists by preventing build-up on the feeder reflector.
If configuring your link to be PtMP, you need to make use of one of the wAPs in access point mode.
This is the only option as it offers a wide enough beamwidth and a level 4 MikroTik license to enable
AP mode. The WAP60GAP has a 60° beamwidth, while the WAP60GAP3 has 180° beamwidth for this really
wide angle links. No matter which wAP you use, you can connect up to 8 wireless clients per AP.
MikroTik is one of the very few vendors which currently offers 60GHz PtMP
so this is a huge advantage for those looking to create high capacity micro
POP's and easily contend with higher speeds. When it comes to CPE choice, we recommend keeping your
distances as short as possible to compensate for rain-fade, or use high-gain antenna devices like
the LHG to ensure signal levels can be adjusted for optimum performance. 60GHz is definitely
becoming more common in the world of wireless and MikroTik have clearly heeded the call to
offer customers a multitude of solutions to get the job done. We hope this video is helpful and
provided you with some insight into what MikroTik has to offer in terms of their 60GHz products. For
more information and links to the products on our website, please see the description
below. Also let us know what you think in the comments. If you enjoyed this video, please give
us a like and subscribe to our channel for more content. Thanks for watching, I'm Tim from Scoop.