Description
Overview
Designed for use in the 5 GHz frequency band, the new airFiber® AF-5XHD is Ubiquiti’s first LTU radio, offering greater channel bandwidths of up to 100 MHz, and more advanced RF components.
Ubiquiti continues to disrupt the wireless broadband market with revolutionary LTU technology that breaks through the limitations of 802.11 Wi-Fi technology.
Pair the AF-5XHD with a compatible Ubiquiti® airFiber X antenna or RocketDish™ antenna for a complete 5 GHz Point-to-Point (PtP) solution.
An IP67 upgrade kit is included to provide enhanced protection from dust and water.
Engineered for Performance
Designed specifically for the Wireless ISP industry from the ground floor up, the AF-5XHD’s custom LTU silicon and radio architecture provide breakthrough performance.
Its core communications processing engine surpasses the limitations inherent to generic Wi-Fi chips to provide low latency, long-range capability, DFS flexibility,
higher constellations, and better power output, along with improved receive sensitivity.
The AF-5XHD features industry-leading 21.2 bps/Hz spectral efficiency*, line-rate data packet processing for up to 1.34 Gbps of real data throughput*,
and innovative xtreme Range Technology (xRT™).
Assuming 4096QAM (requires firmware version 1.1.2 or above).
Key Features
The AF-5XHD offers the following advanced features:
 Auto Output Power
Enabled by default, the Auto Output Power option causes the AF-5XHD to set the output power (EIRP) to the appropriate level.
Programmable Transmit Power
The radio’s transmit power level can be programmed up to +29 dBm.
Programmable DL/UL Ratio
The AF-5XHD can split downlink and uplink traffic and support asymmetric traffic as needed. DL/UL ratios include 25%, 33%, 50%, 67%, and 75%. The DL/UL
Ratio is an essential part of GPS sync functionality; it must be the same in all APs that you wish to synchronize.
Configurable GPS Synchronization
The AF-5XHD offers configurable support for 2, 2.5, 4, and 5 ms frames.
Timing is compatible with all other synchronous systems, and 5 ms frame length is compatible with airMAX networks.
Split TX and RX Frequency
The radio can operate on different frequencies for TX and RX, allowing great flexibility for interference avoidance.
Split TX and RX Channel Bandwidth
Support for different channel bandwidths for TX and RX allows users to scale required data capacity more efficiently.
 Adaptive Modulation up to 4096QAM
Adaptive modulation rates of up to 4096QAM are supported.
Dual Redundant Gigabit Ethernet Ports with PoE
The AF-5XHD has two Gigabit Ethernet ports that can be used for redundant PoE power.
Bluetooth Wireless Configuration
Use the built-in Bluetooth interface for wireless configuration.
AlignLock™ Antenna Aiming Guard
This alerts the user when the radio or antenna aiming is changed due to tampering, impact, or storm damage.
Redundant Images for Fail-Safe Configuration
Creation of backup firmware images ensures fail-safe configuration and enhances reliability.
Persistent Spectrum Analysis with Dedicated RX
Perform real-time spectral analysis for the full band on live links without interrupting the link operation.
Wide Voltage Range, Enhanced Surge Protection
The ,AF-5XHD has an operating voltage range of 19-50VDC3 and provides enhanced surge protection. 1
Software
The airFiber AF-5XHD uses Ubiquiti’s airOS® LTU software, which offers you a variety of advanced features.
Powerful New Features
Version 1.1.2 offers many new features to help make your network faster, easier to operate, and more resistant to interference:
 Frequency Split Use this to configure separate TX and RX frequencies.
This feature is very helpful in environments where certain channels may be experiencing interference on one end of the link, but are clear on the other end.
The ability to configure different channels for each end of the link provides an ideal solution to this problem.
4096QAM (12x) Support The AF-5XHD has been the only product that allows WISPs to push links beyond 256QAM while delivering unmatched spectral efficiency.
With the introduction of 4096QAM, WISPs will now be able to further increase link speeds simply by upgrading the software.
Link Frequency Selector Found on the Wireless screen, this feature displays a graph of the link’s RF environment that includes a Best Frequency hint to help you select the clearest
frequency.
Seamless Frequency Changes The link is no longer dropped when frequency-related settings (Frequency, Split Frequency, Alternative Frequencies, Auto Frequency) are changed.
Centralized Link Management This feature simplifies and speeds up link management.
Smart Assistant (Alerts) The new Smart Assistant monitors and alerts you of errors and warnings, such as a missing GPS signal, Ethernet negotiation failures, or a lower than expected signal strength.
The Smart Assistant also provides detailed troubleshooting instructions for fixing each problem that it identifies.
Auto Frequency on DFS Event (Beta) When this option is enabled, the link automatically switches to the clearest operating frequency when a DFS event occurs.
Other Improvements
Traffic prioritization based on DSCP/TOS bit values
Enhanced auto rate recovery
Better 4ms/5ms stability in high interference conditions
Wider channel stability improvements
Spectral Analysis with airView
airView® allows you to identify noise signatures and plan your networks to minimize noise interference. airView performs the following functions:
Constantly monitors environmental noise
Collects energy data points in real-time spectral views
Helps optimize channel selection, network design, and wireless performance
airView runs in the background without disabling the wireless link, so there is no disruption to the network.
In airView, there are three spectral views, each of which represents different data: waveform, waterfall, and ambient noise level.
airView provides powerful spectrum analyzer functionality, eliminating the need to rent or purchase additional equipment for conducting site surveys.
Helpful new features of airView include Zoom, used for quick zooming in/out of the airView display, and In-Band Scanning, which eliminates noise within the working channel.
UNMS App
The AF-5XHD supports the Ubiquiti Network Management System. UNMS™ is a comprehensive management controller featuring an easy-to-navigate graphic UI.
UNMS allows you to set up, configure, and manage the AF-5XHD and offers various configuration options once you’re connected or logged in.
5 GHz Backhaul
Full-Band Certification with DFSThe AF-5XHD covers the entire, license-free, 5 GHz spectrum and includes DFS approval.
Anyone around the world can deploy and operate the AF-5XHD in the 5 GHz range practically anywhere they choose (subject to local country regulations).
Optimal Operation in Unlicensed Bands
Channel width flexibility (10/20/30/40/50/60/80/100 MHz) allows independent TX and RX channel frequency configurations anywhere within the radio band to avoid local interference, and the channel centers are selectable in 1 MHz increments.
You also have the ability to program different uplink and downlink duty cycles to support asymmetric traffic requirements.
Ultra-Low Latency with HDD Technology
The AF -5XHD is designed to provide the highest TDD throughput available and is engineered with proprietary Hybrid Division Duplexing* (HDD) technology.
In a backhaul link, two AF -5XHD radios use patent-pending HDD technology to calculate the propagation delay and know when each radio can transmit and receive, so they send packets in precise synchronization.
Co-Location
Co-location is vital in many scenarios. For example, a WISP may have limited tower space, so it must co-locate all equipment within that allotted footprint.
GPS Synchronization
Precise GPS frame synchronization frees the AF-5XHD from interference for superior co-location capability. GPS enables the concurrency of TX and RX frames so you can co-locate the AF-5XHD
radios and enhance the overall performance of your backhaul links.
Clean Power Output
Using digital pre-distortion compensation and multi-IFFT processing, the innovative RF design delivers ultra-clean power output that improves noise immunity and co-location performance. This reduces the potential impact on the RF noise environment and allows for the use of higher-order modulation, such as 1024QAM.
Deployment Flexibility
The AF-5XHD can be used with existing airFiber slant-polarized antennas for improved noise immunity and Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR).
It is compatible with multiple Ubiquiti airFiber X antennas offering gain of 23 to 34 dBi.
The compact form factor of the AF-5XHD allows it to fit into the radio mount of airFiber X antennas, so installation requires no special tools.
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