Anyone used Unifi / Ubiquiti Point to Point?

[PurpleFox]

I have a Unifi network at home (Gen 2 cloud key, 16 port PoE, USG, multiple AP's etc) and want to add to it. I am very happy with the products and want to try and stick with them to expand the system to connect my garage, which is at the bottom of the garden (30m away max).

I am considering adding some sort of Unifi Point to Point link so I can have a PoE switch in the garage with an AP and some CCTV cams connected and reliable internet for my alarm connection.

However, I am getting confused at the bewildering array of products available to achieve the point to point link or wireless bridge (are they the same thing?)

Can anyone suggest what I should be going for?

Thanks

PS - I have tried powerline extenders etc in the past and they are no good for what I need.

[megaphone]

Yes a PtP link and a wireless bridge are really the same thing. Ubiquiti do a a bridge in their 'Unifi' range, but it is expensive and overkill for what you need.

I would go with their Airmax products, a pair of 5Ghz Nanostation AC locos will do the job, easy to set-up and install. If you can get them! https://www.broadbandbuyer.com/products/30936-ubiq...

Even some older M5 version will work for you, might find some on eBay if you can't get the AC above.

As they are not 'Unifi' you won't be able to set them up in the Unifi portal, you can us the UISP app. Really once they are set-up they just work and don't need managing.

[Captain_Morgan]

Is there any requirement for improved wifi in the area between buildings?

If so this might mean a different solution.

Assuming you have line of site between buildings this is fairly simple.

You haven’t said how many cams or how much bandwidth the link needs so it’s difficult to suggest a solution.

You are aware that the p2p hw is managed outside of the unifi ui, so you can use any manufacturers p2p solution as the link and still run unifi products in the garage. I mention this as the higher bandwidth Ubiquiti products can get pricey & some products are in short supply so you may have better non Ubiquiti options.

This is a good p2p setup vid
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_46QuVNopsM

These charts should help you understand throughput vs cost & availability

https://www.broadbandbuyer.com/advice/3628-ubiquit...

https://www.broadbandbuyer.com/advice/3164-ubiquit...

[megaphone]

To add, the UBNT Airmax products use 24v PoE so check if your switches can output 24vPoE. If not you will need 24v PoE PSU or some of the 48v-24v adaptors UBNT sell.

[Murph7355]

Yes - for a similar use case to yours:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[somouk]

You might get away with an two of the larger mesh access points if they are both on the outside of the buildings powered by POE instead of the P2P kits.

Still managed by unifi then.

[PurpleFox]

Thanks for the links and comments - appreciated. I have seen some of the cross talk videos when I started with the Unifi stuff and they were very helpful - will watch when I get chance (shame it's 40 mins )

Looks like the Loco M5 would do the trick, but as megaphone said, if you can get some.....why is Unifi stuff so hard to get hold of at the moment, most of their cam's are on back order too. I hadn't realised they would be on a different app.......question then - If I plug in a Unify switch and Unifi cameras at the far end, will I be able to manage them in the Unifi app and Unifi Protect for the cameras?

I only need two basic cameras and the wifi for general ad-hoc use in the garage and at the bottom of the garden - nothing spectacular.


With regards the mesh, I did install a UniFi AC Mesh Pro on the house but it was rather disappointing and not exactly cheap. You do get wifi at the bottom of the garden but your device has to be facing it and if you get so much as a leaf or branch in the way it drops out and inside the garage you can forget it. Is it supposed to have another device at the far end to mesh to?
https://www.4gon.co.uk/ubiquiti-unifi-ac-outdoor-m...

[rxe]

I’m using bog standard Unifi access points to extend 150m into a field for an owl box camera. OK, they have big aerials on them, but 30m should present no issues at all. I’m getting about 90 Mbit each way.

All you need to do is tick “enable wireless uplink” in the controller, add the “remote” AP to your core network, let it get adopted, then power it up in your shed - it will just join automatically. If it powered from a small switch, voila, you’ve got a usable network. Or you can just use the remote AP as a conventional AP.

Yes, all cameras and network elements will be managed from the app.

[Bikerjon]

PurpleFox said:

With regards the mesh, I did install a UniFi AC Mesh Pro on the house but it was rather disappointing and not exactly cheap. You do get wifi at the bottom of the garden but your device has to be facing it and if you get so much as a leaf or branch in the way it drops out and inside the garage you can forget it. Is it supposed to have another device at the far end to mesh to?
https://www.4gon.co.uk/ubiquiti-unifi-ac-outdoor-m...

If you had one of these to work in conjunction with the Mesh Pro then I reckon things would improve

https://www.4gon.co.uk/ubiquiti-unifi-uap-ac-mesh-...

[Captain_Morgan]

Bikerjon said:

PurpleFox said:

With regards the mesh, I did install a UniFi AC Mesh Pro on the house but it was rather disappointing and not exactly cheap. You do get wifi at the bottom of the garden but your device has to be facing it and if you get so much as a leaf or branch in the way it drops out and inside the garage you can forget it. Is it supposed to have another device at the far end to mesh to?
https://www.4gon.co.uk/ubiquiti-unifi-ac-outdoor-m...

If you had one of these to work in conjunction with the Mesh Pro then I reckon things would improve

https://www.4gon.co.uk/ubiquiti-unifi-uap-ac-mesh-...

The issue with that kind of solution is as wifi is a 2-way connection & the op has already said the connection is sketchy at the target location back to the house your likely to see a sub optimal solution using a second ap.

iirc broadbandbuyer has the m5 loco units in stock for around the same cost as the unit above.

[Bikerjon]

Captain_Morgan said:

The issue with that kind of solution is as wifi is a 2-way connection & the op has already said the connection is sketchy at the target location back to the house your likely to see a sub optimal solution using a second ap.

iirc broadbandbuyer has the m5 loco units in stock for around the same cost as the unit above.

It should really work at that range with the Mesh Pro, so perhaps there's obstructions or a configuration issue.

Using the mesh function keeps everything within the UniFi console which saves messing around with PtP. Would still also require another AP to shove on the end of the PtP link - so not really a cost saving going that route either!

[somouk]

PurpleFox said:

If I plug in a Unify switch and Unifi cameras at the far end, will I be able to manage them in the Unifi app and Unifi Protect for the cameras?

Yes, the transport link is irrelevant, so long as they are on the same logical network will be fine.

I only need two basic cameras and the wifi for general ad-hoc use in the garage and at the bottom of the garden - nothing spectacular.

PurpleFox said:

With regards the mesh, I did install a UniFi AC Mesh Pro on the house but it was rather disappointing and not exactly cheap. You do get wifi at the bottom of the garden but your device has to be facing it and if you get so much as a leaf or branch in the way it drops out and inside the garage you can forget it. Is it supposed to have another device at the far end to mesh to?
https://www.4gon.co.uk/ubiquiti-unifi-ac-outdoor-m...

Not really but device wifi is not very good due to power saving and antenna design. If you put another mesh access point down there with a dedicated backhaul connection to then repeat the signal it would be a lot better.

[Captain_Morgan]

Bikerjon said:

Captain_Morgan said:

The issue with that kind of solution is as wifi is a 2-way connection & the op has already said the connection is sketchy at the target location back to the house your likely to see a sub optimal solution using a second ap.

iirc broadbandbuyer has the m5 loco units in stock for around the same cost as the unit above.

It should really work at that range with the Mesh Pro, so perhaps there's obstructions or a configuration issue.

Using the mesh function keeps everything within the UniFi console which saves messing around with PtP. Would still also require another AP to shove on the end of the PtP link - so not really a cost saving going that route either!

As ever you’ll never be sure if the service is sketchy on other devices that the mesh solution is solid until you try it.

That said as you said the p2p solution would need a remote ap so there is little to lose by trying I guess, the only other issue might be the throughput but as the op was interested in the m5 loco’s I can’t see that being a major issue.

[m30dus]

I am using a pair of these to link between two houses in the same street - about 40m between the two. Have got them mounted onto the TV aerial masts and they work great during all weathers.

https://www.broadbandbuyer.com/products/38281-ubiq...

Setup very easy, just plugged into a PoE switch each end and they can just grab their own IP from DHCP and the illuminated ring on the outside of each directs you to the correct alignment.

Performance wise they are far superior to WiFi over that distance and I can get around 850Mbs of our 1Gb FTTP over them.

Only trouble I had was disabling the light ring on the slave unit as it wouldn’t take commands from the Unfi app or controller however I tried. Had to telnet into it to get it to go out but otherwise highly recommended.