Ubiquiti airFiber AF-5 User manual

AF-5, AF-5U Quick Start Guide
https://dl.ubnt.com/qsg/AF-5_AF-5U/AF-5_AF-5U_EN.html[2/17/2020 12:42:26 PM]
airFiber AF-5/AF-5U I-Bracket Upper Mount Bracket with
Elevation Rod
Lower Mount Bracket Pole Clamps (Qty. 2) M10x150 Carriage Bolts (Qty. 4)
M10x100 Carriage Bolts (Qty. 2) Serrated Flange Bolts (Qty. 4) Stabilizer Brackets (Qty. 2)
Serrated Flange Nuts (Qty. 6) Zip Ties (Qty. 2) Gigabit PoE (50V, 1.2A)
Package Contents
AF-5, AF-5U Quick Start Guide

AF-5, AF-5U Quick Start Guide
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Power Cord
Reset Button
Remote Display
Local Display
Management Port
Hardware Overview
To reset to factory defaults, press and hold the Reset button for more than five seconds
while the unit is powered on.
Displays the received signal strength in dBm of the remote airFiber radio.
Displays the received signal strength in dBm of the local airFiber radio.

AF-5, AF-5U Quick Start Guide
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Aux Port
Data Port
GPS LED
Master LED
Link LED
10/100 Mbps, secured port for configuration. By default, this is the only port that can
monitor, configure, and/or update firmware.
Port for audio tone aiming.
10/100/1000 Mbps port handles all user traffic.
Off No GPS synchronization
On Operational (strong signal)
Normal Flash Non-operational (weak signal)
Off Slave mode
On 100 Mbps
Off RF off
Short Flash Syncing
1
1
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Overload LED
(Unlabeled) LED
8x LED
6x LED
4x to 0.25x LED
Management Port Activity LED
Management Port Speed LED
Normal Flash Beaconing
Long Flash Registering
On Operational
Fast Flash Overload condition
On 10x (1024QAM MIMO)
On 256QAM MIMO
On 64QAM MIMO
On 16QAM MIMO
Long Flash QPSK MIMO
Normal Flash 1x QPSK xRT
Short Flash ¼x QPSK xRT
Off No Ethernet link.
On Ethernet link established.
Random Flashing Ethernet activity.
Off 10 Mbps
On 100 Mbps
1
1
1 2
1 2

AF-5, AF-5U Quick Start Guide
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Data Port Activity LED
Data Port Speed LED
Off No Ethernet link.
On Ethernet link established.
Random Flashing Ethernet activity.
Off 10/100 Mbps
On 1000 Mbps
1Short Flash (1:3 on/off cycle), Normal Flash (1:1 on/off cycle), Long Flash (3:1 on/off cycle)
2xtreme Range Technology
Installation Requirements
Pre-Assembly Tool
13 mm wrench
Pole-Mounting Tool
17 mm wrench
Other Requirements
Clear line of sight between airFiber radios
Clear view of the sky for proper GPS operation
Vertical mounting orientation
Mounting location with < 0.5° displacement due to twist and sway under wind loading
Mounting point:
At least 1 m below the highest point on the structure
For tower installations, at least 3 m below the top of the tower
Ground wires – min. 10 AWG (5 mm ) and max. length: 1 m. As a safety precaution, ground
the airFiber radios to grounded masts, poles, towers, or grounding bars.
WARNING: Failure to properly ground your airFiber units will void your warranty.
(Recommended) 2 Outdoor Gigabit PoE surge protectors
2

AF-5, AF-5U Quick Start Guide
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Note: For guidelines about grounding and lightning protection, follow your local
electrical regulatory codes.
Outdoor, shielded Category 6 (or above) cabling and shielded RJ45 connectors are
required for all wired Ethernet connections.
Installation Overview
We recommend that you configure your paired airFiber radios before mounting. Below is an
overview of the installation with specific details in the following instructions:
Connect Power over Ethernet to the Data port, and connect an Ethernet cable between
your computer and the Management port.
Configure the device settings in the airFiber Configuration Interface.
Once configuration is complete, disconnect the cables to move the airFiber radios.
Pre-assemble the mounting hardware.
Install the airFiber radios at the site.
Establish and optimize the RF link.
Note: The AF-5 and AF-5U models share the same installation and configuration
instructions.
Connecting Power over Ethernet
1.

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2.
3.
airFiber Configuration
This section explains how to access the airFiber Configuration Interface and configure the
following settings:
Wireless Mode Configure one airFiber radio as the Master and the other as the Slave.
Duplex The airFiber radio supports both half-duplex and full-duplex operation. Half-
duplex operation provides more frequency planning options at the cost of higher latency
and throughput. Full-duplex operation provides the highest throughput and lowest
latency; however, you have fewer frequency management options.
Half Duplex (default) The TX and RX Frequencies can be the same or different to suit
local interference.
Full Duplex The TX and RX Frequencies should be different.
TX and RX Frequencies The TX Frequency on the Master must match the RX Frequency on

AF-5, AF-5U Quick Start Guide
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the Slave, and vice versa.
1. Connect an Ethernet cable from your computer to the Management port on the airFiber
radio.
2. Configure the Ethernet adapter on your computer with a static IP address on the
192.168.1.x subnet.
3. Launch your web browser. Type http://192.168.1.20 in the address field and press enter
(PC) or return (Mac).
4. The login screen will appear. Enter ubnt in the Username and Password fields. Select
your Country and Language. You must agree to the Terms of Use to use the product.
Click Login.

AF-5, AF-5U Quick Start Guide
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5. The Main tab will appear. Click the Tools drop-down and select Link Calculator. This tool
will guide you on how to best minimize bandwidth and power/interference issues.
6. Enter the requirements of your link, and then click Calculate. Adjust the values as
needed to get the optimal result, and then write down the settings needed for your
configuration.
7. Click the Wireless tab.
Note: U.S. product versions are locked to the U.S. Country Code to ensure
compliance with FCC regulations.
Note: If you do not see the Link Calculator, upgrade the firmware on your
airFiber radios. Download the firmware at: ui.com/download/airfiber

AF-5, AF-5U Quick Start Guide
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8. Enter the Basic Wireless Settings:
a. For one airFiber radio, select Master as the Wireless Mode. For the other airFiber
radio, keep the default, Slave.
b. Enter a name in the Link Name field. This should be the same on both the Master and
the Slave.
c. For the Duplex drop-down:
Half Duplex The default mode. The TX and RX Frequencies can be the same or
different to suit local interference.
Full Duplex The TX and RX Frequencies should be different.
d. Select a TX Frequency. This must match the RX Frequency on your other airFiber
radio.
e. Select a RX Frequency. This must match the TX Frequency of your other airFiber
radio.
f. If needed, change the Output Power and/or Maximum Modulation Rate settings.
9. Configure the Wireless Security:
a. Select the AES Key Type, HEX or ASCII.
b. For the Key field:
HEX Enter 16 bytes (eight, 16-bit HEX values: 0-9, A-F, or a-f). You can omit zeroes and
use colons, similar to the IPv6 format.
ASCII Enter a combination of alphanumeric characters (0-9, A-Z, or a-z).
10. Click Change and then click Apply.
11. In-Band Management is enabled by default, so each airFiber radio must have a unique
Note: The airFiber Configuration Interface supports IPv6 formats excluding
dotted quad and "::" (double-colon) notation.

AF-5, AF-5U Quick Start Guide
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IP Address. (If the airFiber radios use the same IP Address, you may lose access to the
airFiber radios via the Data ports.) Click the Network tab.
a. For the Management IP Address option:
DHCP Keep the default, DHCP, to use DHCP reservation on your router to assign a
unique IP Address.
Static Change the IP Address, Netmask, and other settings to make them compatible
with your network.
b. Click Change and then click Apply.
Repeat the instructions in the airFiber Configuration section on your other airFiber radio.
After you have configured the airFiber radios, disconnect them and move them to your
installation site.
Hardware Installation
The mounting hardware of the airFiber radio can be pre-assembled before pole-mounting.
Mounting Hardware Pre-Assembly
1.
2.

AF-5, AF-5U Quick Start Guide
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3.
4.
Note: Ensure that the orientation of the Upper Mount Bracket matches the
illustration below, with the Elevation Rod on the correct side.

AF-5, AF-5U Quick Start Guide
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5.

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6.
7.

AF-5, AF-5U Quick Start Guide
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Pole-Mounting
1.

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2.

AF-5, AF-5U Quick Start Guide
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3.

AF-5, AF-5U Quick Start Guide
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4.

AF-5, AF-5U Quick Start Guide
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Install a Ground Wire
1.
2.

AF-5, AF-5U Quick Start Guide
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Secure the other end of the ground wire to a grounded mast, pole, tower, or grounding bar.
WARNING: Failure to properly ground your airFiber units will void your warranty.
Note: The ground wire should be as short as possible and no longer than one meter
in length.
Connecting Ethernet
1.