Ubiquiti AF-24-HD-US, AF-5U, AF24, AF5 Specsheet

Datasheet

Full-Duplex, Point-to-Point
Gigabit Radio

Models: AF-24, AF-24HD, AF-5, AF-5U

High Performance Wireless Backhaul

Extreme, Long-Range Links

Worldwide License-Free Operation

Datasheet

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000

FiOS

DSL

Cable

Speed Comparison (Mbps)

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FiOS

DSL

Cable

Speed Comparison (Mbps)

Revolutionary Wireless
Technology

Introducing airFiber®, a truly
revolutionary Point-to-Point wireless
platform from Ubiquiti Networks.

Housed in a compact, highly efcient

form factor, airFiber delivers amazing
wireless gigabit+ performance, low
latency, and long range. airFiber
ushers in a new era in price-disruptive
wireless technology ideal for carrier
backhaul, building-to-building
enterprise use, or public safety
applications.

Efcient by Design

Every detail of airFiber was designed
and engineered by the Ubiquiti
R&D Team. From the silicon chip
up to the innovative split-antenna
architecture, the Ubiquiti R&D Team
created airFiber to deliver superior

throughput with efciency. airFiber

was purpose-built to create a high
performance backhaul.

Designed for Freedom

airFiber operates in worldwide, license-free, 24 or 5 GHz frequencies. Anyone
around the world can purchase and operate airFiber without any special permits,
paperwork, or added licensing costs. Users are free to locate, deploy, and operate
airFiber practically anywhere they choose (subject to local country regulations).

Model Description Operating Frequency*

AF-5 Mid-band 5 GHz frequencies 5470 - 5950 MHz

AF-5U High-band 5 GHz frequencies 5725 - 6200 MHz

AF-24/AF-24HD 24 GHz frequencies 24.05 - 24.25 GHz

* Refer to the Specications section for more information.

Built for Speed and Range

airFiber delivers gigabit performance at 1.2+ Gbps for airFiber AF-5/AF-5U,

1.4+Gbps for airFiber AF-24, and 2 Gbps for airFiber AF-24HD. To put this in
perspective, airFiber can transmit a 100MB le in less than a second. Rivaling

common broadband providers, airFiber download speed is up to 100x faster. With
speed and throughput surpassing conventional wired backhauls, airFiber prevails
over expensive and labor-intensive wired infrastructures.

Plug and Play Deployment

Based on Ubiquiti’s innovative
and intuitive airOS®, the airFiber

Conguration Interface enables

quick deployment. With installation

efciency in mind, the mechanical

design allows easy installation by one
person. A two-person installation crew
can effectively install and align an
airFiber link.

To ne-tune the alignment, the

received signal levels can be
conveniently accessed via any of these
methods:

• airFiber LED display

• airFiber Conguration Interface

• Audio tone feature

airFiber is built for long-range use: up to 13+ km for airFiber AF-24, up to 20+ km

for airFiber AF-24HD, and upto100+km for airFiber AF-5/AF-5U, which launches

the innovative xtreme Range Technology (xRT™) feature.

airFiber backhauls do not share the security risks associated
with wired backhauls. The long distances of wired backhauls

are vulnerable to copper theft, ber optic damage,

vandalism, and accidental breakage. With airFiber, only the
installation points of the airFiber links need to be secured.

2

Innovative Proprietary Modem Technology

Ubiquiti’s innovative proprietary modem technology was purpose-built to

address the specic challenges of outdoor, PtP (Point-to-Point) bridging and

high-performance network backhauls. Every aspect of the radio has been carefully
simulated and designed to optimize range, speed, and latency performance in the
harshest RF noise environments.

Synchronous Data Transmission and Reception

Conventional wireless standards impose a latency by having to receive a packet
before a packet is transmitted. airFiber can transmit data synchronously without
any wait time. airFiber features traditional TDD and FDD modes of operation
in addition to the proprietary Hybrid Division Duplexing (HDD) mode, which

provides a breakthrough in range and spectral efciency performance.

Based on the ranging algorithm built into the air protocol, the airFiber 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. Packet transmission latency is virtually eliminated.

Datasheet

RX

Frequency B

Frequency A

TX

RX

TX

airFiber AF-5/AF-5U Radios in Full-Duplex Mode

Innovative Dual-Antenna Architecture

airFiber features a dual-independent, 2x2 MIMO, high-gain reector antenna

system. Separate yet integrated transmit (TX) and receive (RX) antennas help
extend link budgets by eliminating the extra RF losses caused by the switches or
duplexers required in systems with common TX/RX antennas.

Network Management

airFiber supports a variety of features to help you manage your network:

• Network management options A choice between the greater security of

out-of-band management and the convenience of in-band management.

• SNMP support Full SNMP support to aid in network management.

• Local and remote airFiber status information Available on the Main tab of

the airFiber Conguration Interface.

airFiber AF-5/AF-5U

airFiber AF-24 shown without radome

3

Datasheet

There are two airFiber models available for the 5 GHz
spectrum. The mid-band model, AF-5, features the popular
mid-band frequencies, which are freely used in many parts

of theworld.

The high-band (5.7-6.2GHz) model, AF-5U, has robust
ltering to enable co-location with devices operating in

the lower 5 GHz bands while allowing operation at a higher
output power in many areas of the world.

BackSide

4

Superior Processing

Ubiquiti Networks introduces our proprietary INVICTUS™ core communications

processing engine. The speed, power, and efciency of this integrated circuit

enhances the performance of the airFiber AF-5/AF-5U.

Efcient Use of 5 GHz Band

airFiber AF-5/AF-5U features 1 MHz center channel resolution with market-leading

PowerEnvelope Tracking technology. The airFiber AF-5/AF-5U accurately and

continuously controls transmit power relative to the band edge. The power level
automatically tracks to optimize performance near band edges, allowing you to
choose the part of the band with the least interference.

Long-Range Links

Newly developed for the airFiber AF-5/AF-5U, the patent-pending xRT feature
uses an innovative, adaptive multi-channel coding scheme to enhance radio
transceiver performance, thereby maximizing your link budget and spectrum

utilization–while still maintaining regulatorycompliance. This results in links that

can span distances from 10 m up to 100+ km.

Quick and Easy Installation

The unique sliding-clamp design of the airFiber AF-5/AF-5U allows mounting

hardware to be pre-assembled prior to installation–nomore dropped screws at

the top of the tower. As an added convenience, the drop-in cradle mount design
allows the installer to attach mounting hardware to the pole without having to
support the weight of the airFiber radio during installation.

Radio Alignment Display

Newly designed for the airFiber
AF-5/AF-5U, the Radio Alignment
Display (RAD) makes aiming quicker
and easier. The dual, calibrated signal
strength indicators display the actual
signal strength on the local and
remote airFiber radios in real time. The
comprehensive array of radio status
indicators display the following:

• GPS synchronization status

• Master/slave mode

• RF link status

• RF overload warning

• Current modulation mode

• Link activity and speed for wired

management and data ports

MASTER

RESET

GPS

LINK

REMOTE

LOCAL

OVERLOAD

8X

6X

4X to 0.25X

AUXMANAGEMENT DATA

ACT SPEED ACT SPEED

Datasheet

5

Datasheet

Specications

airFiber AF-5/AF-5U

Dimensions 938.4 x 468.4 x 281.4 mm (36.94 x 18.44 x 11.08")

Weight 16 kg (35.27 lb) Mount Included

Max. Power Consumption 40 W

Power Supply 50V, 1.2A PoE GigE Adapter (Included)

Power Method Passive Power over Ethernet

Supported Voltage Range 42-58VDC

Certications CE, FCC, IC

Mounting Pole Mount Kit (Included)

Wind Loading 863 N @ 200 km/hr (194 lbf @ 125 mph)

Wind Survivability 200 km/hr (125 mph)

Operating Temperature -40 to 55° C (-40 to 131°F)

LEDs (12) Status LEDs:

Data Port Link/Activity

Data Port Speed

Management Port Link/Activity

Management Port Speed

GPS Synchronization

Master/Slave

Link Status

Modulation Mode 0.25x to 4x, 6x, 8x, 10x (Unlabeled), Overload

Remote and Local Displays (Calibrated Signal Strength)

Operating Frequency

AF-5

FCC 15.247, 15.407, IC RSS-210
ETSI EN 301 893, EN 302 502
Other Regions

AF-5U

FCC 15.247, IC RSS-210
ETSI EN 302 502
Other Regions

Interface

Data Port (1) 10/100/1000 Ethernet Port

Management Port (1) 10/100 Ethernet Port

Auxiliary Port (1) RJ-12, Alignment Tone Port

System

Maximum Throughput 1.2+ Gbps

Maximum Range 100+ km (Dependent on Regulatory Region)

Packets per Second 1+ Million

Encryption 128-Bit AES

Uplink/Downlink Ratio 50% Fixed

Radio Frame Synchronization GPS

Dynamic Frequency Selection

AF-5
AF-5U

5470 - 5600 MHz, 5650 - 5850 MHz

5470 - 5875 MHz
5470 - 5950 MHz

5725 - 5850 MHz
5725 - 5875 MHz
5725 - 6200 MHz

CE, FCC/IC

CE, (FCC/IC Not Applicable)

6

airFiber AF-5/AF-5U Receive Sensitivity

Rate Modulation

10x 1024QAM -63 dBm -60 dBm -59 dBm -58 dBm -57 dBm 1280 Mbps 640 Mbps

8x 256QAM -70 dBm -67 dBm -66 dBm -65 dBm -64 dBm 1024 Mbps 512 Mbps

6x 64QAM -77 dBm -74 dBm -73 dBm -72 dBm -71 dBm 768 Mbps 384 Mbps

4x 16QAM MIMO -84 dBm -81 dBm -80 dBm -79 dBm -78 dBm 512 Mbps 256 Mbps

2x QPSK MIMO -90 dBm -87 dBm -86 dBm -85 dBm -84 dBm 256 Mbps 128 Mbps

1x ½ Rate QPSK xRT -93 dBm -90 dBm -89 dBm -88 dBm -87 dBm 128 Mbps 64 Mbps

¼x ¼x QPSK xRT -95 dBm -93 dBm -93 dBm -92 dBm -91 dBm 32 Mbps 16 Mbps

GPS GPS Clock Synchronization

Transceiver

EIRP ~50 dBm (Dependent on Regulatory Region and Frequency Band)

Frequency Accuracy ±2.5 ppm without GPS Synchronization

Channel Bandwidth 10/20/30/40/50 MHz

Modulation 1024QAM MIMO

Integrated Split Antenna

TX Gain 23 dBi

RX Gain 23 dBi

Beamwidth 6°

Front-to-Back Ratio 70 dB

Polarity Dual-Slant Polarization

Cross-Polarity Isolation > 28 dB

Sensitivity

(10 MHz)

Sensitivity

(20 MHz)

airFiber AF-5/AF-5U Radio Frequency

Sensitivity

(30 MHz)

Sensitivity

(40 MHz)

* FDD = (2) 50 MHz channels and TDD = (1) 50 MHz channel

Sensitivity

(50 MHz)

±0.2 ppm with GPS Synchronization

FDD

Capacity*

256QAM MIMO

½ Rate QPSK xRT
¼ Rate QPSK xRT

TDD

Capacity*

64QAM MIMO
16QAM MIMO

QPSK MIMO

Datasheet

7

Superior 24 GHz Performance

airFiber AF-24/AF-24HD provides a breakthrough in 24GHz

backhaul performance.

Two airFiber 24 GHz Models

Two models deliver superior speed with spectral efciency in

the worldwide, license-free, 24 GHz radio band.

Datasheet

Systems for millimeter-wave frequencies typically experience

RF losses when part of the RF is lost in the switches and lters.

The Ubiquiti R&D team eliminated such RF losses with
separate yet integrated TX and RX antennas, so the link
budget is robust and the airFiber AF-24/AF-24HD has better

noise gure and higher transmit power efciency.

The standard model, AF-24, delivers up to 1.4+ Gbps
throughput at a range of up to 13+ km.

The heavy-duty model, AF-24HD, provides more throughput
at up to 2 Gbps and increased range of up to 20+ km. It also

includes a more rugged exterior with a metal reector, to

protect against nature’s harshest elements.

Side Back

8

Specications

airFiber AF-24

Operating Frequency 24.05 – 24.25 GHz

Dimensions 649 x 426 x 303 mm (25.55 x 16.77 x 11.93")

Weight 10.5 kg (23.15 lb) Mount Included

Max. Power Consumption 50 W

Power Supply 50V, 1.2A PoE GigE Adapter (Included)

Power Method Passive Power over Ethernet

Supported Voltage Range 42-58VDC

Certications CE, FCC, IC

Wind Loading 480 N @ 200 km/hr (108 lbf @ 125 mph)

Wind Survivability 200 km/hr (125 mph)

Mounting Pole Mount Kit (Included)

Operating Temperature -40 to 55° C (-40 to 131° F)

LEDs (8) Status LEDs:

Data Port Speed

Data Port Link/Activity

Conguration Port Speed

Conguration Port Link/Activity

GPS Synchronization

Modulation Mode

Master/Slave

RF Status

(1) Two-Digit LED Display Calibrated in dBm

Interface

Data Port (1) 10/100/1000 Ethernet Port

Conguration Port (1) 10/100 Ethernet Port

Auxiliary Port (1) RJ-12, Alignment Tone Port

System

Maximum Throughput 1.4+ Gbps

Maximum Range 13+ km

Packets per Second > 1 Million

Encryption 128-Bit AES

Uplink/Downlink Ratio 50% Fixed

Datasheet

airFiber AF-24 Receive Sensitivity

Modulation Sensitivity FDD Capacity* TDD Capacity*

64QAM -66 dBm 1500 Mbps 760 Mbps

16QAM -72 dBm 1000 Mbps 507 Mbps

QPSK MIMO -78 dBm 500 Mbps 253 Mbps

QPSK SISO -80 dBm 250 Mbps 127 Mbps

¼x QPSK SISO -87 dBm 62.5 Mbps 31.7 Mbps

* FDD = (2) 100 MHz channels and TDD = (1) 100 MHz channel

9

Datasheet

airFiber AF-24 Radio Frequency

GPS GPS Clock Synchronization

Transceiver

EIRP ~33 dBm (FCC/IC), ~20 dBm (CE)

Frequency Accuracy ±2.5 ppm without GPS Synchronization

±0.2 ppm with GPS Synchronization

Channel Bandwidth 100 MHz

Operating Channels 24.1 GHz, 24.2 GHz

Modulation 64QAM MIMO

16QAM MIMO

QPSK MIMO

QPSK SISO

¼x QPSK SISO

Integrated Split Antenna

TX Gain 33 dBi

RX Gain 38 dBi

Beamwidth < 3.5°

Front-to-Back Ratio 70 dB

Polarity Dual-Slant Polarization

Cross-Polarity Isolation > 28 dB

10

Best-in-Class Performance and Range

Our INVICTUS custom silicon dramatically improves wireless
performance. The AF-24HD model supports the dense
modulation rates, up to 256QAM, that are required for high
data rates, up to 2 Gbps.

Robust Mechanical Assembly

An independent lab has tested the airFiber mechanical
assembly to meet MIL-STD-810G, a rigorous United States

MIL-STD (Military Standard) that denes a variety of

challenging environmental conditions.

The airFiber AF-24/AF-24HD features the most powerful
automatic compensation for path loss degradation due
to rain fade, so it provides the best range among 24 GHz
products and allows for constellation threshold extension.

10

5

0

5

10

The mechanical assembly has also undergone vibration

testing using an extended version of IEC60068-2-6,

an environmental standard of the IEC (International
Electrotechnical Commission).

Datasheet

Side Back

11

Datasheet

Specications

airFiber AF-24HD

Operating Frequency 24.05 – 24.25 GHz

Dimensions 593 x 768 x 370 mm (23.35 x 30.24 x 14.57")

Weight 17.3 kg (38.14 lb) Mount Included

Max. Power Consumption 50 W

Power Supply 50V, 1.2A PoE GigE Adapter (Included)

Power Method Passive Power over Ethernet

Supported Voltage Range 42-58VDC

Certications CE, FCC, IC

Wind Loading 770 N @ 200 km/hr (170 lbf @ 125 mph)

Wind Survivability 200 km/hr (125 mph)

Mounting Pole Mount Kit (Included)

Operating Temperature -40 to 55° C (-40 to 131° F)

LEDs (8) Status LEDs:

Data Port Speed

Data Port Link/Activity

Conguration Port Speed

Conguration Port Link/Activity

GPS Synchronization

Modulation Mode

Master/Slave

RF Status

(1) Two-Digit LED Display Calibrated in dBm

Interface

Data Port (1) 10/100/1000 Ethernet Port

Conguration Port (1) 10/100 Ethernet Port

Auxiliary Port (1) RJ-12, Alignment Tone Port

System

Maximum Throughput 2 Gbps

Maximum Range 20+ km

Packets per Second > 1 Million

Encryption 128-Bit AES

Uplink/Downlink Ratio 50% Fixed

12

airFiber AF-24HD Receive Sensitivity

Modulation Sensitivity FDD Capacity* TDD Capacity*

256QAM -60 dBm 2000 Mbps 1024 Mbps

64QAM -66 dBm 1500 Mbps 760 Mbps

16QAM -72 dBm 1000 Mbps 507 Mbps

QPSK MIMO -78 dBm 500 Mbps 253 Mbps

QPSK SISO -80 dBm 250 Mbps 127 Mbps

¼x QPSK SISO -87 dBm 62.5 Mbps 31.7 Mbps

* FDD = (2) 100 MHz channels and TDD = (1) 100 MHz channel

airFiber AF-24HD Radio Frequency

GPS GPS Clock Synchronization

Transceiver

EIRP ~33 dBm (FCC/IC), ~20 dBm (CE)

Frequency Accuracy ±2.5 ppm without GPS Synchronization

±0.2 ppm with GPS Synchronization

Channel Bandwidth 100 MHz

Operating Channels 24.1 GHz, 24.2 GHz

Modulation 256QAM MIMO

64QAM MIMO
16QAM MIMO

QPSK MIMO

QPSK SISO

¼x QPSK SISO

Integrated Split Antenna

TX Gain 33 dBi

RX Gain 40 dBi

Beamwidth < 3.5°

Front-to-Back Ratio 70 dB

Polarity Dual-Slant Polarization

Cross-Polarity Isolation > 28 dB

Datasheet

All specications in this document are subject to change without notice.

©2012-2015 Ubiquiti Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. Ubiquiti, UbiquitiNetworks, the Ubiquiti U logo, the Ubiquiti beam
logo, airFiber, airOS, INVICTUS, and xRT are trademarks or registered trademarks of Ubiquiti Networks, Inc. in the UnitedStates

and in other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

www.ubnt.com

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