Ubiquiti AF5 Design Guide
DESIGN GUIDE: airFiber AF‑5/AF‑5U
Best Practices for Installation of the airFiber AF‑5/AF‑5U
Ideal Mounting Location: High in Elevation with
ClearLine of Sight
Custom Frequency and Transmit Power
Conguration to Fit Your Application
Selection of Installation Site
The airFiber® AF‑5/AF‑5U, referred to as the AF‑5 in this Design
Guide, features unique functionality that requires you to be
cognizant of the installation environment.
For best performance, you must install the AF‑5 as high up
as possible, with a line of sight free from obstructions. This is
especially true in FDD (Frequency Division Duplexing) mode,
as there is a requirement to maximize channel/spectrum reuse.
Any objects in front of or near the front of the AF‑5 can have a
signicant impact on overall performance. The AF‑5 should be
installed 1 m (3.3 ft) below the highest point of the structure
to reduce the risk of a lightning strike. When the AF‑5 must be
installed above a metallic surface like a corrugated at roof or
water tower, you should ensure that the AF‑5 is located more
than 3 m (10 feet) above the metal/reective surface.
1 m (3.3 ft)
Good Location
Throughout Optimization with Maximum
Frequency Reuse and Link Symmetry
What is generally true for cellular installations is true for
the AF‑5. You should mount the AF‑5 where it can see no
reections in the near eld, so we recommend the following
types of mountingsites:
§ Perimeter mounting on a water tower/structure (best)
§ Mounting near the edge of the top of a structure
§ Mounting on an elevated mast or tower
Radios that are mounted anywhere near the surface of a
roof or the top of a water tower can be signicantly aected
by reections. FDD is more susceptible to the elements
of a deployment environment than TDD (Time Division
Duplexing)is.
Bad Location:
Reection o Rooftop
and Lip of Building
Best Location
3 m (10 ft)
Close-up of Installation on Top of Water Tower
Close-up of Installation on Rooftop of Building
Good and bad examples of deployments are depicted in this
section, “Typical Deployment Scenarios” on page 2.
Typical Deployment Scenarios
1 m (3.3 ft)
Good Location
Reective Surface
Reective Surface
Bad Location
Bad Location
3 m (10 ft)
Good Location
Minimal Reective
Surface
Best Location:
No Reective
Surface
Best Location
Deployment on Water Tower
Good Location
Bad Location:
Too close to rooftop and
obstruction in line of sight
Deployment on Rooftop of Building
Bad Location:
Too close to rooftop
and lip of building
Best Location
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