Ubiquiti AF5X User Manual

5 GHz Carrier

DATA

MGMT

GPS

LINK

Backhaul Radio

Model: AF-5X

LINK

GPS

MGMT

DATA

Introduction

DATA

MGMT

GPS

LINK

Introduction

Thank you for purchasing the Ubiquiti Networks® airFiber® 5 GHz
Carrier Backhaul Radio. This Quick Start Guide is designed to guide
you through the installation, show you how to access the airFiber
Configuration Interface, and explain how to set up an airFiber link.
This Quick Start Guide also includes the warranty terms, and is for
use with airFiber X, model AF-5X.

Package Contents

airFiber AF-5X GPS Antenna

External GPS Antenna Metal Strap

Mount

Cable Ties

(Qty. 2)

Gigabit PoE Adapter

with Mounting Bracket

Power Cord Quick Start Guide

(24V, 1A)

TERMS OF USE: Ubiquiti radio devices must be professionally installed. Shielded Ethernet cable and
earth grounding must be used as conditions of product warranty. TOUGHCable
outdoor installations. It is the customer’s responsibility to follow local country regulations, including
operation within legal frequency channels, output power, and Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS)
requirements.

LINK

GPS

MGMT

DATA

5 GHz Carrier
Backhaul Radio

Model: AF-5X

™

is designed for

1

airFiber® AF-5X Quick Start Guide

Hardware Overview

Connects to External

Chain 0: Connects to

+45° on

airFiber Antenna

GPS Antenna

Chain 1: Connects to

-45° on

airFiber Antenna

LED Panel

Port Cover

2

Ports

Hardware Overview

Management

Port

Reset

Button

Data

Port

Management Port 10/100 Mbps, secured Ethernet port for

configuration. In-Band Management is enabled by default in the
airFiber Configuration Interface. When In-Band Management
is disabled, the MGMT port is the only port that can monitor,
configure, and/or update firmware.

Reset Button To reset to factory defaults, press and hold the

Reset button for more than 10 seconds while the device is already

poweredon.

Data Port Gigabit PoE port for handling all user traffic and

powering the device.

3

airFiber® AF-5X Quick Start Guide

LEDs

Signal LEDs

Signal 4 LED will light blue when on.

Signal 3 LED will light green when on.

Signal 2 LED will light yellow when on.

Signal 1 LED will light red when on.

Bootup to airOS When powering on, the Power, GPS, Link, and

Signal 1-4 LEDs light on. Once the CPU code takes over, the GPS,
Link, and Signal 1-3 LEDs turn off. Signal 4 LED remains on to

indicate the boot sequence is underway.

Initializing airFiber Software When the airFiber application

begins to boot under airOS, the Signal 4 LED goes from solidly
on to a 2.5 Hz flash. This continues until the airFiber AF-5X is fully
booted.

Signal Level Once fully booted, the Signal 1-4 LEDs act as a bar

graph showing how close the airFiber AF-5X is to ideal aiming. This
is auto-scaled based on the link range, the antenna gains, and the
configured TX power of the remote airFiber AF-5X. Each Signal
LED has three possible states: On, Flashing, and Off. All Signal LEDs
would be solidly on in an ideal link. If the link has a 1 dB loss, the
Signal4 LED will flash; a 2 dB loss and the Signal 4 LED will turn off.
The full bar graph LED states are shown below.

dB

0 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5 -6 -7 -8 -9 -10 -11 -12 -13

loss

1 F 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 1 1 F 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 1 1 1 1 F F 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 F F F 0

4

0 = Off, 1 = On, F = Flashing

Additional LEDs

LED State Status

Off RF Off

Short Flash* Syncing

Hardware Overview

LINK

GPS

MGMT

DATA

Normal Flash* Beaconing

Long Flash* Registering

On Operational

Off No GPS Synchronization

Normal Flash* Non-Operational (Weak Signal)

On Operational (Strong Signal)

Off No Ethernet Link

On Ethernet Link Established

Random Flashing Ethernet Activity

Off No Ethernet Link

On Ethernet Link Established

Random Flashing Ethernet Activity

Off No Power

On Powered On

* Short Flash (1:3 on/off cycle)

Normal Flash (1:1 on/off cycle)

Long Flash (3:1 on/off cycle)

5

airFiber® AF-5X Quick Start Guide

Installation Requirements

The airFiber AF-5X radio operates only with an airFiber antenna or
a retrofitted RocketDish™ antenna.

Available airFiber antenna models:

• AF-5G23-S45

• AF-5G30-S45

• AF-5G34-S45
Available retrofit accessory for RocketDish (RD-5G30/RD-5G34):

• AF-5G-OMT-S45

Other Requirements

• Clear line of sight between airFiber radios

• Clear view of the sky for proper GPS operation

• Vertical mounting orientation

• 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 mm2) and max. length: 1m. Asa
safety precaution, ground the airFiber radio to grounded masts,
poles, towers, or grounding bars.

WARNING: Failure to properly ground your airFiber

radio will void your warranty.

• (Recommended) 2 Outdoor Gigabit PoE surge protectors

Note: For guidelines about grounding and lightning

protection, follow your local electrical regulatory codes.

• Outdoor, shielded Category 6 (or above) cabling and
shielded RJ-45 connectors are required for all wired Ethernet
connections.

6

Installation Overview

Installation Overview

We recommend that you configure your paired airFiber AF­5X radios before site installation. 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 MGMTport.

• Configure the device settings in the airFiber Configuration
Interface.

• Install a ground wire and mount the airFiber AF-5X to an airFiber
compatible antenna.

• At the installation site, install the dish antenna (see the
antenna's Quick Start Guide for installation instructions).

• Secure the ground wire and mount the GPS antenna.

• Establish and optimize the RF link.

Connecting Power over Ethernet

1. Lift the release latch on the bottom of the airFiber AF-5X and

slide the Port Cover off.

7

airFiber® AF-5X Quick Start Guide

2. Connect an Ethernet cable to the D ATA port.

3. Connect the Ethernet cable from the D ATA port to the Ethernet

port labeled POE on the Gigabit PoE Adapter.

4. Connect the Power Cord to the power port on the Gigabit

PoE Adapter. Connect the other end of the Power Cord to a

powersource.

8

airFiber Configuration

airFiber Configuration

The instructions in this section explain how to access the airFiber
Configuration Interface and configure the following settings:

• Wireless Mode Configure one airFiber AF-5X as the Master and
the other as the Slave.

• Frequency Setting The operating Frequency must be the same
on both the Master and the Slave.

1. Connect an Ethernet cable from your computer to the MGMT

port on the airFiber AF-5X.

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).

9

airFiber® AF-5X Quick Start Guide

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.

Note: U.S. product versions are locked to the U.S. Country

Code to ensure compliance with FCC regulations.

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.

10