UBIQUITI NETWORKS AF-4X 4 GHz Licensed Backhaul Radio User Guide

UBIQUITI NETWORKS AF-4X 4 GHz Licensed Backhaul Radio

Introduction

Thank you for purchasing the Ubiquiti Networks® air Fiber® AF‑4X. This Quick Start Guide is designed to guide you through installation. Warranty terms, safety notices, and compliance information are in the air Fiber X User Guide, available at: downloads.ubnt.com/airfiber

Package Contents

• air Fiber AF-4X

• GPS Antenna Mount

• External GPS Antenna

• Metal Strap

• Cable Ties (Qty. 2)

• Universal Bracket

• air Fiber PoE (24V, 1A) with Mounting Bracket

• Power Cord

• Quick Start Guide

TERMS OF USE: Ubiquiti radio devices must be professionally installed. Shielded Ethernet cable and earth grounding must be used as conditions of product warranty. TOUGH Cable™ is designed for 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.

Antenna Compatibility

The air Fiber AF-4X radio is designed for use with the following air Fiber X antenna models:

• AF-5G30-S45

• AF-5G34-S451
  The AF-4X can also operate with the following Rocket Dish™ antenna models:

• RD-5G302

• RD-5G342
  Installation Requirements

• Clear line of sight between air Fiber 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 air Fiber radio to grounded masts, poles, towers, or grounding bars.

WARNING: Failure to properly ground your **air Fiber 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.

  1. Check your local/regional regulations for the maximum antenna gain allowed for your application.
  2. Requires Universal Bracket (included) or AF-5G-OMT-S45 Conversion Kit (not included).

Hardware Overview

Ports

Management Port 10/100 Mbps, secured Ethernet port for configuration. In- Band Management is enabled by default in the air Fiber 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.

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 air OS 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 air Fiber Software When the air Fiber application begins to boot under air OS, the Signal 4 LED goes from solidly on to a 2.5 Hz flash. This continues until the AF-4X is fully booted.
Signal Level Once fully booted, the Signal 1-4 LEDs act as a bar graph showing how close the AF-4X is to ideal aiming. This is auto-scaled based on the link range, the antenna gains, and the configured TX power of the remote AF-4X. 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.

Additional LEDs

• Short Flash (1:3 on/off cycle)
  Normal Flash (1:1 on/off cycle)
  Long Flash (3:1 on/off cycle)

Installation Overview

We recommend that you configure your paired AF-4X radios before site installation. The overview below summarizes the installation procedure, and the subsequent sections provide detailed installation information.

• Connect the air Fiber PoE Adapter to the DATA port, and connect your computer to the MGMT port.
• Configure the AF-4X.
• Install a ground wire and mount the AF-4X on an air Fiber X or Rocket Dish antenna.
• At the installation site, install the air Fiber X or Rocket Dish antenna with the mounted AF-4X radio (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 AF-4X and slide the Port Cover off.

2. Connect an Ethernet cable to the DATA port.
   

3. Connect the Ethernet cable from the DATA port of the AF‑4X to the POE port of the adapter.
   WARNING: Use only the included adapter, model GP-H240-100G-4. Failure to do so can damage the unit and void the product warranty.

4. connect the Power Cord to the adapter’s power port.
   Connect the other end of the Power Cord to a power outlet.
   

air Fiber Configuration

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

• Wireless Mode Configure one AF-4X 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 AF-4X.  

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](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.

Note: U.S. product versions are locked to the U.S.
Country Code to ensure compliance with FCC regulations

5. Click the Wireless tab.  

6. Configure the Basic Wireless Settings:  

a. For one AF-4X, select Master as the Wireless Mode. For the other AF-4X, 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. If needed, change the Channel Bandwidth, (Master) Duty Cycle, Output Power and/or Maximum Modulation Rate settings.

7. Configure the Frequency Setting. The selected Frequency must be the same on both air Fiber radios.
8. 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.  

Note: The air Fiber Configuration Interface supports IPv6 formats excluding dotted quad and  (double‑colon) notation.

  *  **ASCII** Enter a combination of alphanumeric characters (0-9, A-Z, or a-z).
9.  Click Change and then click Apply.
10. In-Band Management is enabled by default, so each air Fiber radio must have a unique IP Address. (If the air Fiber radios use the same IP Address, you may lose access to the air Fiber 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 air Fiber Configuration section on the other AF-4X radio.
  For details on the air Fiber Configuration Interface, refer to the air Fiber X User Guide, available at:
  downloads.ubnt.com/airiber

Hardware Installation

Install a Ground Wire

1. Remove the nut from the Ground Bonding Point located on the back of the AF-4X
2. Attach a ground wire (min. 10 AWG or 5 mm2 ) to the lug and replace the nut to secure the wire.
3. At the installation site, secure the other end of the ground wire to a grounded mast, pole, tower, or grounding bar.

WARNING: Failure to properly ground your air Fiber radio will void your warranty.
Note: The ground wire should be as short as possible and no longer than one meter in length.

Mount to an air Fiber X Antenna

Follow the instructions in this section to mount the AF-4X to an air Fiber X antenna or to a Rocket Dish antenna equipped with the AF-5G-OMT-S45 Conversion Kit.
Note: To mount the AF-4X to a Rocket Dish using the included Universal Bracket, see the Mount to a Rocket Dish Antenna section.
The air Fiber X antenna AF‑5G30-S45 is shown in this section:

1. Attach the air Fiber X radio to the antenna by aligning the four tabs on the back of the radio with the slots of the radio mount. Then slide the radio down to lock it into place.
   

2. Attach the RF connectors to the radio in this combination: +45° to Chain 0 and -45° to Chain 1. Then slide the jackets over the RF connectors to protect them.
   

3. Attach the External GPS Antenna (included with the radio) to the RF connector labeled GPS on the radio.
   

4. Attach the protective shroud.
   a. Align the hash mark on the top of the shroud with the notch on the dish antenna.
   b. Rotate the shroud clockwise until it locks into place.

Mount to a Rocket Dish Antenna

Note: If you are mounting the AF-4X on a Rocket Dish equipped with the AF-5G-OMT-S45 Conversion Kit, the Universal Bracket is not needed. Refer instead to the Mount to an air Fiber X Antenna section for instructions.
The Rocket Dish RD‑5G30 antenna is shown in this section:

1. Position the Universal Bracket over the back of the AF-4X with the bracket clips over the AF-4X mounting tabs.

2. Push the bracket onto the AF-4X until it locks in place.

3. Attach the AF-4X to the Rocket Dish mounting bracket.
   a. Align the mounting tabs on the Universal Bracket with the Rocket Dish mounting bracket.
   b. Slide the AF-4X down to lock it into place.

Mount the External GPS Antenna

Locate a mounting point that has a clear view to the sky, and is above and as far away as possible from the AF-4X.

1. Attach the GPS Antenna Mount to the pole using the metal strap, or attach it to a wall using the appropriate fasteners (not included).
   

2. Place the External GPS Antenna on the mount.

3. Secure the cable of the External GPS Antenna to the mount with a Cable Tie.

Connecting Power over Ethernet

1. Lift the release latch on the bottom of the AF-4X and slide the Port Cover off.
   

2. Connect an outdoor, shielded Ethernet cable to the DATA port.
   

3.  Connect the Ethernet cable from the DATA port of the AF‑4X to the POE port of the adapter.
   ****WARNING: Use only the included adapter, model GP-H240-100G-4. Failure to do so can damage the unit and void the product warranty.

4. Connect an Ethernet cable from your LAN to the adapter’s LAN port.

5.  Connect the Power Cord to the adapter’s power port. Connect the other end of the Power Cord to a power outlet.
   

Mount the PoE Adapter (Optional)

1. Remove the Mounting Bracket from the adapter, place the bracket at the desired location, and mark the two holes.
2. Pre-drill the holes if necessary, and secure the bracket using two fasteners (not included).
3. Align the adapter’s slots with the tabs of the Mounting Bracket, and then slide the adapter down.
   

Surge Protection

For added protection, install two surge suppressors, such as the Ubiquiti Ethernet Surge Protector, model ETH-SP, at the end of each link. Install the first surge protector within one meter of the air Fiber DATA port, and install the second surge protector at the ingress point of the location housing the wired network equipment.

Alignment

Tips

• To accurately align the air Fiber radios for best performance, you MUST align only one end of the link at a time.
• You may need to use additional hardware to compensate for issues such as the improper orientation of a mounting pole or significant elevation differences between air Fiber radios.

Establishing a Link

Adjust the positions of the Master and the Slave to establish a link. The following section features the air Fiber X antenna, AF-5G30-S45:

Note: The Master must be aimed first at the Slave because the Slave does not transmit any RF signal until it detects transmissions from the Master.

1. Master Visually aim the Master at the Slave. To adjust the Master’s position, adjust the azimuth and the elevation. Adjust the azimuth:
   a. Loosen the four flange nuts on the two pole clamps.
   b. Rotate the antenna to point towards the other end of the link.
   c. Tighten the four flange nuts on the two pole clamps.
   

Adjust the elevation angle:
a. Loosen the six hex head bolts to so that the washers can spin freely by hand.
b. Tighten or loosen the Elevation Adjustment Bolt to set the desired tilt.
c. Tighten the six hex head bolts.

Note: Do NOT make simultaneous adjustments on the Master and Slave.

2. Slave Visually aim the Slave at the Master. To adjust the Slave’s position, adjust the azimuth and elevation as described in step 1.

3. Check to see if a link is established. Ensure that the LINK LED is solidly lit green and the Signal LEDs of the Slave are displaying signal levels.

4. Slave Aim the Slave at the Master to achieve the strongest signal level on the Master.
   Note: Refer to the Signal LEDs section for details on the signal values.
   Note: Maximum signal strength can best be achieved by iteratively sweeping through both azimuth and elevation.

5. Master Aim the Master at the Slave to achieve the strongest signal level on the Slave.

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you achieve an optimal link, with all four Signal LEDs solidly lit. This ensures the best possible data rate between the air Fiber radios.

7. Lock the alignment on both air Fiber antennas by tightening all the nuts and bolts.

8. Observe the Signal LEDs of each air Fiber radio to ensure that the values remain constant while tightening the nuts and bolts. If any LED value changes during the locking process, loosen the nuts and bolts, finalize the alignment of each air Fiber antenna again, and retighten the nuts and bolts.
   For detailed information on setting up an air Fiber link, see the air Fiber X User Guide available at: downloads.ubnt.com/airfiber

Installer Compliance Responsibility

Devices must be professionally installed and it is the professional installer’s responsibility to make sure the device is operated within local country regulatory requirements.

The Output Power, Antenna Gain, Cable Loss, and Frequency fields are provided to the professional installer to assist in meeting regulatory requirements.

Specifications

air Fiber AF‑4X

Dimensions| 224 x 82 x 48 mm (8.82 x 3.23 x 1.89″)
Weight| 0.35 kg (0.77 lb)
RF Connectors| (2) RP‑SMA Weatherproof (CH0, CH1)

(1) SMA Weatherproof (GPS)

GPS Antenna| External, Magnetic Base
Power Supply| 24V, 1A PoE Gigabit Adapter (Included)
Power Method| Passive Power over Ethernet
Certifications| FCC Part 15.407

CE EN 302502 v1.2.1, EN 301 893 v1.7.1

Operating Temperature| ‑40 to 55° C (‑40 to 131° F)
Networking Interface
Data Port| (1) 10/100/1000 Ethernet Port
Management Port| (1) 10/100 Ethernet Port
System
Processor| INVICTUS™ IC
Maximum Throughput| 500+ Mbps
Encryption| 128‑bit AES
OS| airOS F
Wireless Modes| Master/Slave
Radio
Operating Frequency| 4700‑4990 MHz

(Depends on Regulatory Region1)

Max. Conducted TX Power| 24 dBm (Depends on Regulatory Region1)
Frequency Accuracy| ± 2.5 ppm without GPS Synchronization

± 0.2 ppm with GPS Synchronization

Channel Bandwidth| 3.5/5/7/10/14/20/28/30/40/50/56 MHz Selectable2 Programmable Uplink and Downlink Duty Cycles

1. For region-specific details, refer to the Compliance chapter of the air Fiber X User Guide at downloads.ubnt.com/air fiber
2. Channel widths may vary according to country/region regulations. Online Resources

Support support.ubnt.com
Community community.ubnt.com
Downloads downloads.ubnt.com

http://www.ubnt.com/

References

• community.ubnt.com
• UniFi - Rethinking IT - Ubiquiti
• UniFi - Rethinking IT - Ubiquiti
• Manual-Hub.com - Free PDF manuals!
• Manual-Hub.com – Free PDF manuals!

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