60 GHz is an unlicensed band that now has some cheap gigabit point to point (p2p) antennas that we are using.

60 GHz is extremely susceptible to “rain-fade”, which is why it is not used in licensed spectrum

Often these radios come with a 5GHz backup, which isn’t really useful for bandwidth but it will keep your link online during rain.

Ubiquiti

There’s a very confusing range of Ubiquiti 60GHz. Basically there’s dishes and enclosed headlight looking ones

Ubiquiti Gigabeam

• Price: $260 pair
• no quoted range! (assume it’s meant for neighboring buildings)
• 5GHz backup: yes but not usable

Ubiquiti Gigabeam Plus GBE-Plus

This is a well-designed router that is small and reliable. We have a couple of these at our Rivington hub

• Price: $360 pair
• Range: “up to 1.5km”
• 5GHz backup: no

Ubiquiti Gigabeam GBE-LR

• Price: $400 pair
• Range: “long range”? probably means “up to 2km” like the af60
• 5GHz backup: no

Ubiquiti airFiber 60

• Price: $600 pair
• Range: “Long range, up to 2 km”
• 5GHz backup: yes

Ubiquiti airFiber 60 LR (dish)

• Price: $800 pair (sold as pair)
• Range: “Long Range, Up to 12 km” (hard to believe!)
• 5GHz backup: no

We are currently running two links with these. Grand to Navy Yard, and PH to 5283

The Navy Yard link:

• 2km and bandwidth decreases in the rain
• “1751” capacity (they are adding up and down capacity together)

The 5283 link:

• 2.2km and works ok in rain
• “1951” capacity
• 5GHz: no

MikroTik LHG 60G

• Price $300 pair
  
• Range 200m
• 5GHs backup: no
• Tested speed: 700 Mbps

We originally installed these for 800m links but they will go down every time in heavy rain. 200m seems a good distance for them. It’s a cheap way to connect neighboring buildings. We use these between the Grand St towers.

IgniteNet Metrolinq One 60-19

• Price: $500 pair
  
• Range: 200m?
  
• 5GHz backup: yes
• Tested speed: 300

We use these between Henry and Grand. It never got over 300 Mbps

• The mount is extremely heavy and obviously designed for the larger antenna
• The lights on the back aren’t visible due to the mount
• It is possible to mount on horizontal pipe but you only have ~15 degrees of movement
• Bandwidth is about half of the cheaper Mikrotik 60Ghz
• Maybe we should have used the larger 60 – 35
• The backup 5GHz is strangely very low bandwidth (~20 Mbps)
• The telescope is very good, and great for aligning
• Everything is very well built and feels like a scientific instrument