Breaking the 10/100 mb barrier is easy right ... just get a gigabit switch and call it a day. Well, as WISPs continue to expand media domination and dirt cheap bandwidth backhaul sources compared to telcos how can you break the barrier without a gb switch?
Finally got a near ideal PTP (Point to Point) install and each side of the PTP partially funnels down to old Canopy equipment for the areas PTMP clients ... and you guessed it, Canopy is far from gigabit capable. I'm honestly happy it surpasses 10meg (and yes I still have waverider 900 gen1 and 2 units limited to 10mbit). I can achieve above 100mbit speeds on this sector ONLY by not relying on conductive metal, but rather thin air ... electromagnetism rules!
So ... gigabit ... whats up?Well, my canopy gear runs through proprietary CMM Modules that help in extremely tropical, dense, populated areas without signal interference. Its enough of a monetary gain to take a loss on subscriber speed. In my case the Canopy/Cambium maxes out at 4mbit IF i opt for 2x rate, but i'd rather achieve distance, so im dealing with 2mbit stable 900mhz links. Clients connect to the AP which gets bandwidth through the CMM limited to 10/100. This means 50 customers hogs the entire switch no matter how much bandwidth I have; So I'd better have it there when it's needed bc like every other ISP bandwidth is oversold by a fair percentage. This is where the wireless link aids in not being a weak link, but rather the strongest link. I can send almost 200mbit via WIRELESS at ~5.8ghz 40mhz full band over a 5 mile LOS link.
So why do I want 200 if im limited by hardware anyways? Simple. I can have 2 APs each able to pull 100mbit and spread my coverage as well as bandwidth management. 2 towers with 25 customers each is much better than a single tower being hammered 100% 24/7. In short, I've just gained 50 customers for free bc of the overhead given by a simple wireless PTP with no cable, fiber, copper, nothing!
SETUP x2:
Backhaul: Ubuquiti nbm5 25dbi Dish @40mhz
----> into Switch: Canopy CMM
-----> AP: Cambium APC 900mhz @5mhz x 4
----))) Wireless to Clients SM: Canopy SMC 900mhz @ 2mbit
Client topology: Start to load balance around 10 customers per AP. 2mbit x 12 people on 4 90degree APs allows for each AP to equally pull 25mbit each. The second tower replication will utilize the overhead nearing 200mbit. So 100mbit to each tower, 25mbit per AP x4, and 12 subscribers per AP at 2mbit stable long range prioritized for sensitive data. That sums up the 200mbit easily I have to delegate.
If I have the bandwidth, I build nonstop. Theres no reason not to have the infrastructure for better coverage, higher speeds, load balancing, better signals, and better service just because I don't "want" to put a 2nd AP up ... I pay dearly for bandwidth so it will all be used!
Here's the field summary:
Backhaul bringing 200mbit:
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AP Switch - Canopy CMM - 100mbit
Feeding into 4 APs ~25mbit each
Picture the root backhaul at the bottom, the first links are backhauls ~100mbit each. The top layer nodes (forgive the incorrect layout) would actually be a tower with 4 canopy modules each (25mbit per AP) that would give a large and balanced coverage area for customers.
Why the image has an unbalanced tree is left to the artist ... unless a specific case arrives, keep the tree balanced with hardware to ease up the software side of things.
Now you have spent about a grand on setup, and you can serve 100 stable up to 200 round robin customers at 2mbit each for $50/month. No install fee, no contracts, no FCC, no cables, no hidden charges, free install, whatever ... Just know that 50/month x 200 people = $10,000 /month.
A ten fold self sustaining investment well worth it!