How do you configure a transparent Ubiquiti Point to Point bridge in AirOS 8?

There are a range of situations where running a cable from Point A to Point B is not possible typically due to physical constraints or cost. With a transparent wireless bridge you can link buildings across a street without digging up the road, connect a cowshed 2km's away from your house or even connect a remote camera to your network wirelessly and it will be as if they were simply plugged in using an Ethernet cable.

In this blog we will show you how to configure a transparent Ubiquiti Point to Point bridge in AirOS 8 using a pair of the NanoBeam 5AC GEN2. This same configuration can be used for any of the AirMAX AC products (NanoBeam AC, PowerBeam AC, PowerBeam AC Iso, LiteBeam AC, IsoStation AC, PrismStation AC, Rocket Prism AC and Rocket AC series).


Note:
This article assumes you know how to login to a Ubiquiti radio. If this is not the case please refer to "Logging in to a Ubiquiti Wireless Access Point or Router".

Step 1:
Plug in the first NBE-5AC-19 (Access Point) to your laptop or network and make the following changes under the Wireless tab.

Basic Wireless Settings
Wireless Mode: Access Point PtP
SSID: my_wds_bridge
Channel Width: 40 MHz
Center Frequency, MHz: 5825
Output Power: 14dBm

Wireless Security
Security: WPA2-AES
WPA Authentication: PSK
WPA Preshared Key: mys3curek3y123

Advanced
Automatic Power Control: ON
Target Signal: -55 dBm

Note:
The SSID & WPA Preshared Key settings are an example and should be customised to secure your network. Channel Width and Center Frequency, MHz can also be adjusted to suit your application and environment - be aware though that these changes must be matched on the second unit (Station).

Step 2:
On the Network tab make the following changes.

Network Role
Network Mode: Bridge

Configuration Mode
Configuration Mode: Simple

Management Network Settings
IP Address: 192.168.1.200
Netmask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway IP: 192.168.1.1
Primary DNS IP: 192.168.1.1

Step 3:
On the System tab change the following.

Device
Device Name: NanoBeam 5AC 19 AP

Date Settings
Time Zone: (GMT+12:00) Auckland, Wellington, Fiji, Kamchatka

System Accounts
Administrator Username: admin
Click the Change Password button to update the username and password.
Current Password: ubnt
New Password: Mys3cr3t!

Select Save Changes at the bottom of the page to apply all configurations made in Steps 1-3.

IMPORTANT
Before proceeding confirm that your settings have saved by connecting to 192.168.1.200 in your web browser, then unplug the NanoBeam and re-locate it to the other side of you work room and connect the Power (PoE) only i.e. no LAN connection.

Step 4:
Connect the second NBE-5AC-19 (Station) to your laptop or network and navigate to the Wireless tab.

Basic Wireless Settings
Wireless Mode: Station PtP
Channel Width: Auto 20/40/80 MHz
Click the Select button next to the SSID field.
Click the radio button next to your SSID (my_wds_bridge) and the press Select.

Wireless Security
Enter WPA Preshared Key: mys3curek3y123

Step 5:
On the Network tab make the following changes.

Network Role
Network Mode: Bridge

Configuration Mode
Configuration Mode: Simple

Management Network Settings
IP Address: 192.168.1.201
Netmask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway IP: 192.168.1.1
Primary DNS IP: 192.168.1.1

Step 6:
On the System tab change the following.

Device
Device Name: NanoBeam 5AC 19 ST

Date Settings
Time Zone: (GMT+12:00) Auckland, Wellington, Fiji, Kamchatka

System Accounts
Administrator Username: admin
Click the Change Password button to update the username and password.
Current Password: ubnt
New Password: Mys3cr3t!

Select Save Changes at the bottom of the page to apply all configurations made in Steps 4-6.

Step 7:
Verify the bridge has been configured successfully by logging into both Devices and checking the connection status on the Dashboard.

Note: If you cannot login to the NBE-5AC-19 AP (Access Point that currently has PoE only i.e. No LAN connection you will need to troubleshoot why you do not have connectivity.

Access Point (NBE-5AC-19 AP):

Station (NBE-5AC-19 ST):

For more information on aligning and bandwidth testing your Ubiquiti Point to Point bridge please view this article Ubiquiti Antenna Alignment and Link Performance.