ISP Wireless - Troubleshooting Info to Provide to Support Team

This article explains the most efficient method to request for support, as well as a checklist of troubleshooting steps that must always take place before asking for help. In many cases the issue is resolved with one of the items mentioned in the Before Asking for Help section.

Notes: When creating a Community topic or contacting support, only create one topic or support ticket per issue faced. When multiple problems are added within the same thread or ticket, it quickly becomes confusing and some details can be overlooked, or support will just be delayed while trying to determine what exactly is being asked.

• Introduction
• Before Asking for Help
• Information to Include on Support Requests

Introduction

airFiber has been designed to be an easy-to-use and easy-to-install system. The default configuration is very flexible and in most cases is good enough to see superb performance: so only minor changes are required. However, in certain cases, extra changes are required to get the highest performance; or a new installer could face some problems establishing a stable link. This article explains how to better ask for help in our community and support platforms, in order to answer your questions in less time.

The correct order to seek for support within Ubiquiti is:

1. Help Center: Browse the ISP Wireless sections, maybe you'll find your answer right away with no wait times.
2. The Community: the airFiber Community forum is filled with experts from all over the world who have real life experience with functioning airFiber deployments. There is a very high chance that they have already faced the issue you are seeing now, as well as having experience in third-party devices that might have some influence in the issue. Support is usually faster in the Community, and by posting your questions there, you will also be helping others in the future.
3. Contact Support: the airFiber support engineers are ready to help if you did not find the answer to your questions in the Help Center or Community. Reach out to us via the Help page.

Before Asking for Help

Before creating a new post in the Community, make sure to have all the following points covered:

• All units must be running the latest available firmware. Find the latest firmware for all devices here: https://www.ui.com/download/airfiber
• Check that one unit is configured in Master and the other one in Slave mode. Also make sure both units have the same Link Name (check if there's any blank space after or before the link name), Country Code, Channel Width, and Password.
• If the devices are running in Half-Duplex mode, use the same Frequency for Tx and Rx in both devices unless you understand how HDD Frequency Split works and you want to use this option.
• If the devices are running in Full-Duplex mode, make sure the Master's Tx Frequency matches the Slave's Rx Frequency, and that the Master's Rx Frequency matches the Slave's Tx Frequency.
• Automatic Rate Adaptation Checkbox must be enabled (under Wireless tab) on both radios.
• Automatic Power Backoff and Multicast Filter must also be enabled (under Advanced tab) on both radios.
• If you have to test the unit indoors (which is NOT recommended: always try to test the units outdoors with a minimum link distance of 25m and 1 meter above floor level to ensure clear Line of Sight) make sure GPS sync is disabled on all devices.
• Always enter the right antenna gain and cable loss information (under Wireless tab: this only applies for connectorized radios). Otherwise, the system won't be able to determine what the ideal signal level is and proper alignment will be much much complex.
• Align the antennas until the Current Signal level matches the Ideal/Expected Signal Level.
• Run airView on both sides for at least 5-10 minutes, until you collect at least 1000 frames. Remember to save the screenshots of both radios' airView because it will be very important information and will be requested on Community posts and support tickets. Using the airView results choose the cleanest channels. Remember that you can configure the frequency range of airView scan under the airView Preferences. More information about how to use airView see the article: airMAX - Using airView to Find the Best Channel

Information to Include on Support Requests

Whether you are posting on the Community or reaching out to support, it is important to explain the problem with as much detail as possible and include the correct information. Describe the issue faced, as well as the specific link scenario as meticulously as possible. This will help Ubiquiti support or other Community members assist you in a much better and faster way. Please include the following items when you create your Community post or support request:

• Screenshots of both radios' Main, Wireless and Advanced tabs.
• Screenshots of both radios' airView scans (remember to collect at least 1000 frames) and configure the frequency range you are trying to use. Remember that airView scan will take your wireless link down for the period you are running the scan.
• Support files of both units: these can be generated under the System tab.
• Mention the PoE source (e.g. 24V PoE brick, 50V PoE brick, EdgePoint), as well as the cable and connectors being used.
• Is there any surge suppressor installed between the airFiber radio and the PoE source? Any Fiber-PoE?
• Tell us a little bit about the grounding installation on the site and how the airFiber device is grounded.
• What device is connected to each airFiber radio? A switch, a router, a computer? What model and firmware version?
• If possible please include installation pictures of both airFiber radios, those pictures should ideally show what the antennas "see", i.e. showing the Line of Sight.
• Any other important information about the installation, site and troubleshooting steps you have followed.