Guide · Point-to-point gear
Point-to-point bridge gear: 60GHz for speed, 5GHz for reach.
You have two buildings, or a house and a shed, or a camera at the far gate, and you want a solid wireless link between them. That link is a point-to-point bridge, and the gear splits into two camps, 60GHz and 5GHz. Pick the wrong one and you waste a day up the ladder. This page is the plain-English guide to choosing between them, and to when a built-in antenna is enough versus when you step up to a dish.
Last reviewed: 21 July 2026 · by Alien IT Solutions
What a point-to-point bridge is
A pair of radios, one at each end, aimed straight at each other. They behave like an invisible cable: one end plugs into your network, the other feeds the far site. No mobile, no provider in the middle, it is your own private link. If you want the concept in full before the gear, start with point-to-point links; this page is about which radios to actually buy.
60GHz: huge speed, short and fussy
60GHz gear can push well over a gigabit, enough to feel like fibre. The catch is that it needs a clean, dead-straight line of sight over a short hop, typically a few hundred metres.
A tree branch, a passing truck, even heavy rain will knock it about. Signal at 60GHz gets absorbed by oxygen and water in the air, so rain fade is real and sudden.
Use it for: shed to house across a clear yard, building to building on the same site, anywhere you want big throughput and can see one end from the other with nothing in the way. The classic case is a clean shed-to-house bridge.
5GHz: slower, further, more forgiving
5GHz gear will not match 60GHz for raw speed, but it reaches kilometres and shrugs off a bit of clutter: a few leaves, light rain, a slightly imperfect aim.
Use it for: longer hops, links where you cannot get a perfect clear path, or where reliability matters more than peak speed.
| 60GHz | 5GHz | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical distance | Up to a few hundred metres | Hundreds of metres to several km |
| Speed | Very high, gigabit-class | Moderate to high |
| Line of sight | Must be perfectly clear | Tolerates minor clutter |
| Rain and obstruction | Struggles | Copes |
Internal antenna vs an external dish
Integrated (built-in) antenna. The antenna sits inside the unit. Quick to mount, tidy, good for short to medium hops. Most 60GHz units and the all-in-one 5GHz units work this way.
External dish. A separate dish squeezes the signal into a tight beam for extra range and to punch through noise. More gain and more distance, but you have to aim it properly and it catches more wind.
Rule of thumb: start with the integrated unit, then step up to a dish only when the distance or the noise demands it.
Weatherproof PoE and mounting
Both types are powered down the same cable that carries the data (PoE), so you run one outdoor-rated Cat cable up the mast, with no separate power at the pole.
Use gel-filled or outdoor-rated Cat cable, a proper drip loop, and an ethernet surge arrestor where the cable enters the building.
Mount on something that does not sway. A wobbly pole kills a 60GHz link, because the beam is too narrow to tolerate movement.
How to choose, by distance and line of sight
1. Look at the path
Measure the distance, then stand at one end. Can you see the other end with nothing in the path? Honest line-of-sight is the whole decision, and how far a link can actually go depends on it more than on any spec sheet.
2. Short and clear, want speed
Under about 300m, perfectly clear, and you want maximum speed: 60GHz with an integrated antenna.
3. Longer, or some clutter
Longer hop, some clutter in the path, or you value reliability over top speed: 5GHz.
4. 5GHz still short or noisy
Not reaching, or too much noise on 5GHz: step up to external dishes at both ends for the extra gain.
5. Something solid in the path
Trees or a hill sitting in the way: neither band punches through solid obstruction. You need a relay or a different route, which is its own job. That is where masts and relays come in.
The short version
60GHz is fibre-like speed over a short, perfectly clear hop, and it hates rain and obstructions. 5GHz is slower but reaches kilometres and forgives a bit of clutter. Start with integrated antennas and move to a dish only when distance or noise forces it. Weatherproof PoE up one cable, surge arrestor at the wall, rock-solid mount.
General guidance only. Every site is different; confirm line of sight and local conditions before you buy.
Who works this out for you
Long Range WiFi is a service of Alien IT Solutions, 18 years of networks and wireless in places without a power point in sight. We size the band, the antenna and the mount to the site, not the other way around; for the wider picture, start with the long-range wireless guide.
Not sure which band your link needs?
Tell us the two points and what is between them. We will tell you whether it is a 60GHz job, a 5GHz job, or a dish job, and put the right gear up the right pole.
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