Mesh and ring designs give a network its resilience, but they are not the only tools. A single point-to-point link is often the simplest way to cross a valley or reach a remote site, and a small point-to-multipoint cell can serve a cluster of nearby cameras. The strongest networks use each where it fits, around a self-healing backbone.
Point-to-point: one dedicated link
A point-to-point link connects two sites with directional antennas pointed at each other. Because the link has its radio to itself, it gives the most predictable capacity and the longest reach. Links can be designed for up to 24 km, depending on the antennas, the throughput needed and the radio path. In the province of La Union in the Philippines, the longest link runs more than 17 km as part of a 230 km wireless backbone that delivers 300 Mbps end to end.
Chains of point-to-point links
To go further than one link, or around a hill, links are chained through relay sites. With conventional radios, each relay site needs two radios plus a switch and cables between them. A dual-radio Anywhere node uses one radio towards each neighbour in a single unit, and keeps throughput up across more than 30 hops. For a chain of five links, that is 6 nodes instead of 10 conventional radios.
Point-to-multipoint: one hub, several sites
A point-to-multipoint cell connects several nearby sites to one hub, usually through a sector antenna. It is quick to set up for a few cameras around one building or mast. The trade-off is that every site shares the hub’s radio and its capacity, every site needs a clear view of the hub, all sites share one channel, and the hub is a single point of failure.
Where mesh comes in
A mesh or ring gives every site more than one path back to the network, so a failed link becomes a change of route rather than an outage. Each link can use its own directional antennas and channel, and relay nodes can get around obstacles. That is why mesh and rings usually form the backbone, with point-to-point and point-to-multipoint links reaching out from it.
Choosing the right link
| Situation | Good fit |
|---|---|
| One remote site, a long distance away | Point-to-point link |
| A route around hills or across water | Chain of point-to-point links through relay sites |
| A few cameras close to one building or mast | Point-to-multipoint cell |
| Many sites where downtime matters | Mesh or ring backbone |
| A large area with remote outposts | Mesh backbone with point-to-point links to the edge |
In practice
Most Anywhere networks mix link types. Across islands and inland sites in Saudi Arabia, high-capacity backhaul delivers up to 600 Mbps per site over links of 5 to 20 km. At Busan Newport, a wireless ring with links of up to 3.2 km extends the port’s fibre network, and in Cabanatuan City ring, point-to-point and mesh links together connect 300 CCTV cameras and other city systems.
Compared with fibre
Even a single link can pay for itself quickly. Because fibre is paid for by the metre of trenching, a wireless link can cost less than fibre for any distance over about 100 m, and less still where city works need permits, road closures and traffic diversions.
Questions to plan a link
- How far apart are the two ends, and what lies between them?
- How much throughput must the link carry, now and later?
- Can each end see the other, or is a relay site needed?
- What happens to the sites behind this link if it fails?
- Which antennas can be mounted at each end?