Multi strand fiber and super cheap media converters would really simplify the tower top. Put the smarts at the base of the tower.
From: Adam Moffett Sent: Friday, March 31, 2017 8:35 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Gigabit ethernet converters? An industrial switch on the tower doesn't trouble me either. The objection might be that it's a point of failure for every other device on the tower. The sync/media converter thing could be also. ------ Original Message ------ From: "Paul McCall" <[email protected]> To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Sent: 3/31/2017 10:27:05 AM Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Gigabit ethernet converters? How do not have a switch up if you have any form of a SyncInjector there? “the non-POE side of the injector” needs to go somewhere, unless you are saying that every POE port has a corresponding fiber port that would mate with a fiber strand coming down the tower and have a router with a bunch of SFPs to match. The S16 is a good model, just add Sync. Extremely simple. No fiber terminations at the top. (we use MST’s which are a cheap reliable way to not have to do the tower top terminations) The next models of 16 will have additional SFP ports. I assume when UBNT APs have SFPs is when the additional SFPs would appear on the S16 type device. VLANing using a single fiber coming down the tower is a simple task. Paul From: Af [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Forrest Christian (List Account) Sent: Friday, March 31, 2017 10:08 AM To: af <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Gigabit ethernet converters? What I keep hearing from customers is that they want to run a multistrand cable up the tower and have an all in one box at the top which they terminate the cable into, hook up power to it, and then run short jumpers to their radios. I've heard this from enough different customers that it seems like a common desire. They all seem to want the box to do media conversion and power injection and sync, with remote control and not much more. When quizzed about just doing a switch and an injector up top, they all expressed how this was unacceptable. At this point I'm looking at feasability. I'm not sure if this will ever see the light of day, a lot depends on the amount of R&D required. On Mar 31, 2017 7:07 AM, "Paul McCall" <[email protected]> wrote: Forrest, For what it is worth, when we went Fiber (MST) up the tower, we run UBNT S16s up there which is simple and working well, and GPS pucks on the ePMP, or Syncbox 12 (or Junior) for devices that need sync. We have a handful of 450s, 25 320s, and a dozen or so 900s where we use the SyncBox. Been very pleased so far with the reliability of the S16 POE. We VLAN APs in one group and BH’s each on their own VLAN, and bring it down the fiber. If we have other devices with fiber, we bring them down on their own fiber (off the same MST). Of course there is core router with fiber inputs only being used (with the exception of the sitemonitor which I may have to buy a media converter for just to isolate the electrical connection into the router. So, as far as anything up top, I would think it would have to be some form of switch, or it would be quite kludgy. Paul From: Af [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Forrest Christian (List Account) Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2017 8:26 PM To: af <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Gigabit ethernet converters? I've torn a couple apart that use a fairly easy to use chipset. But only available in commercial temperature range. Some of the battle here is figuring out the vendors who do this type of stuff. I want to avoid switches since I want this as transparent as possible, but I might end up having to go there. I have another secret weapon in my arsenal but I'm hoping I don't have to go there since that's more software and software takes time. On Mar 30, 2017 2:21 PM, "Chuck McCown" <[email protected]> wrote: I looked at doing media converters last year. Not trivial. From: Forrest Christian (List Account) Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2017 2:07 PM To: af Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Gigabit ethernet converters? Yeah, maybe I should be clearer what I'm looking at. I'm looking at various options to build a tower-top box to simplify the fiber up the tower with syncronized radios at the top.. Think a multiport ubiquiti fiberpoe with sync over power and a gps receiver built in, along with tower-top management. I don't want to include a switch up top - most people want as little as possible up there, and I'd rather keep the whole thing as simple as possible - I'd rather just use a copper-to-sfp chipset, but I haven't found any which I feel comfortable integrating. So I need to tear some more of the units apart to figure out what chipsets are available. -forrest On Thu, Mar 30, 2017 at 8:12 AM, Adam Moffett <[email protected]> wrote: RB260. Haven't had one fail due to cold yet that I know of. That's a switch, so maybe it's more complicated than you're going for. ------ Original Message ------ From: "Forrest Christian (List Account)" <[email protected]> To: "af" <[email protected]> Sent: 3/30/2017 1:45:52 AM Subject: [AFMUG] Gigabit ethernet converters? I want to buy another selection of gigabit copper to sfp converters for reverse engineering purposes. Ideally some which are known to work well and especially any which don't fail in non climate controlled environments. What is everyone using? -- Forrest Christian CEO, PacketFlux Technologies, Inc. Tel: 406-449-3345 | Address: 3577 Countryside Road, Helena, MT 59602 [email protected] | http://www.packetflux.com
