ePMP 4000 or 4k Update

Hey all,

Is there any update on ePMP 4k hardware like AP’s and SM’s coming in 2021?

Can you share any technical details like performance improvements, etc?

Any ballpark estimate of when first gear may be available?

Thank you

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@Sakid_Ahmed

Might you give us a sneak peek with some more info on this platform? :wink:

Thank you

You should go to WISPA and you could have talked to the Cambium team.

From what I understand there will be 2 version of the 4K lower Sub6Ghz band and higher band 6Ghz and channel bounding.

I was there. I neglected to ask so I’m here on their official forums now asking the question. You shouldn’t have to go to trade shows to get the same answer I can get virtually.

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THREAD BUMP!

any more news?

For the record: going to WISPA was not a reality for some (maybe most) of us. Between travel restrictions and the human malware issues going wasn’t an option so share what you know please!

Bump again?

20charactersbs!

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I’d also like to know if there will be any implementation of 2.4Ghz - since WiFi-6 has 2.4Ghz enhancements. We are in a farm/forest terrain, so we are often dealing with some trees, and the ePMP 2.4Ghz gear does a good job of that last mile, of that last client for whom other options are difficult.

Anyway - (I think) I already I know the answer to this, but hopefully there is some light in this tunnel. I am resisting the only other option - using Ubiquiti - but at least that exists, such that it is.

SO - since WiFi-6 / AX chipsets exist in both bands, the reason given for the lack of support in the AC generation is no longer valid… there technically now would even be the possibility to have a multiband devices. Even a MultiBand AP, with a plethora of connectors on it in both bands. :pray:

ANYWAY - any update or progress report, OR A REQUEST FOR INPUT FROM US, YOUR CUSTOMERS, would be good.

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I second a request for a 2ghz revisit

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Definitely agree on the 2.4.

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I would def like to see e4k 2.4GHz as an option… even if it’s not backwards compatible with e1k.

With UBNT abandoning 2.4GHz (along with 900MHz), this might leave Cambium as the only manufacturer of 2.4GHz fixed wireless gear moving forward.

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YES - where we are, we often run into clients (maybe 30% of the time) where achieving a clear LOS just isn’t possible. And I know that everyone thinks that 2.4 is trash, but it’s still functional in the rural area… certainly if there is no LOS possible. Many farmers have a windrow of 80’ spruce trees around their yardsites, and no super-easy way to get around/over/thru them… except for 2.4 Ghz gear.

And if we can deliver them 20 or 30 Megabit on a ‘best effort’ basis in a 10Mhz channel - that’s wonderful for lots of rural folks. So yeah – I’m really hoping there is a path forward for us to stay with Cambium, and for Cambium to be the supplier of 2.4Ghz WISP AX gear. :pray:

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ePMP3000 software problems have been resolved for a couple of years and only now is a (hopefully) stable version starting to appear. I wouldn’t want to jump on the ePMP4000 for extra Mbps. Reputation, customers and stability are more important.

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I assume that if they sold enough 2.4Ghz they would make more 2.4Ghz. Then again I find a lot of their decisions are void of logic or show great lack of experience so maybe they are selling them like crazy.

I doubt that though because we have a few 2.4Ghz APs / Clients still so I order some 2.4 radios from time to time. Just got a few 2.4 connectorized in a few weeks ago and they still had the Crayon firmware version ( v2 ? ) making me think they are literally still trying to sell 2.4Ghz stuff they manufactured many years ago.

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I wouldn’t doubt it. It would seem to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Cambium: “We don’t think there is a 2.4Ghz use case, so let’s not update the product, let’s price it crazy, and lets not offer the same flexibility and selection as our other products, and see how that goes” followed by “OH, yeah, see - we told you… no one wants 2.4Ghz anymore… we knew it all along”

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We dont use a lot of 2.4 equipment simply due to the problems of keeping interference from wifi down. However we do use it for private links on customer private networks and with the increase use of 5ghz for home wifi, the playing field has been levled and we are starting to deploy 2 4 equipment in places where the trees make 5ghz not an option but there is not a business case for 450i-900.

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We have a lot of bush on farms and acreages - and tons of our deployments have tree issues. We have had decent results with ePMP1000 in 2.4Ghz, and we use 2.4Ghz to reach rural clients whom we can’t reach with 5Ghz. We often deliver 25 or 50Mbit or more, which is perfectly serviceable to someone who has no other easy options. And it staves off the StarLink solution too – if we can deliver 40 Mbit to a family for a decent price (which we can in 2.4Ghz) then they are usually quite contented and don’t look at StarLink as the only option. IT’S MUCH BETTER TO KEEP CLIENTS AS WIRELESS CUSTOMER, RATHER THAN TRYING TO WIN HIM BACK FROM STARLINK AFTER HE’S SPENT $1,000 GETTING HIS STARLINK SETUP. Once people have made that jump, they are likely never coming back, even if only because of their investment.

So, I would like to encourage anyone interested in 2.4Ghz to let Cambium know - comment on any/all 2.4ghz threads. Cambium says they decide products based partly on our interest, so we need to let them know that ePMP AX 2.4ghz is needed.

Previously - they said there was no 3000 AC series in 2.4Ghz because there wasn’t a chipset available (which is fair) but now, the 802.11ax chipset DOES have a 2.4Ghz chipset available. Cambium even makes dual-band products such as the XV2-2 and the XV3-8 which are AX chipset 5ghz / 2.4Ghz, and with features such as 4x4 in 2.4Ghz and 8x8 in 5ghz. It would be spectacular to see 2.4ghz products find their way into the 4000 series. Even a dual band AP would be a monster product. Of course, if the 2.4Ghz AP are separate products from the 5Ghz that’s OK too… just please please give us some AX in 2.4Ghz>

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One dual band radio with a dual band sector would give many options and make the investment on our part worth it.
Maybe @CambiumMatt can take this forward to the group that makes the decisions?

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Will the 4000 bolt up to the existing 3000 Cambium Epmp sector antenna? Performance wise what good is something that can use 80mhz wide or 160mhz wide channels if the spectrum is not available. I would like to know exactly what we could expect throughput wise on a 20 -40mhz wide channel compared to the epmp 3000 on the same 20-40mhz wide channel.

This is like building 500mph car but you can only go 50 miles an hour becuase of the roads. Is there anywhere besides in the middle of no mans land that can actually find anything in 80mhz or 160mhz wide channels available? Also will the 300-25 work with the 4000 in the upper 6ghz band with a software upgrade or will we have to swap out to epmp 400 on all customers too to gain this extra spectrum in upper 6ghz? I’m not falling for another bananna in the tailpipe again like switching from 2000-3000 and all users to 300-25 etc.

Thanks

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Thought it time to bump this thread, now that Mimosa announced their A6 AX APs a month ago which are currently in beta. So it appears that they may well be first to market in early '22 ahead of anything like a 4000. That may not necessarily be a good thing of course if the reality does not align with the quoted specs, but on paper they certainly seem to tick a few boxes.
Anyone here managed to get hold of one to play with?
It would be interesting to see if they also update their PTP line to AX as I expect they would go with a GPS-enabled unit and possibly dual-radio against the 400c/425. The C6x client can be used as PTP (425 equivalent) but with a licence key apparently.
Appreciate your thoughts please!