A school had three buildings: an admin block with the internet line, a classroom block 60 metres away, and a hostel another 80 metres further. They had been quoted 4 million CFA to dig trenches and run fibre between them. We did it for a fraction of that, in an afternoon, using two pairs of point-to-point radios. This is the most underused connectivity option in our region.
How point-to-point links work
A point-to-point (PTP) wireless link is a pair of small directional radios mounted on each building, aligned at each other, that act like a virtual cable through the air. They run on licence-free 5 GHz spectrum and routinely deliver gigabit speeds at distances of up to a kilometre.
Unlike normal Wi-Fi, they are not broadcasting in all directions and competing with neighbouring networks. They are talking only to their pair, with directional antennas that ignore everything else. That is why they are stable in conditions where normal Wi-Fi falls over.
When PTP is the right call
We default to PTP whenever any of these conditions are true:
- ▪Buildings are 40 metres or more apart with line of sight.
- ▪Trenching is expensive, disruptive or politically complicated (rented compounds, listed buildings, tarmac you cannot cut).
- ▪You need the link in days rather than months.
- ▪The total spend on trenching plus fibre exceeds about a quarter of the project budget.
When it is not
PTP needs line of sight. A tree directly between two buildings can stop a link cold. Fresh foliage in the rainy season has surprised us before. Heavy concrete and metal between you and the other end is also a problem — these radios go through air, not walls.
For very short distances inside a single building, ordinary structured cabling is cheaper and simpler. PTP starts paying back at 30 metres or more.
What it actually costs
A pair of mid-range PTP radios is well under 500,000 CFA. Mounts, cables and PoE injectors add modest amounts. Installation takes half a day for a competent team if you have already decided on the mounting points. Compare that to trenching, conduit, fibre and termination — and the savings are usually an order of magnitude.
A quick test you can do today
Stand on the roof of one building. Look at the roof of the other. Can you see it without anything in the way? If yes, you almost certainly have a viable PTP path. If you cannot get clear sight from the roofs but you can from a higher point — a chimney, a water tower — that is where the radios go.
If you are trying to connect multiple buildings, talk to us before you sign a trenching quote. There is a good chance there is a faster, cheaper way.
