When you need to connect two buildings, a warehouse to your main office, or a security camera system across a parking lot, running fiber optic cable isn’t always practical or affordable. That’s where point-to-point wireless bridges come in. These systems create a dedicated wireless link between two locations, delivering near-fiber speeds without the trenching, permitting, and construction costs.
At iTech Plus, we’ve deployed point-to-point wireless links for businesses across Central Florida, connecting offices, warehouses, retail locations, and outdoor camera systems in Davenport, Kissimmee, Haines City, and the greater Orlando area.
How Point-to-Point Wireless Works
A point-to-point (PtP) wireless bridge uses two directional antennas aimed at each other to create a dedicated link. Unlike standard Wi-Fi, which broadcasts in all directions, PtP antennas focus their signal in a narrow beam, which means higher throughput, longer range, and less interference from surrounding networks.
Modern PtP systems from manufacturers like Ubiquiti (airMAX and airFiber lines) and Cambium Networks can deliver speeds from 100 Mbps to over 1 Gbps at distances up to several miles, depending on the equipment and line of sight. For most business applications within a mile, we can achieve reliable gigabit throughput at a fraction of the cost of buried fiber.
Common Business Uses in Central Florida
The most common use case we see is connecting a main office to a nearby building. A construction company in Davenport needed their main office connected to a materials warehouse 800 feet away. Running fiber would have cost $15,000+ with trenching and permitting. A Ubiquiti airMAX bridge delivered 300+ Mbps for under $1,500 installed.
Other applications include extending internet service to a second building that only has slow DSL options, connecting outdoor security cameras back to the main network without running cables across parking lots, linking temporary job sites or event locations to your main office, and providing backup internet connectivity by bridging to a building with a different ISP.
What You Need for a Reliable Link
The most critical requirement for point-to-point wireless is line of sight between the two antennas. Trees, buildings, and terrain features that obstruct the signal path will degrade performance or prevent the link from working entirely. In Florida, this often means mounting antennas on rooftops or poles to clear vegetation and single-story buildings.
You’ll also need power and network connectivity at both endpoints, proper grounding and lightning protection (especially critical in Florida’s thunderstorm season), and weatherproof enclosures for the equipment. We handle all of these details as part of our installation, including the radio frequency survey to determine the best mounting locations and equipment selection.
Cost Comparison: Wireless Bridge vs. Fiber
For distances under a mile with clear line of sight, a point-to-point wireless bridge typically costs 70-85% less than buried fiber. Here’s a general comparison for connecting two buildings 500 feet apart: a fiber run costs $8,000-$20,000 depending on terrain and permitting, takes 4-8 weeks to complete, but delivers the highest long-term reliability. A wireless bridge costs $1,000-$3,000 installed, can be operational in 1-2 days, and delivers 300 Mbps to 1+ Gbps depending on the equipment selected.
The trade-off is that wireless links can be affected by extreme weather and may require occasional realignment. However, with proper installation and equipment selection, we routinely see PtP links maintain 99.9%+ uptime year-round, even through Florida’s hurricane season.
