The Mission: Connecting the Battlefield

Stuttgart, Germany. Two critical military installations separated by urban terrain, multiple government agencies depending on rock-solid connectivity, and a Joint Battle Network that couldn't afford a single point of failure. Welcome to one of the most challenging—and rewarding—network engineering deployments of my military career.

The mission was clear: establish redundant high-speed data links between Kelley Barracks and Patch Barracks to support multiple customers on the Joint Battle Network. Our primary links were solid, but in military operations, redundancy isn't optional—it's survival. That's where Ubiquiti's AirFiber technology came into play, delivering performance that would make traditional telecom providers jealous.

"In military networks, there's no such thing as 'good enough.' Every link, every route, every failover mechanism can mean the difference between mission success and operational failure."

The Technical Challenge

The network topology was designed with military-grade redundancy in mind:

• Primary Sites: Kelley Barracks and Patch Barracks, Stuttgart
• Core Equipment: Cisco 100ARA and 200ARA routers
• Wireless Bridge: Ubiquiti AirFiber AF-5XHD units
• Protocol: MPLS over Layer 2 transparent bridging
• Bandwidth: Full-duplex Gigabit Ethernet capability
• Latency Requirement: Sub-5ms for real-time military applications
• Availability: 99.9% uptime SLA for backup links

The beauty of this setup was that our Core Routers 100ARA and 200ARA would see each other as directly connected neighbors. Layer 2 transparency meant CDP (Cisco Discovery Protocol) worked seamlessly across the wireless bridge—making the 15-kilometer air gap invisible to the network stack.

Deployment Day: German Efficiency Meets Avian Interference

Deploying military-grade wireless links in Germany requires precision that would make a Swiss watchmaker proud. The AirFiber units needed perfect line-of-sight across Stuttgart's urban landscape, and even a 0.1-degree misalignment could spell disaster for our Gigabit throughput.

The Setup Process

Installing the AF-5XHD units was like conducting a high-tech orchestra across two military installations:

# Initial link establishment
AF5XHD-KelleyBarracks(config)# wireless frequency 5825
AF5XHD-KelleyBarracks(config)# wireless channel-width 100
AF5XHD-KelleyBarracks(config)# wireless output-power 26
AF5XHD-KelleyBarracks(config)# bridge enable

The moment both units locked signal, something magical happened. Signal strength: -58dBm. Throughput: 950+ Mbps. Latency: 2.1ms. These numbers weren't just statistics—they represented the difference between seamless military operations and frustrated users waiting for critical data.

The Bird Situation

If you've ever deployed outdoor wireless equipment, you know the struggle. German birds, it turns out, have excellent taste in real estate. Our AirFiber units, mounted 30 meters above ground with perfect wind protection and weatherproofing, became prime nesting territory.

The first indication wasn't from our monitoring systems—it was from a facilities maintenance call: "Sir, there's a family of starlings living in your antenna on Building 2947."

Suddenly, our rock-solid -58dBm signal started fluctuating between -62dBm and -71dBm. Throughput dropped to 600Mbps, and worst of all, latency spiked to 8ms during peak "bird activity hours" (apparently, 0600-0800 and 1800-2000).

"Note to future self: When conducting site surveys, add 'bird deterrent solutions' to the equipment BOM. German starlings don't respect military frequency allocations."

MPLS Magic: Making It Seamless

The real beauty of this deployment wasn't just the wireless technology—it was how MPLS made everything work together seamlessly. Our network architecture looked like this:

Router 100ARA (Kelley) ←→ AF-5XHD ←→ AF-5XHD ←→ Router 200ARA (Patch)
         ↓                                                    ↓
    MPLS Provider Edge                            MPLS Provider Edge
         ↓                                                    ↓
     VRF: JBN-VOICE                                   VRF: JBN-VOICE
     VRF: JBN-DATA                                    VRF: JBN-DATA  
     VRF: JBN-VIDEO                                   VRF: JBN-VIDEO

The AirFiber link carried multiple MPLS VPNs, each serving different customers on the Joint Battle Network:

• JBN-VOICE: VoIP traffic for command communications
• JBN-DATA: Mission-critical data applications
• JBN-VIDEO: Secure video conferencing and surveillance feeds

The CDP Revelation

One of the most impressive aspects was watching CDP work across the wireless bridge. Our Cisco routers could see each other directly:

100ARA# show cdp neighbors detail
-------------------------
Device ID: 200ARA
Entry address(es): 
  IP address: 192.168.100.2
Platform: cisco ISR4431,  Capabilities: Router Switch IGMP
Interface: GigabitEthernet0/0/1,  Port ID (outgoing port): GigabitEthernet0/0/1
Holdtime : 164 sec

Version : Cisco IOS Software [Gibraltar], ISR4400 Series Software
Advertisement version: 2
VTP Management Domain: ''
Native VLAN: 1
Duplex: full

This wasn't just technical elegance—it was operational simplicity. Troubleshooting became straightforward because the wireless hop was completely transparent to Layer 3 operations.

Performance That Impressed

The AirFiber links consistently delivered performance that exceeded expectations:

Throughput Metrics

• Download: 947 Mbps sustained (birds permitting)
• Upload: 943 Mbps sustained
• Full-Duplex: 1.89 Gbps aggregate throughput

Latency Performance

• Best Case: 1.8ms (perfect conditions)
• Average: 2.3ms (normal operations)
• Worst Case: 4.1ms (during atmospheric ducting events)

For perspective, our primary terrestrial circuits typically showed 3-6ms latency for the same distance. The AirFiber links were often faster than the "primary" connections.

Redundancy Engineering

In military networks, redundancy planning goes beyond simple backup links. Our AirFiber deployment was engineered with multiple failover scenarios:

Primary Link Failure

If the main terrestrial circuits failed, MPLS would automatically reroute traffic through the AirFiber links with sub-10-second convergence time. The users would barely notice the transition.

Bandwidth Overflow

During peak usage periods, when primary links hit 80% utilization, traffic would begin load-balancing across the AirFiber backup. This prevented any single circuit from becoming a bottleneck during critical operations.

Site Isolation Scenarios

In extreme cases where primary connectivity was completely severed, the AirFiber links could carry the full operational load. Not ideal for extended periods, but sufficient to maintain critical communications during emergency situations.

The Monitoring Solution

Military networks demand comprehensive monitoring. We implemented multi-layer visibility:

# SNMP monitoring for signal strength
! Monitor received signal strength indicator (RSSI)
snmp-server enable traps wireless
snmp-server host 192.168.1.100 version 2c military_ops
!
! Threshold alerting for performance degradation
track 100 interface GigabitEthernet0/0/1 line-protocol
!
! EEM script for automatic failover testing
event manager applet AIRFIBER_HEALTH
 event timer cron cron-entry "0 2 * * *"  
 action 1.0 cli command "ping 192.168.100.2 repeat 100"
 action 2.0 syslog msg "Daily AirFiber health check completed"

Our monitoring dashboard showed real-time metrics across all VRFs:

• Link utilization by MPLS VPN
• Signal strength trending
• Latency measurements per traffic class
• Failover event logging
• Environmental conditions (temperature, humidity)

Lessons from the Field

After two years of operation, several key insights emerged:

1. Wildlife Management is Network Engineering

We installed bird deterrent systems after the third "signal degradation due to nesting activity" incident. Lesson learned: Always budget for environmental protection beyond weather.

2. Layer 2 Transparency is Powerful

The ability to run CDP, spanning tree, and other Layer 2 protocols across wireless links simplified troubleshooting enormously. Network diagrams showed the true topology, not abstracted connections.

3. Military-Grade Performance from Commercial Equipment

The AF-5XHD units delivered performance that rivaled dedicated military communications equipment at a fraction of the cost. Sometimes the best military solution isn't built by defense contractors.

4. Redundancy Testing is Critical

We performed monthly failover tests during maintenance windows. These tests revealed timing issues, configuration gaps, and monitoring blind spots that would have been discovered during actual emergencies.

Mission Accomplished

After 18 months of operation, our AirFiber MPLS deployment achieved:

• ✅ 99.94% uptime across both links (exceeding SLA requirements)
• ✅ Zero unplanned outages affecting mission-critical traffic
• ✅ 47 successful failovers during primary link maintenance
• ✅ Average 2.1ms latency maintained throughout deployment
• ✅ 1.89 Gbps aggregate throughput during peak testing
• ✅ Multiple customer VRFs successfully carried simultaneously

The Joint Battle Network stakeholders were impressed enough to request similar deployments at three additional military installations across Germany.

Technical Configuration Highlights

For network engineers considering similar deployments, here are the key configuration elements:

AirFiber Optimization

# Optimal settings for military environments
wireless frequency auto     # Let the unit select best frequency
wireless channel-width 100  # Maximum bandwidth for 5GHz
wireless output-power 26    # Maximum legal power output
wireless distance 15000     # 15km link distance
bridge enable              # Layer 2 transparent mode
bridge learning enable     # MAC address learning
bridge aging-time 300     # MAC table aging

MPLS PE Configuration

! VRF definition for Joint Battle Network services
vrf definition JBN-VOICE
 rd 65001:100
 route-target export 65001:100
 route-target import 65001:100
 address-family ipv4
!
vrf definition JBN-DATA  
 rd 65001:200
 route-target export 65001:200
 route-target import 65001:200
 address-family ipv4
!
interface GigabitEthernet0/0/1
 description *** AirFiber Link to Remote Site ***
 no ip address
 speed 1000
 duplex full
 no negotiation auto

The Strategic Impact

This deployment wasn't just about technology—it was about mission enablement. The AirFiber links provided:

• Operational Independence: Reduced dependence on commercial telecom providers
• Cost Efficiency: Backup bandwidth at a fraction of traditional circuit costs
• Performance Excellence: Often faster than "primary" connections
• Tactical Flexibility: Rapid deployment capability for future requirements

"The best military networks are the ones that work so seamlessly, operators forget they exist. Our AirFiber MPLS deployment achieved that level of operational transparency."

Epilogue: Beyond the Barracks

Six months after initial deployment, we received a request that validated our approach: "Can you deploy this same solution for our forward operating base requirements?"

The AirFiber technology that connected two German military installations became the foundation for rapid-deployment communications packages. What started as a backup link solution evolved into a primary capability for expeditionary operations.

And yes—we now include comprehensive bird deterrent systems in every outdoor wireless deployment. The German starlings taught us that in network engineering, you must plan for every possible point of failure, no matter how unlikely it seems.