Hello,

I'm looking for some advice in selecting the hardware to create a wireless ptp link. For an autonomous vehicle project, we need to create an ethernet bridge between a moving vehicle and a fixed base station. It seems like 2.4 GHz will give us the best balance between range, obstacle penetration, and bandwidth. To get the max range possible, is the Metal 52 AC the best choice? I see it has higher power consumption compared to the Groove 52 line, so all else held equal, would this result in more power going to the antenna and a larger range?

Within the vehicle, size and weight are a major concern. Compared to the Metal 52 AC and RB260GSP separately, is there a smaller and lighter product from the RouterBOARD line that would have similar performance? They seem to be bare pcbs, which would work quite well from a mechanical perspective. Alternatively, would I be an idiot if I tried to decase any of the above products?

Thanks!

If you compare the product pages:
https://mikrotik.com/product/RBGrooveGA-52HPacn
and
https://mikrotik.com/product/RBMetalG-52SHPacn

at the Wireless specifications, you can see how, if you take MCS7 @2.4 GHz (pay attention, for *some reasons* the Groove lists 2.4 GHz first, whilst Metal lists 5 GHz first):
Groove
MCS7 20 -72

Metal
MCS7 27 -72

the metal has 7 dBm more in trasmission, with the same sensitivity, 7 dBm are a lot.

About decasing either of them, it doesn't seem to me a good idea, for different reasons, the Groove (plastic) shell must be a few grams, so you won't save anything, whilst the Metal one (metal ) is useful also for heat and shielding, and in both cases you void the warranty.