I did read some about the new embedded antenna RBSXT-5D.
We have also some here, tested in LAB with GREAT success, we like them all over!
It is small, neat and easy to setup, and FAST exactly like we want them!
But we have concerns about the encapsulation of the device!
We are situated in Sweden, we have rain, snow, hail and sun, also it blows hard 25m/s storms with snow/rain and hails in, several times per year. Weather does not all the times comes from above, here it comes as often sideways.
All outdoor gears here have to be IP65 at least to survive more than one suny summer!
I am in doubt that the new design will last very long in our environment.
There is several holes in the container, one for the cable and several others, also the small “door” that you open when connecting the TP cable is not weather tight.
Is the circuit board covered with water insulating spray so it can survive humidity building up, and water drips that can find its way inside the box ?
I can see bare metal in box, the USB connector, will it rust maby ?
As it is now, we have to use silicone to make it IP65.
We are about to exchange 25 RIC522C with them, but has stopped the plans due to our concerns about weather resistant encapsulation.
Yeah, but if you see MT waranty info:
“MikroTikls SIA warrants all RouterBOARD series equipment for the term of one year from the shipping date to be
free of defects in materials and workmanship under normal use and service, except in case of damage caused by
mechanical, electrical or other accidental or intended damages caused by improper use or due to wind, rain, fire or other
acts of nature.”
So its not so easy to decide.
I got this thing in my hand in a cup of days, and my first idea was that its small. The second, that its not waterproof at all.
I hope the next generation will be.
Does any paper/document state outdoor use of these devices?
If MT/RB is not answering directly to that concern then go and ask your MT dealer. My MT dealer even does not offer those devices, and I can not ask about the nature of it.
While the SXT is not IP65, it should be serviceable in outdoor weather environments. As with all outdoor radio equipment, only time will tell.
I don’t believe that Sweden has unique weather. We have similar weather patterns in our part of the USA. We have been operating Motorola Canopy radios without problems for at least 5 years and they have a similar design.
The thinking in this type of case design is to resist the ingress of water but then allow any to drain out the bottom holes. The board stays dry and the water drains out.
Over the past 11 years, I have seen too many hermetically sealed radios end up with water damage because there was no drain hole.
You really don’t need IP65 unless you are operating underwater and microwaves don’t travel too well in that environment.
We will give it a try, the device is not expensive, so we plan to have two at every customer anyway for redundancy.
Will also mount them with a small cap protecting them little, like LNB’s in parabolic antennas.
The RIC522C has never failed us ever, neither the RITTAL boxes for basestations and some AL made MT box for basestations, were very successful.
Yes, I have open IP65 boxes door’s 30 meters up in outside ladder mast’s and recieved 10 liters icy water all over me and instruments a couple of times.
We have however bad experience of various antenna amplifier and split boxes with similar design as the SXT 5D, open in botton where cables goes in, and some flip up door for accessing the devices without any rubber sealings or similar.
You will find this line in any warranty guide for any kind of product. Of course you can use SXT outdoors, it’s the intended way to use it. The quoted line only applies for improper use, like if you try to put it under water, or if a hurricane tears it apart. Of course if the SXT is mounted according to the manual, and if rain still gets inside and manages to damage the board - RMA will cover the repairs!
So far we did never have to return any MT device on warrancy, they have survived yearly summer thunderstorms, “gudrun” and “pär” (hughe storms in Sweden).
Ok, I will not try it under water
We did now mount the first batch at clients, lets see how it work, so far, all MT products has been just great for our business!
I don’t understand what you mean. Rain doesn’t get inside the box. The holes are for breathing, so condensate doesn’t form in some specific climate conditions. We actually don’t get many RMA requests due to water damage. Are you sure you are mounting them correctly?
We have a point to point link here on the office roof, it’s around 5KM. It consists of two SXTs, it’s been there over a year. It withstood many storms, months of rain, and -25C freezing winter. Latvian weather is very very harsh, and the SXT still works fine.
I don´t speak for any particular fact, I mean that we have experience of thousands CPE and infrastructure equipment installed,
(some Mk boards installed many years ago), and we know what are the things that affect the boards, and take care to make
the enclosure waterproof as good as possible, and a SIDE door for the utp connection is not the better to make it possible.
When any enclosure is correctly installed, and in good waterproof conditions, when you open it, about several months later,
all metallic parts, keep it original shine, and if the water pass through inside box, all inside the box it´s opaque.
If you don´t have problem with 2 equipments on a particular circumstance, is not a rule,
to say that it´s no problem with the waterproof design.
Look at the pictures, to see, if the light comes out from inside the box, the water comes in.
(this is the SIDE hole for UTP that comes sealed, but not waterproof)
In the original version it comes without the central bottom 4mm hole, and the rest of holes are sufficient for breathing,
it have more holes than a strainer. If you need to add an additional hole, it´s for draining purpose.
As you say on your post on “Routerboard SXT 5HnD” in the last Jan 26.
“We have found that our initial pre-production test run batch of the new SXT device can accumulate humidity
in extreme weather conditions, if mounted in certain angles. This does not affect all devices,
but to help solve this issue, we have instructed our distributors to make an additional ventilation hole at the bottom of the case.
If you think that you SXT device could be affected, please contact the seller for further information.”
“Humidity” means water, “certain angles” means vertically (the only way that original bracket allow) lightly tilt downside.
“Additional ventilation hole at the bottom”, means additional draining hole for aggregate water if you lightly tilt downside.
Most people here are expertised technician, not chefs.
It´s only our suggestion to make it better. And reading here, too many people think as us.
Here in Northern Norway we recently had a storm with heavy rain and snow. Ive considered using tape to patch the lid on the side, but I dont think is was necessary after looking inside the SXT…
“For normal outdoor environment usage”. What does that mean? There are many circumstances considered normal ‘outdoor environment’ where the SXT (and the grooves!) don’t stand a change in resisting the climate.
Any unit having vent holes is vulnerable for water ingress. You don’t need a lot of wind and rain for that, just some rain and the wind under the right angle. Some draft in the box might be created where even the lowest drain hole might become a sucking-in hole due the venturi effect. This means the only resisting unit is a 100% sealed one.
I am from a nautical background and the only electronic units that survive the climate at sea/a ship are 200% sealed devices. So two layers of water barriers because one of the two might fail.
The SXT probably will see corrosion of its metal parts in coastal areas where the wind of the sea carries salt particles that will set on the metal parts and because salt is also hygroscopic it will automatically start to attract water. Its just a matter of time these units will start to fail… first sign of it will be the Ethernet port starting to play up!
To prevent condensation in completely sealed units these should be fit together in a dry and cold environment. The dryer, the better, the colder the better. (Cold air contains less water and the change the temperature drops even further to have even the last water molecules condensate becomes smaller. Absolute no water containing air is almost impossible. As it is to create the absolute vacuum, which than also will have no more water molecules.)
Good idea is to add a little bag of silica-gel that often is supplied with electronic equipments in their shipping package.
Actually providers of sealed boxes should supply such, it cost 1 cents per box…
Intrepid, why do you think it´s not necessary looking inside ? for the several holes that have on it ? If it´s the case, it´s better to avoid that water never go inside the box, and with a lid on the side, it´s to much probabilities.
Sorry, I don´t misread, He said “Ive considered using tape to patch the lid on the side, but I dont think is was necessary after looking inside the SXT…” he not say that it check it in his self device, he say it coincidentally after I put a big pic of inside of a SXT.
Then I ask why he think it now…
And, in your way, generally I don´t go up to my towers, after any heavy rain, to disassemble the six lock of a SXT Cap with a screwdriver, in this “highly” comfortable place, to see if the water go inside, further on a GOOD WORKING DEVICE… maybe “Intrepid” yes, but I not think it in a first place…
Additionally, why he should think to use a TAPE IN A NEW CPE OUTDOOR DEVICE ?
I would be concerned if my clients think it about a new hardware that I selled.
And most important, I´m waiting a reply concern to my pic demostration of not waterproof condition, and why was necessary to add a new “VENTILATION HOLE” if the case has 7 in total , and 4 of it only 2cm away of it.
I don´t know which parameter do you use to test the happyness on the people, and, in this forum never read too many consults about waterproof feature of a new product, it would see as concern not happyness.
But only looking at my picture, it does not let me quiet to install it at my clients, if I want to try my lucky go to the casino, not to install 100 cpe for month to try.
I don´t have a problem at the moment, but my questions about too many holes still waiting…
