If you're in the market for a 5GHz PtMP platform from Ubiquiti, the company has three different offerings, ranging from the legacy airMAX M to the newer and more compatible airMAX AC and also the UISP LTU platform. These three platforms are quite different, so let's compare them.

airMAX M

The airMAX M platform is the oldest of the three. It was released in 2010 and has been around for over a decade. It's a very mature platform with a lot of real world deployments. It's also the most affordable of the three platforms.

The airMAX M platform uses Ubiquiti's proprietary TDMA protocol, which is a time division multiple access protocol. This means that the access point and the client devices take turns transmitting data, which reduces interference and improves performance.

airMAX AC

The airMAX AC platform is the successor to the airMAX M platform. It was released in 2014 and is a significant improvement over the airMAX M platform. It uses 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) technology, which provides much faster speeds and better performance than the airMAX M platform.

The airMAX AC platform also uses Ubiquiti's proprietary TDMA protocol, which provides the same benefits as the airMAX M platform.

UISP LTU

The UISP LTU platform is the newest of the three. It was released in 2020 and is a significant departure from the airMAX M and airMAX AC platforms. It uses a proprietary protocol based on LTE technology, which provides much better performance in noisy RF environments.

The UISP LTU platform is also more expensive than the airMAX M and airMAX AC platforms, but it offers much better performance and reliability.