Cambium Is Breaking Up: What WISPs Should Do and the PtP Alternatives That Aren't in Flux

If you run Cambium radios, the last few weeks have been unsettling. In September 2026 the company cut more than half its staff and its UK operating entity entered administration, and since then its product lines have been split and sold to different owners. Your network still works, but the vendor behind it looks very different than it did a month ago. Here is what is actually confirmed as of mid-October, what is still settling, and how to keep expanding without betting on a company in transition.

If you would rather skip to hardware, the alternatives below all ship fast from our Point-to-Point Wireless collection.

What actually happened

Cambium's lineup is now owned by two different companies, with a handful of products still unaccounted for:

• Airspan acquired the fixed-wireless portfolio in late September — PMP 450 point-to-multipoint, the PTP 670/700 backhaul radios, cnWave 60 GHz, cnReach, LINKPlanner, cnHeat, and the cnMaestro management platform. More than 135 Cambium staff moved with it. (Source: Fierce Network.)
• Univastu (India) completed a separate acquisition on October 14 covering the ePMP line, the Enterprise Wi-Fi business, and cnMaestro, with Cambium continuing as a standalone subsidiary. Cambium has said cnMaestro Cloud will keep operating. (Source: Cambium Networks.)

The headline for operators: the September panic that cloud management would simply go dark has not played out — cnMaestro is still running. But ownership is split, the support organization is much smaller, and no multi-year firmware or RMA commitment has been published. That is the real risk now, not an overnight shutdown.

The quick verdict

Don't rip out what works — but stop buying into uncertainty

Your deployed Cambium radios are not going to stop passing traffic because the company changed hands, and cnMaestro is still up. There is no reason to tear out healthy sectors this week. The decision that matters is what you buy next: for new links, expansions, and spares, standardizing on a platform that is actively supported and shipping is the lower-risk move. That is where the alternatives below come in.

Ubiquiti airFiber — the clearest replacement path

airFiber is where most operators moving off Cambium land, because it covers the same jobs at a lower cost per Mbps and is managed from the UISP platform many WISPs already run. For backhaul:

• airFiber 60 XG — up to 6 Gbps over 60 GHz for short, high-capacity hops.
• airFiber 60 XR — 60 GHz capacity out to 15 km+ with an SFP+ hand-off.
• airFiber 5XHD — 1 Gbps over license-free 5 GHz for long, reliable links.
• airFiber 24HD — 2 Gbps over the quieter 24 GHz band for medium range.

For the access side, Ubiquiti's LTU and airMAX families cover the point-to-multipoint role that PMP 450 and ePMP filled. Browse the full Ubiquiti range.

MikroTik — the budget and 60 GHz option

When the priority is a capable link for the least money, MikroTik is hard to beat, and it drops straight into a RouterOS network. The Cube 60Pro ac pre-configured kit is a plug-and-play 60 GHz pair for links up to a few hundred meters, the LHG XL 5 ax is a high-gain 5 GHz dish for longer reach, and the mANTBox ax 15s sector handles point-to-multipoint off a tower. As an authorized MikroTik reseller, we can spec a full link or sector — see the MikroTik range.

What about Tarana?

Tarana is the name that comes up most for operators who want to upgrade rather than replace like-for-like — its platform targets high-capacity, high-density sectors and can blend licensed CBRS with unlicensed spectrum. It is a premium, specialist choice rather than a drop-in Cambium swap, and it is not something we stock on the shelf. If Tarana is on your shortlist, tell us about the deployment and we can help you weigh it against airFiber for the sectors in question.

A sensible migration plan

• Keep running healthy Cambium links; there is no cliff, and cnMaestro is still live.
• Freeze new Cambium purchases until support and firmware commitments are clear from the new owners.
• Standardize new links on an actively shipping platform — airFiber for most, MikroTik for budget and short 60 GHz hops.
• Stock a few spares of your chosen replacement so a failed Cambium radio can be swapped without waiting on an uncertain RMA path.
• Export your planning data (LINKPlanner / cnHeat) while you have access, so a future migration isn't starting from scratch.

Frequently asked questions

Is cnMaestro going away?

Not as of mid-October 2026. Cambium has said cnMaestro Cloud will continue operating, and the platform moved with the Airspan and Univastu acquisitions. The September fear that cloud management would shut off on October 1 did not happen. That said, no long-term commitment or roadmap has been published, so treat it as "running for now" rather than guaranteed indefinitely.

Will my existing Cambium radios keep working?

Yes. A change in corporate ownership does not disable deployed radios. PMP 450, ePMP, and PTP links that are healthy today will keep passing traffic. The open questions are future firmware updates, spares, and RMA turnaround — not whether your network stays up.

Should I keep buying new Cambium gear?

For most operators, the lower-risk move is to pause new Cambium purchases until the new owners publish clear support and firmware commitments, and to standardize new links on a platform that is actively shipping and supported. Keep your working Cambium gear; just be deliberate about what you add next.

What's the closest airFiber equivalent to my Cambium link?

For a PTP backhaul, airFiber 5XHD (long 5 GHz) or airFiber 60 XG/XR (short-to-medium 60 GHz) cover the range. For point-to-multipoint that ePMP or PMP 450 handled, Ubiquiti's LTU and airMAX families are the usual match. Tell us the distance, capacity, and RF environment and we will spec the pair or sector.

Do I need to replace my whole network right now?

No. A forced, all-at-once rip-and-replace is rarely necessary and rarely wise. Migrate at the pace of normal refreshes and new builds, starting with the links that are already due for an upgrade or that carry the most subscribers.

Weighing a migration? Browse Point-to-Point Wireless, or tell us the distance, capacity, and what you're replacing and we'll spec the pair.