Why Microwave P2P Links Are Ideal For Private Business Networks

When businesses talk about network security, the conversation usually turns to firewalls, encryption and access controls.

But one of the most effective ways to keep your data private is far simpler than most people realise… keep it off the public network altogether. That’s exactly what microwave point to point (P2P) and point to multipoint (PTMP) links do.

At APC Solutions, we’ve been deploying microwave radio links for over 10 years, and one of the most compelling use cases we see again and again is businesses using them to build private, secure networks between their own sites – completely outside of the public internet.

What Makes A Microwave P2P Link Private?

A microwave point to point link is like running a cable directly from one of your buildings to another – except instead of digging up the road or leasing infrastructure you don’t own, you’re transmitting a dedicated, encrypted radio signal between two fixed points.

That signal stays entirely within your own network. It doesn’t touch the public internet. It isn’t routed through any third party infrastructure. It’s just yours.

This is a fundamentally different proposition to standard internet connectivity. When you send data over a traditional broadband, that data travels across a public network before it reaches its destination. With a microwave P2P or PTMP link between your own sites, it never does.

What Are The Benefits Of Microwave PTP For Private Business Networks

Layer 2 Connectivity

Our microwave radio solutions can deliver non routed layer 2 type connections, which means the link operates at the data link layer rather than passing through routers and across public infrastructure.

In practical terms, this means your sites behave as though they’re on the same local area network (LAN) – even if they’re across the street, across town or across the country.

For businesses that handle sensitive data, operate across multiple sites or need to extend their internal network without compromise, this is a significant advantage. Because it allows your data to move between locations as if it were travelling along a private cable – and in every meaningful sense, it is.

Security

Because a microwave P2P link is a dedicated, point-to-point connection, there’s no shared infrastructure for third parties to intercept.

The signal is encrypted end to end and travels in a narrow, directed beam between two fixed antennas. Combine that with the fact that your data never touches a public network, and you have a connectivity solution that’s private by design.

This stands in sharp contrast to VPN connections over the public internet, which, while encrypted, still expose your traffic to the underlying public network infrastructure. With a microwave P2P link, there’s no public network in the picture at all.

High Performance

Our microwave links deliver symmetrical upload and download speeds from 100Mbps up to 10Gbps, with ultra low latency (often lower than a traditional fibre leased line), because the connection goes directly into the national fibre network without passing through an exchange.

Every connection is 100% dedicated and uncontended meaning it’s yours alone. There are no other users sharing the link, no slowdowns at peak times and no compromise on the consistency of service.

And what’s more, it has uptimes exceeding 99.99% and a full SLA.

Fast To Deploy

One of the practical advantages of microwave over physical cabling is speed of deployment. Because there’s no need to dig trenches, pull cables through ducts or navigate months of civil works – a microwave P2P link between your sites can often be installed and fully operational in as little as just 2 weeks.

Our solutions are also designed to scale. Whether you’re connecting two buildings on the same business park or linking multiple sites across the UK, the flexible point to point and point to multipoint architecture grows with your network as your business does.

Who Uses Microwave P2P Links For Private Networks?

Any organisation that needs to move data securely between locations, without relying on public networks, is a strong candidate. Some common examples include:

• Multi-site businesses connecting offices, warehouses or retail locations to a central network
• Healthcare providers sharing patient data securely between sites
• Financial institutions requiring private, high speed connectivity between offices
• Manufacturing & logistics operations linking facilities across a site or region
• Public sector & emergency services who need resilient independent connectivity

It’s also worth noting that sectors with some of the world’s most demanding security requirements, such as defence and military communications, rely on microwave links for exactly this reason.

Find Out If A Microwave P2P Link Is Right For Your Business

If your business needs to connect sites securely, keep sensitive data off the public network, or build a private internal network that performs like a physical cable connection – a microwave P2P or PTMP link from APC Solutions could be exactly what you’re looking for.

If you’d like to find out more information, click on the button below to request a callback from a member of our team.