said by Lost Passwd :What would be the advantages of using 5.8 GHz?
Threefold: 1. More available spectrum. 2. Fewer devices on that band. 3. Less 'leakage' from neighbours' devices. All together, this means that you are far less likely in most situations to experience RF interference when using the 5 GHz band compared to 2.4 GHz.
said by Lost Passwd :Would a regular house-grade wireless (2/5/dual) radio pick up the signal directly from the antenna?
Yes, but return signal won't be as good. It may work, but save yourself the grief and do it right in the first place using a pair of Nanos.
said by Lost Passwd :How do you optimize (if necessary) the antennae alignment? Do you you have to buy software or more gear to do it?
AirMax devices have a web UI. Therein you can do a site survey. Once the two radios are associated you can see the signal strength and quality as you adjust your aim.
They also have 4 LEDs on the radio body to indicate signal strength. You can configure these to a custom threshold, such that if you know that your initial connection is at -65 dBi, you could set these 4 LEDs to light up at -65, -63, -61, and -59 respectively. In this way you can aim without having to look at the computer.
said by Lost Passwd :I suppose you need outdoor shielded cable from the antenna to the PoE adapter.
Yes.
said by Lost Passwd :Can I get ready-to-use lengths?
Probably.
said by Lost Passwd :Do I need earth grounding/ESD protection for the PoE?
If you use Ubiquiti's power supply and a shielded cable with metal ends the grounding is integrated.
said by Lost Passwd :What do you have to set up other than positioning that would require remote action?
Remote reset is nice for an ISP who has many radios in the field and has to reset some of them from time to time. Most of my customers have bricks with no reset button, but I always carry one with a button for this purpose. For somebody like yourself, you're not likely to ever need to reset the nano once it is set up and configured properly. Worst case scenario, a monkey is going up a ladder, or you order a psu with a button.
said by Lost Passwd :Would the antennae work through a window or even a shingle roof?
Possibly.