In-building wireless (IBW) technology is a valuable addition to any corporate, commercial, or mixed-use building with poor cellphone reception, dead spots, or places that are prone to interference due to outside signals. It uses Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) to ensure consistent cell phone coverage on every floor and in every room of the building.
So what causes poor cell coverage in a building? Well, issues can arise from things like composition or materials used in construction, design, and floor layout. And, since changing structural factors can be expensive and time-consuming, the best solution is to equip your building within-building mobile coverage solutions.
How Do Distributed Antenna Systems Work?
Cell services and WiFi signals often have a difficult time extending to large buildings. If you’ve been to a major sporting event at an arena or stadium, for example, you may have noticed that you have zero reception in certain areas like the underground parking, bathrooms, or a corridor without windows. However, you can be sure that the administration offices and other rooms that the staff frequent or are crucial to the building’s operations will have excellent cell coverage. And this is due to IBW solutions.
DAS is crucial to IBW. DAS is a network of on-site devices that sends and receives cell signals to one another, strengthening coverage and improving voice and data connectivity in a vast space. It works like a WiFi router: it receives a signal from the outside and boosts its reach indoors. DAS devices, therefore, are installed in strategic locations to ensure robust and reliable coverage throughout the building.
A DAS network consists of a base station, the primary source of cellular and Internet signals, and remote antennas distributed all over the place. The remote devices are connected via fiber-optic cable to the base station. If designed and installed correctly, a DAS network can eliminate spotty or dead zones in a building.
10 Benefits of In-Building Mobile Coverage Solutions
In-building wireless solutions offer the following important benefits to corporations, production facilities, and commercial or multi-use establishments:
- Ensures continuous mobile and Internet connectivity.
- Increases capacity to support thousands of cellular phone users at any given time. This means less dropped calls and spotty reception, and more reliable telecommunications all over the building.
- Reduces telecommunication downtimes and outages.
- Improves download and upload speeds.
- Ensures stronger coverage for multiple carrier networks.
- Adds to customer and tenant’s overall experience.
- Increases the perceived property value of the building and its spaces for lease.
- It’s a highly reliable and affordable option to consider.
- Installation and up-keep requires low maintenance.
- Options are both scalable and flexible.
Ensuring the integrity and reliability of wireless connections benefits all stakeholders in a commercial building: owners, occupants, tenants, guests, and customers. As an affordable system with various benefits, IBW is worth investing in when there’s so much at stake in ensuring reliable mobile service.
Signal Interference: A Common Issue in IBW
There is one significant disadvantage to having enhanced wireless connectivity in a massive building: users are prone to capturing rogue signals or getting disturbed by interference from external sources.
Consider the set-up in a sports stadium where there are various sections and private suites. Sometimes attendees in the general seating section would accidentally pick up signals from the VIP sections, bogging down the services intended for the VIP guests. Or, guests in a private suite would have a hard time getting the sound system to pick up Bluetooth signals from their devices because of interference from the stadium’s PA system.
Signal interference and mix-ups are a common problem in IBW systems for which Signals Defense has a solution: DAS Shield™.
DAS Shield™ by Signals Defense
DAS Shield™ is a protective window film engineered with Signals Defense’s patented RF/IR window technology. It blocks or contains infrared and radio frequencies within a secure space, such as an office, conference room, an entire floor, or even an entire building.
These RF/IR window films meet the stringent requirements of the US Intelligence community, particularly the TEMPEST requirements for the intelligence community directive or ICD 705. These products set the standard for US government offices and are also used in corporate offices and buildings where confidential data is abundant. Considering its extensive use for intelligence security, DAS Shield™ is most certainly capable of controlling signal distribution by IBW systems.
Signals Defense window shields offer many advantages, some of these include:
- Easy and quick to install
- Doesn’t require sophisticated software, hardware, or cabling (all of which require additional maintenance)
- Non-intrusive and low-key
- Enhances privacy and security
- Aesthetically pleasing
Complete Your IBW Solutions with Signals Defense
In-building wireless technology is a worthwhile investment as it can vastly improve the quality of mobile communications. Since its strength is also its weakness, however, there’s an evident need for additional security features that will curtail signal interference and mix-ups without limiting the strength of the DAS network. Signals Defense’ DAS Shield™ RF/IR window films are the answer.
If you want to know more about our window shields and their vast security applications, contact Signals Defense via our website form or call (410) 902-0356.