Did you know that 80 percent of all mobile telephone usage is indoors? I was surprised when I first heard this, but then I thought about it – my mobile phone has replaced my landline, and even in my office I typically take most calls on my cell phone. This fact, along with a generally more “noisy” radio frequency (RF) environment, has led to massive growth in the use of in-building wireless (IBW) systems.
What do I mean by “noisy” when it comes to the RF environment? Simply put, RF noise refers to the amount and variety of RF signals travelling
through the air at any given moment. This overabundance of signals can cause interference, as RF signals in the same or even similar frequencies compete with each other for air time. High powered cellular base station towers known as macrocells create – you guessed it – macro interference in nearly every building, since most buildings are within range of at least one macrocell.
through the air at any given moment. This overabundance of signals can cause interference, as RF signals in the same or even similar frequencies compete with each other for air time. High powered cellular base station towers known as macrocells create – you guessed it – macro interference in nearly every building, since most buildings are within range of at least one macrocell.
As a result, many companies are turning to IBW networks. IBW networks use a distribution antenna system (DAS), small cells, and bi- directional antennas (BDAs) or signal boosters to create small cell networks inside buildings for improved cellular performance. Yet while IBW networks definitely increase access to the desired cellular network, they do nothing to remove the RF noise from the environment. Effectively, IBW networks are like a teacher shouting louder in a classroom full of noisy students – the message might get through, but the noise is still there and creates headaches for everyone!
Signals Defense in Owings, MD has an elegant answer to the RF noise problem – DAS Shield™ window films. DAS Shield™ is applied to exterior windows to insulate buildings from RF interference, which then allows IBW networks to work far more effectively. Specifically, DAS Shield™ provides the following benefits:
- Designed to attenuate, or reduce, outside RF signals inside the building by more than 30 decibels within the 100Mhz to 12Ghz frequency range, which includes virtually all frequencies used in wireless communications, power generation, and microwave technology;
- Provides added security for WiFi networks, effectively blocking attempts to hack into those networks from the outside by making your WiFi impossible to find – if hackers cannot “see” the network, they cannot attack the network;
- Dramatically improves the performance of IBW networks – in our classroom example, using DAS Shield™ would be like quieting the children so that the teacher’s voice can be heard more clearly; and
- Even provides energy savings by also blocking substantial amounts of infrared, ultraviolet, and solar heat that would otherwise get through a normal window. In fact, DAS Shield™ can help buildings qualify for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certificates.
Contact the professional at Signals Defense today for more information on how DAS Shield™ window films can help improve your IBW
make all your wireless networks more secure, and save you money on your energy bill!