Distributed Antenna Systems – In Building

Modern building managers and business owners balance today’s requirements of energy efficiency and ubiquitous wireless communications through Distributed Antenna Systems, or DAS, installation in Washington, DC. At Wycliffe Technologies, we provide full turn-key assessments and proposals for better wireless communications in and around your property.

Implementation Of Distributed Antenna System For Better Coverage

Installation of a properly designed and planned DAS inside your building or campus improves the wireless capability of today’s smart devices, improves battery life and performance of the devices, and will ensure that your users and customers enjoy the wireless service they have come to expect and demand.

Our distributed antennae system installation services include everything from site surveys to ongoing maintenance.

• Site Engineering
• Site Surveys
• DAS Communication System Design
• Communication Carrier Approvals
• DAS Equipment Procurement
• Equipment Installation, Testing & Commissioning
• Annual & Ongoing Maintenance Plans

Construction Materials Can Contribute To Poor Wireless Signal

Today’s modern buildings use various construction materials to ensure energy efficiency, such as those used in LEED certified buildings. These same materials also block or degrade both internal and external wireless signals used by the major mobile carriers to provide service. These wireless signals are blocked in much the same way as the sun’s radiating energy.

Extend Wireless Coverage

The proliferation of Android and IOS devices being used throughout business and government requires stable and reliable cellular service. Distributed antenna systems, otherwise known as DAS or “in-building radio signal amplification,” are designed to extend wireless coverage inside buildings and structures to allow radio and cellular communications devices to function.

How Do Distributed Antenna Systems Work?

Distributed Antenna Systems can be either a single carrier system tied to repeating the frequencies of a lone wireless provider, or they can be multi-carrier, or neutral host, systems that are capable of repeating multiple carrier’s frequencies. DAS systems come in two varieties, passive and active.

Passive Systems

Passive systems are typically found in smaller buildings and are usually designed for a single carrier’s requirements. These systems consist of a donor antenna (or antennas) on the roof or exterior of the building to collect and return the carrier signal, a repeater or bi-directional amplifier (BDA) that amplifies the carrier’s licensed frequencies, and a coax cable system consisting of splitters, couplers, and antennas that spread the carrier signal throughout the covered space.

More Cost Effective Solution

These systems can be relatively inexpensive to design and deliver, but they must be approved by and registered with the individual carrier whose signals are being repeated. This is a key requirement for all DAS systems and is mandated by the FCC and the carriers who own the frequency license.

Active Systems

When passive DAS is not an appropriate system to use, an active DAS may be appropriate. These DAS systems are more robust and can cover much larger square footage buildings and campus environments. Active systems are also generally recommended for multi-carrier environments where two or more carriers are sharing a common coax and antenna design. Active systems are characterized by the use of a common head-end for the collection of carrier repeaters or BDA’s, or the installation of carrier base transmission stations (BTS), which are like mini-cell sites tied to the carrier network via high speed data circuits (DS1, DS3, Metro Ethernet, etc).

Performance You Can Count On

The consolidated head-end equipment is then connected by fiber optic cable to various DAS nodes that are spread out in the building or campus. The coax connecting to the coverage antennas in the space are then connected to the DAS nodes or remotes. The same antennas used in an active DAS can also be used to carry public safety radio frequencies or WiFi signals throughout the space.

This signal amplification is most important when it comes to the radio systems used by fire departments, police, and other first responders.

DAS Regulations For Commercial & Public Buildings

Section 915 of the 2009 International Building Code mandates needs assessment, testing, installation, and annual recertification of need/installation of public safety/emergency responder radio amplification systems in certain types of commercial and government buildings. The following are a few of the important requirements of this standard.

1. All new buildings should have approved radio coverage for emergency responders within the building.
2. Radio signal strength requirements must be met in 95% of all areas of each floor of the building, with particular emphasis on “means of egress” (stairwells, emergency exists, etc).
3. All existing buildings should have radio coverage throughout the building, and are required to retrofit the building with radio coverage if the existing wired system is not able to be repaired or is being replaced.

Get Better Communication

Aside from these guidelines, specific codes are set by various Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) and are set by state, county, and city government agencies. Working with an experienced IT company, like Wycliffe Technologies, is your best bet when it comes to great communication that meets requirements.

DAS Installation In Washington, DC

You don’t have to settle for subpar communications. We can help with professionally designed solutions to your wireless coverage needs. Wycliffe Technologies is your number one source for DAS installation in Washington, DC and the surrounding areas. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.