Issue 3, 2009
Distributed Antenna Systems
for In-Building Coverage
Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) are used to improve indoor coverage where a typical base station site will not reach.
As an example, DAS can be used to provide coverage into shopping centres, office towers, airports, sporting stadiums along with road and rail tunnels. These systems can extend coverage of radio networks for mobile phone operators, PMR and Trunked radio services such as public safety or in-house security, Wireless LAN and broadcast services.
In Building Coverage (IBC) systems provide call capacity, such as that required at a sports stadium when an event requires many voice and data calls. These high traffic capacity areas are sometimes referred to as Hotspots.
DAS systems can be passive or active; they allow the network operator to provide extra base stations to areas in need of high traffic of voice and data services.
A passive DAS comprises of coaxial cables, couplers, and splitters that carry RF signals from a Base Station to antennas that are strategically positioned throughout the building or tunnel. Leaky feeder, or radiating cable, can also be used to distribute the RF signals.
An active DAS is used when larger areas require coverage or when the base station equipment is remotely located from the target coverage area. An example of an active DAS is a Radio over Fibre (RoF) solution which takes the base station RF signal, converts it to an optical signal which is then fed via optical fibre to a remote unit (or number of remote units) where the signal is converted back to a radio signal, providing local coverage.
Distributed Antenna Systems can be driven by dedicated base station equipment or an off-air repeater. There are a number of steps in the process of designing and building a Distributed Antenna System. RFI’s system engineering team offer these services and have a proven track record in successful design and project delivery. These services include RF design, Installation, Testing and Commissioning and Project Management.
RFI can provide a One-Stop Shop to manage all your projects needs. We offer a diverse range of common build products such as cable, connectors through to complex devices which can be custom built to your specific needs. RFI have the expertise to provide and implement your system to improve coverage and communication where a typical base station site will not reach.
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