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Despite the increasingly widespread use of mobile devices in business today, many companies still experience chronic dropped calls, data connection failures, sluggish business app performance, poor sound quality, and other connectivity issues. The cause: cellular dead zones in their buildings.

Cellular Dead Zones: Bad For Wireless Connectivity—and Business

More than an inconvenience, poor cellular connectivity can have major implications for day-to-day business operations. 

• Lost productivity: When employees have to wait to download and upload information that’s needed to complete tasks, work that should take minutes can end up taking hours. 
• Missed opportunities: FSB research in the U.K found that 26% of the companies surveyed have lost business or sales due to connectivity issues.
• Reduced customer satisfaction: Inability to maintain stable communication can result in poor customer service experiences. For businesses that rely on cellular connectivity to support their product or service (like mobile apps or remote monitoring services), unreliable connections can even harm their reputation.  
• Increased IT costs: Companies are likely to incur extra IT costs trying to troubleshoot and find temporary workarounds for connectivity problems. 
• Employee dissatisfaction and disengagement: Constant connectivity issues can be a source of frustration for employees, leading to decreased morale, lower retention and greater turnover rates. 
• Unrealized opportunities: The time and resources spent managing connectivity issues could be better invested in more valuable activities that drive innovation and profitability. 
• Disruption of technologies that depend on uptime: Elevators, kiosks, displays, and charging stations—all of which may be critical to everyday business functions—can be disrupted by inconsistent wireless connectivity.

What Causes Cellular Dead Zones?

There are 3 primary causes of cell phone dead zones in an office.

• Proximity to cell towers – Cell phone signals are transmitted from towers and travel through the air to your phone. Most cities have cell phone towers dotted across the landscape, so a mobile device user in an urban location shouldn’t be too far away from a tower. This is more likely to be a problem in rural areas. However, tower proximity can be a problem anywhere, particularly if one tower is close enough to interfere with another.
• Building materials – Concrete, steel and other materials used in modern buildings can stop a cell signal from penetrating a building. Even insulated glass can be enough to impair signal strength. Obstructions such as trees, mountains and other buildings can also impact the quality of the signal your tenants receive.
• Signal response to device density – Regular traffic congestion outside certain buildings or increases in device activity during certain events or activities can also hamper cellular reception.

Determining Your Building’s Cell Signal Strength

Before you can improve your cell phone signal, you need to figure out which parts of your building have the best and worst signal. To do this, don’t just look at the bars shown on your phone — those bars aren’t standardized between providers or device manufacturers, so the readings they provide are unreliable for more practical applications.

Instead, use your phone’s field test mode to get a measure of signal strength. Both Android and iOS devices have this mode available in their Settings sections.

Survey some of the building’s users to find out if there’s a commonality between those who are having issues. The trouble may be in a specific room or location, which can be addressed more easily than a building-wide problem.

Once you have your building’s weak signal spots mapped out, it’s best to have a professional who specializes in cellular service carry out a full survey using a signal meter.

These meters display several factors, including signal frequency, bandwidth, and strength, which will help you assess the specific problems and how to best remedy them.

Cellular DAS: A Strategic Solution for Poor Cellular Connectivity 

An effective way to eliminate the problems caused by dead zones is to install a distributed antenna system (DAS)—technology that enhances cellular wireless signal using antennas and other components. DAS systems can be classified as active, passive, or hybrid. 

How Active DAS Works

Active DAS, or Distributed Antenna System, is a state-of-the-art solution for providing reliable cellular connectivity in large and high-density environments.

Unlike Passive DAS, which amplifies existing external signals, Active DAS generates cellular signals by connecting directly to a signal source. This allows for enhanced capacity, seamless coverage, and scalability.

Signal Sources for Active DAS

Active DAS systems can integrate with various signal sources depending on the needs of the space, providing flexibility in deployment:

• Base Transceiver Station (BTS): A BTS connects directly to a carrier’s network, enabling robust signal transmission and high capacity. Carrier approval is required for each carrier’s signal being distributed. BTS configurations are ideal for large venues like airports, stadiums, and hospitals where thousands of users rely on uninterrupted connectivity.
• Small Cells: Small cells create cellular signals using broadband internet backhaul. While carrier approval is not required to obtain small cells, they are carrier-specific and have limited capacity, meaning multiple small cells may be needed for multi-carrier support.
• Two-Way Radio Systems: Active DAS can also support the distribution of signals for two-way radios, which are critical for public safety and operational communication. This makes Active DAS an ideal solution for facilities like hospitals, large office buildings, and transportation hubs that require integrated communication solutions.

Signal Transmission and Distribution

After receiving the signal from the chosen source, the system processes and distributes it as follows:

1. Transmission via Fiber or Ethernet Cables: Digital signals are transmitted over fiber optic or ethernet cables, minimizing signal loss and enabling longer cable runs. This setup allows for greater scalability in large buildings and campuses.
2. Remote Units (RUs): Remote units broadcast the signal through connected antennas, providing consistent and reliable coverage.

Applications and Use Cases

Active DAS is the preferred choice for environments requiring wide coverage and high capacity, such as:

• Massive Office Campuses: Ensures uninterrupted connectivity for employees and IoT devices.
• Sports Arenas and Stadia: Supports thousands of users with high-speed data and calls simultaneously.
• Airports and Transportation Hubs: Facilitates seamless communication across vast spaces for travelers and staff.
• Hospitals and Universities: Provides reliable coverage for both critical communications (e.g., two-way radios) and personal use.
• Public Safety: Integrates two-way radio signals to ensure emergency personnel have uninterrupted communication.

Key Advantages of Active DAS

• Wide Signal Compatibility: Supports multiple signal sources, including BTS, small cells, and two-way radios, for versatile deployment.
• High Capacity and Scalability: Handles heavy traffic and supports long-distance signal transmission with minimal loss.
• Carrier and Multi-Band Support: Distributes signals for multiple carriers and frequency bands, ensuring comprehensive coverage.
• Integrated Communication: Combines cellular and two-way radio signals, making it ideal for environments requiring public safety and operational efficiency.
• Future-Proof Design: Easily scalable to meet growing connectivity demands.

By integrating advanced signal source options like BTS, small cells, and two-way radios, Active DAS delivers robust, scalable connectivity tailored to meet the demands of any environment.

How Passive DAS Works

Passive DAS takes an outside cellular signal, brings it inside, distributes it throughout the building and enhances it up to 32 times. It relies on 3 basic components:

• Donor antennas installed on the roof or near a window bring in the outdoor signal
• The outdoor signal is then amplified using a bi-directional amplifier, which feeds the signal through coax cable to indoor antennas that distribute it to phones and other cellular devices indoors.  
• Both types of DAS antennas connect to the amplifier unit via coaxial cable.

Passive DAS conforms to FCC regulations and generally does not require outside regulatory approval, and it can be installed in a matter of days.

Many passive DAS systems are also carrier-agnostic, meaning they support multiple carriers simultaneously. So, whether your employees or guests use major carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, or smaller regional carriers, a passive DAS ensures everyone gets the same amplified signal.

How Hybrid DAS Works

Hybrid DAS is a network of spatially separated antenna nodes connected to a common source via both fiber optic and coaxial cabling.

A Base Transceiver Station (BTS) or small cells are used to generate the wireless signal that is to be distributed, and a repeater captures and amplifies the signal from an external macrocell tower.

The cabling carries the digital signal from the head-end unit to remote units, which convert the digital signal back into RF signals, and distribute them to antennas, strategically placed through the building or area to be covered. The antennas then broadcast the RF signals to smartphones, tablets, and other end-user devices.

A hybrid DAS solution offers the best of active and passive DAS, combining the high performance of fiber optic distribution with the cost-effectiveness and simplicity of coaxial cabling—making it ideal for a range of indoor wireless applications.

Designing a Custom Cellular DAS System for Your Building

There are a number of factors to consider when planning DAS coverage, including user density, building layout, and existing technology infrastructure.

So it’s best to partner with a reputable and experienced DAS provider to ensure the most reliable and successful implementation.

A pioneer in cellular connectivity technology and a leading provider of DAS solutions to a broad range of industries, WilsonPro is an ideal partner to help you choose and configure a solution that best meets the requirements of your business, building, and users

To learn more about the range of DAS technology we have to offer and how to get started integrating a cellular DAS system on your premise, contact us today.