In-Building Wireless & Distributed Antenna System (DAS) Solutions

Comprehensive Predictions

LBA’s in building wireless expertise provides solutions to service provisioning of cellular/PCS/LTE and wireless local area networks (WLAN’s) inside buildings and other structures such as tunnels and bridges.

It is becoming ever more important for your customers, tenants and employees to be able to access wireless voice and data seamlessly wherever they may be. Wireless voice and high-speed data on-demand is expected and necessary in today’s business world.

Whether you are a wireless service provider, ISP, building manager or business owner, LBA can enhance your wireless service in poor coverage areas and expand coverage into new areas. Our experienced and dedicated engineering staff will help you maximize your in building wireless communication capabilities in the most cost effective manner.

Typical Scope of Work to Improve an Existing In Building System

1. Analysis of existing service

• Meet with management to define business and budgetary objectives
• Visit the facility and document the as-built configuration
• Measure and document the existing RF environment in the frequency bands of concern
• Obtain or generate building drawings

2. System design and development to meet your wireless voice/data needs

• Use software analysis to specify optimum placement of access points
• Incorporate present and future capacity requirements and security measures
• Conform design to architectural and operational constraints
• Prepare a design report, after customer review

3. Manage system procurement

• Define vendor equipment specifications, performance guarantees and construction requirements
• Prepare Request for Quote (RFQ) and distribute to qualified vendors
• Conduct vendor site-walks and pre-bid Q&A
• Receive RFQ responses, create recommendation report, and assist client staff with contract award

4. Manage installation and integration

• Project management of installation and testing with all systems
• Assist in integration with other systems and trades
• Verify proper interconnect and configuration of access points

5. Conduct testing, optimization, and final acceptance

• Observe vendor tests of system performance
• Certify vendor system security demonstration
• Conduct independent operational verification tests through facility with client staff
• Review vendor as-built and test documentation for completeness
• Recommend vendor work acceptance and payment
• Undertake other follow-up test or training activities as client may desire
• Prepare a final project report and deliver to client

PCS/Cellular/LTE Coverage Extension:

There are many instances where today’s typical wireless network cannot penetrate into office buildings. Traditionally this means that a carrier must build a dedicated site close to the building(s) to be served in “hopes” of good coverage penetration. A pricey gamble indeed for the carrier, and no guarantees to the customers!

To those service providers lucky enough to provide full service to in building users there exists yet another unique dilemma. How to balance the ability to serve the stationary users inside while ensuring resources for the true mobile users on the street? During business hours valuable radio resources can be completely consumed by the in building users. This leaves large network “holes” with no available radio resources for outside mobile users.

The natural solution to these issues is the use of a dedicated in building wireless network that blends seamlessly with the outdoor macro network. The distributed in building system guarantees full coverage throughout the desired service area. With proper design, there is a smooth handover to the macrocell. Dedicated radio resources can be allocated directly to where it is needed while still maintaining resources for the mobile users.

Latest Software Applications

Knowing that a building has full coverage allows carrier marketing and sales teams to present corporate promotions, and gives landlords a step-up on the competition in today’s real estate marketplace.

Wireless Local Area Networks:

Providing wireless voice, Internet and e-mail access is an important part of your building and tenant business infrastructure. WLAN systems, typically compliant to 802.11 or WiFi standards, let you provide seamless wireless network capability within your facilities economically and with minimal operational/architectural impact.

Hand-in-hand with your staff, LBA will provide a comprehensive design solution to integrate a WLAN system into your new or existing building. Our experts integrate both the technical and business facets of your application. We intensively study environmental aspects of your requirements in order to maximize coverage, and reliability while reducing potential interference.  Security and health effect issues are priorities in the design of your wireless system.

WLAN FAQ page

Lifecycle Technical Support:

We recognize the lifecycle requirements of your WLAN or coverage extension system, and can provide your staff an array of continuing services. For example, we will provide equipment/installer selection, installation oversight, testing and acceptance evaluation. We can assist in generating long-term management, maintenance, and service audit protocols. Our strength is in providing you with comprehensive technical in building solutions.

In Building Wireless Engineering Capabilities

General Technical Features:

• Frequency range 100 MHz to 100 GHz
• The most accurate propagation predictions available using several selectable models, including: LBA propagation models explicitly account for the location of structures in the study environment and their electrical properties (conductivity, permittivity, and transmission loss).Time dispersion/multipath (RMS delay spread) studies and angle of arrival calculations can be performed.
  • 2D and 3D ray-tracing models for outdoor microcell and indoor wireless LAN/PBX/cell-extender studies. Takes into account:
    • Line-of-sight rays
    • Wall transmission
    • Corner diffraction
  • Attenuation due to partial Fresnel zone obstruction.
  • COST-231 Walfisch-Ikegami propagation model for simplified outdoor microcell studies.
• Multi-story indoor studies can calculate attenuation between floors and plot results in a 3D, multi-story projection.
• Considerations can be made for: Point study modes can project the ray trajectories to a particular point in the propagation environment. The effect on the ray amplitude and phase for each wall reflection and corner diffraction can be determined.
  • Free-space propagation
  • Specular reflection
  • Diffraction
  • Diffuse wall scattering
  • Wall transmission

• Software permits time signature studies to show waveforms of received data pulses as a function of time to identify pulse shape distortions and echoes due to mutlipath and frequency-selective fading channel characteristics can be determined.

Distributed Antenna System (DAS) Services

Distributed Antenna System (DAS) is a network of spatially separated antennas fed by coax, CAT5 or fiber from some common electronics and/or amplifying source. We offer site surveys, design, consultation, project management, and commissioning of distributed antenna systems. Our goal is to provide cellular and PCS Signal enhancement. We examine building layout, coverage requirements, and service objectives, to provide you an affordable custom design.  Engineering, product selection, installation, commissioning, and complete documentation is included in our turn-key package. We assure cellular/PCS phones, two-way radios, and pagers work reliably in buildings and tunnels.

Some of the challenges with DAS include special installation requirements like architectural, aesthetic and historical considerations. Quality of service (QoS) can be a powerful differentiator in wireless services. Seamless, reliable in building wireless coverage is a key component of a wireless service provider’s overall QoS strategy. Distributed antenna systems are subject to stringent RF performance requirements found in the macro network. Wireless operators have two primary types of  deployments, both of which can benefit from in building wireless solutions. The first type is public areas, where reliable, seamless coverage indoors and out is key to attracting and retaining consumers, adding incremental MOUs and improving QoS. The second primary type is private areas, such as office buildings and campuses. Good in building coverage is an asset for wireless operators targeting the enterprise customer and displacing wireline services. In both deployment types, wireless operators can use in building systems to build consumer confidence that the network providing those voice and data services is reliable and nearly ubiquitous – indoors and out.

There are several technical solutions available for in building wireless coverage and capacity.
They include:

1.  pico and microcells
2.  high and low powered passive repeaters
3.  passive coax-based transport
4.  low and high powered active distributed antenna systems
5.  Radio over Fiber (RoF)

LBA's Capabilities:

1. Sales & Site Surveys
2. RF Design
3. Commissioning

Before selecting a specific solution or combination of solutions, it is important to consider the following:

1.  Is your need for capacity, coverage, or both?
2.  What is the size and type of venue?
3.  How many wireless service providers does the solution need to support?