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In-Building wireless, Going from Assumptions to Fact

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About PCTELHigh Performance Application Specific Antennas & AccessoriesCustom Wireless Interconnect Solutions Scanning Receivers for RF NetworksInterference Management SystemsManufacturing Locations in the USA and AsiaTop of the Line Stargate 24 Anechoic Antenna Test ChambersThe Latest in Electrical Simulation and Mechanical Design Software ToolsIn-house Environmental Test FacilitiesWireless Planning and Installation ExpertiseSolutionsOur CapabilitiesMarkets

About PCTEL In-Building AntennasAntennas & Accessories for Optimized Indoor Coverage Frequency Options (900MHz-6GHz) 6-Port and 3-Port MIMO Designs for Spatial Diversity Applications Single Band, Wideband and Multi-Band Models Ceiling, Wall and Surface Mount Designs UL 94-V0 Materials and Plenum Cables Attractive Low Profile Housings Customized Cable Assemblies NEMA-rated Insulated Enclosures

The JourneyImage were all going on a journey today.Its the journey from assumptions to facts.At the beginning of the journey most of what we have to work with are assumptionsAt the end, through discovery (sometimes painful) we have known hard factsToday imagine were taking a journey. This is the journey we embark on when bidding on and then installing an indoor repeater system. I call this The journey from assumption to fact. Because at the beginning, often all we have are assumptions. Along the way on ourjourney we learn which assumptions are verified and which assumptions were wrong. We adapt along the way, we redesign, we modify, we compromise. But in the end, we finish the project, taking the new lessons learned and go onto the next.4

ScenarioThrough the contacts in your community you find yourself working with a electrical contractor that has the contract to do all electrical work in a new high rise office, hospital, parking garage or school. And building code requires a public safety repeater system.Today I want to focus on public safety applications. For the folks newer to the world of in-building systems this is a good place to start our discussion. To embark on a journey for a cellular coverage enhancement its probably best to partner with someone experienced in that area. 5

The Journey BeginsCould be a site walk (be sure to bring your hardhat)

Usually its just plans (after all, the building is only a hole in the ground at this time or perhaps only conceptual)The majority of the public safety solutions I receive are at the plans only stage. There is no building in which to do a site walk and take signal measurements.6

What we do knowFloor plansFrequency band or actual frequenciesIf VHF/UHF we must have actual frequenciesDonor Signal StrengthIf we dont have this were really just guessingBuilding Code Requirements

This is my list of things that we really need to know to do a design. We have floor plansWe have a frequency band, or list of frequencies. This is where its best to know whats going on in the frequency band (explain rebanding, channelized)Donor signal - Anything less is an educated guess, not a design.And what standard are we expected to meet.7

What we dont knowFire wall locations and typeRiser locationsMust infer from the floor plansInterior/exterior wall materialsFloor deck constructionStair well construction/materialsWhat is above the suspended ceilingExisting ambient signal from outside

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What we dont know, cont.Availability of cable mountingCabling requirementsLocation of BDACable routing to donor antenna/roof penetrationHVAC routingFirewall penetration locationsPower availability

As you can see, the list of things we dont know is always a lot bigger than what we do know. From experience we can be pretty good at our assumptionsStairs will have either fire rated drywall, CMU, or poured in place concrete depending on the height of the building.Plenum rated cable is almost always required above drop ceilings, generally you can use plenum in place or fire resistant, but not the inverseRiser locations are often near elevator or stairs, usually closets and usually stacked, sometimes labeled Comm, Data or Elect.9

Theres a lot we dont knowSo we make assumptions and bid the projectThen we wait, and wait some more. Often these take many months, not alwaysThen we hear we got the job and its time to start planning. Now we have the opportunity to start turning those assumptions that we bid on into facts

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First StepsReview original design, compare with actual buildingCheck outdoor ambient signal insideConfirm cable routingConfirm donor antenna location and donor cable routingMeasure donor RSSI and azimuthConfirm BDA locationReview changes with designerDoes the building actually look like the original plans provided? Then we see if the public safety signal is good enough in some areasAfter all, the building code says that if the signal inside a building falls below the threshold (usually -95) then a BDA system must be installed. So if the signal is already strong in the upper floors, leave them alone unless you somehow feel committed to the original design (choose your wording carefully in your proposal). This is a good time to bring up an edge that you may have over the competition when you bid. If there is a building to take measurements in then do so at the time of the bid. You might win the job by installing the DAS only where its needed, while all the others are bidding the whole building.Compare cable routing in design with actual in buildingVerify donor antenna and cableTake a rooftop measurement of the donor signalConfirm where the BDA will be mountedIf anything above changed, review these changes with the designer. Changes to cable routing, floor-to-floor penetrations and BDA location may change the design substantially. Changes to the donor signal can also have a big impact, good or bad!

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Do your paperworkIs building permit required?Do the plans require a PE stamp?File plans with Fire Marshall/AHJCheck cable fire rating requirements

This is where its handy to have a set of construction plans. Something the installer can follow that shows cable routing and component part numbers12

Installation tipsKeep cable reels small, 600-1000 ftMake up a cart that can hold the reels and allow you to navigate hallwaysUse cable prep tools to make the connector install quick and consistentFollow the plans, especially couplersIf you have to deviate, compare with designer13

Indoor MappingThe Anritsu E-Series Spectrum Master, Cell Master, and Site Master models are powerful battery operated instruments that can support a wide range of signal types. With the addition of option 431, Coverage Mapping users can easily make measurements and create detailed maps and reports of indoor coverage. This option supports both indoor and outdoor mapping needs.

Both indoor and outdoor mapping features are particularly helpful for contractors, RF engineers, operators, public safety technicians and LMR personnel seeking to locate signal strength and coverage holes in real-world environments. By sampling received measurements from discreet locations, troubleshooting can be streamlined while network planning optimized.Learn more at www.anritsu.com

Anritsu E-Series Spectrum Master, Cell Master , and Site Master

Spectrum MasterCell MasterSite MasterSponsor break. And a good segue into the next topic, commissioning and system acceptance.14

CW Test FirstTest everythingConnect signal generator to DAS input with level at calculated per channel power from BDAAt each antenna check signal level with analyzerEg at 8ft @800Mhz free space loss is 38.6dBIf projected output at each antenna is -10dBm, should be seeing -48.6 on spec-an, give or take a couple dBWalk to farthest, most shielded locations and check signal strength to make sure you have at least -95, generally the stairwellsA CW test is one of the most overlooked tools of the trade. Trying to troubleshoot a problem with live signal stinks! CW testing allows you to measure everything without the variables of live signal.Why 8ft? Because its easy to see the length of 2 ceiling tiles

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Commissioning and live signal testCommission the BDA using manufacturers procedureBe sure to filter out unwanted signalsTest the worst areas to verify before calling for inspectionInspector usually does the 20 grid testOnly one can fail and that gives you 95% coverageThey can stand anywhere within that grid space

Be sure to filter out unwanted signals, ExamplesDo your own walk test before the inspector gets thereHave you ever done a grid test? Divide the floor plan into 20 equal grid squares. Inspector can test signal from anywhere within each square. If they want to be difficult theyll find the farthest corner. Or perhaps if they trust that you do good work they

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Typical PS Code RequirementsSignal of -95 or better in at least 95% of the building100% coverage in areas determined by the fire department to be critical areasBattery backup 4, 8, 12 or even 24 hoursNEMA 4 rating in some localitiesAmplifier failure alarmsCode does vary by municipalityThe actual requirements will be written into the citys building codes. But inspector has the latitude to determine critical coverage areas.Cellular systems with 3G or 4G technology were now designing to a -75, 100 times more signal than public safety!17

Critical Areas DefinedExit PathwaysStairwellsUsually the target we design toLobbiesAreas of public gathering in an emergencyCode compliance drawings shows this infoFire and Pump Control RoomsWhere ever the fire inspector wantsWhat are critical areas? Usually defined as exit pathways, places of public gathering in an emergency, pump and fire control rooms.18

Cellular DAS?Maybe best to partner with experienced VARRequires carrier coordinationSignal level (RSSI) is not the only measurement of qualityMuch more is involved in boosting cellular services, especially if multiple carriers are involved.1950 CoaxN-Type ConnectorsPlenum Corrugated + Positive StopLSZH Smooth wall + EZFit

RF Splitters/CombinersDirectional couplers / Taps

AntennasIndoor and OutdoorPassive Components

CELLMAX-O-CPUSEOmni directional

CELLMAX-D-CPUSEDirectional

Typical Coverage 1400-1850 m2 (15K-20K ft2)

What is Important for an In-Building Cable?FeatureWhy is it Important?BenefitBroadbandAbility to support existing and future 4G technologies & frequenciesLowest cost of ownership PIMAbility to add additional technologies and frequencies without distortionLowest cost of ownershipWeight & StrengthEase of installation / Durability of productLowest installation costCostLowest cost systemLowest CAPEX, best ROIWide SelectionOptimize cable to meet applicationLowest CAPEX, best ROIDependable ServiceObtain product how you want itLowest CAPEX, best ROILow Temp RatingShipping, storing, and initial install during cold weatherLowest installed cost, easy logistics22

Tools of the Industry

BDAs and RepeatersPico/Femto CellsActive DASExtends coverage indoorsBDAs are basic amplifiers and filtersRepeaters demod-remod the signalCellular operators onlySingle carrier solutionDoes not scale wellDifficult to manage many devicesCan be configured to add capacity and coverageHighly Scalable to large buildings and campuses22BDAs and Repeaters take outside signal, boost it and rebroadcast that signal indoors, and vice versaPico and Femto Cells are a disruptive new technology. They are generally only available through the carrier and are best suited to small office and home installationsActive DAS solutions are the favored for large facilities. The most common being the fiber DAS or hybrid fiber/coax DAS. We have a new DAS solution using cat5 cable.23Cellular SpecialtiesAxell, AndrewMobileAccess& ZinwaveCSI, Andrew, Microlabs & moreType Repeater/BDAUses Medium office, manufacturing, 50k-150k sq ftFrequency bands Cell, PCS, iDen, AWS, LTE, public safety > 700MhzType Fiber DAS & Cat5 DASUses Large office, hospitals, stadiums, arenas, airports, convention centers, hotels > 100k sq ftFrequency bands 136 Mhz to 6 GhzType Passive DAS components, optical fiberUses passive components to augment all types of in-building deployments

Our Toolbox

23CSI and Axell make BDAs and repeaters in a variety of frequency bands, can be combined for multi-carrier solutions or to feed a fiber DASMobileAccess, Zinwave and Andrew make active DAS solutions for large to very large places. Ideal for neutral host solutions. Passive components are the nuts and bolts of the industry. These are the cables, splitters, antennas required to complete the system24

Designs

Watch for upcoming webinar on how to do your own designsFor design assistance contact your account rep. They can put you in touch with me or one of our design team.24At Hutton we can assist with designs.

We use iBwave, the industry standard for in-building designs. iBwave design documents are required when doing cellular DAS systems.