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When considering in-building wireless solutions, cellular repeater systems provide a clear advantage for most enterprises — quick and easy deployment. WilsonPro solutions accommodate a wide range of commercial applications and can often be deployed in weeks.
Here’s a detailed look at the WilsonPro installation process from start to finish.
What Is a Cellular Repeater System?
Even though cellular network coverage has grown considerably over the past several years, many businesses still struggle with reliable mobile access. Cellular repeater systems like those offered by WilsonPro address this problem by amplifying existing, strong outside cell signal and pushing it to indoor areas where signal quality is weak—improving reception inside hotels, corporate offices, healthcare facilities, warehouses, and other commercial properties.
How Do Cellular Repeaters Enhance In-Building Cell Signal?
In-building cellular repeaters have three main components: a donor antenna, a repeater unit, and a broadcast antenna.
- The donor antenna is mounted outside of a building in order to capture strong signal from nearby towers. These antennas are typically placed on the roof or side of a building.
- The repeater unit amplifies the signal captured from the cellular tower.
- The broadcast antenna is installed indoors and delivers the amplified cellular signal to devices throughout the building.
WilsonPro enterprise repeater products feature Multi -Tower Targeting technology. This is a three outdoor-antenna-port configuration that can receive cellular signal from multiple cell towers at the same time — effectively boosting the strongest possible signal for all carriers into a building.
WilsonPro’s low, mid, and high-band repeater solutions all support 5G, so businesses can make the most of the blazing fast speeds, low latency, and other advantages 5G has to offer.
WilsonPro In-Building Installation Process
If you’re considering a cellular signal repeater solution for your building, it’s helpful to know what to expect throughout the implementation process. Here’s a look at how installation works with WilsonPro.
Start With a Needs Assessment
A phone consultation with a WilsonPro authorized representative will help you understand and identify how a cellular repeater can address your specific requirements. During this initial conversation you will discuss the size of your building, its location, what problems you’re experiencing, and where. They will also note your timeline for the installation and who will be involved in decision making throughout the process.
You will also discuss your specific connectivity needs. For example, do you need strong, reliable cell signal coverage mostly for phone calls, texting, uploading and downloading data, or all of the above? Also, what solutions have you looked at in the past.
Work With a Dedicated Integrator
A WilsonPro authorized representative can discuss your connectivity needs and the cellular repeater installation process with you.
They’ll start by referring you to a WilsonPro-certified integrator in your area. This professional has a deep working knowledge of the different products that can improve cellular signal quality in building interiors and how they can be used.
Schedule a Site Survey
Once you complete this initial exploratory conversation, your integrator will schedule a site survey at your building. A site survey is the first and most important step in assessing your cellular signal amplification needs to ensure you receive the best solution.
Integrators conduct a complete assessment to accurately determine the source of the strongest cell signal in your area and which carriers/networks get the best and worst signal there. The integrator will note the strongest and weakest signal areas inside your building.
The integrator relies on decibels instead of bars to get the most accurate measure of signal strength since the bars on a mobile phone are based on a manufacturer- generated algorithm. Which means bars can vary greatly among different carriers and devices.
All of this signal measurement data will ultimately dictate the type of equipment needed to improve your signal, and where it should be placed to achieve the best results. It’s important to conduct the site survey at a time of day that will provide an accurate picture of what the typical cellular needs and usage demands are in your building.
Whether you’re an occupant, owner, or the building manager, you play an important role in the site survey, too. First of all, you’ll need to ensure that the integrator can access all necessary places in the building to conduct a thorough site survey. This begins with providing a complete floor plan and, if necessary, working with building maintenance, security personnel, or city departments to obtain access to the roof or areas that may be restricted.
In fact, roof access is almost always necessary because that’s where donor antennas are typically placed. In order to get the most out of your site survey, your integrator will need complete access in and around the building.
Prioritize Your Connectivity Needs
The initial site survey also provides an opportunity to capitalize on the expertise of your integrator to help determine how to prioritize the signal needs in your building. For example, you may choose to focus on key areas, such as executive offices and conference rooms, and make areas that are less essential to business functions — such as storage areas, break rooms, or cafeterias — a lower priority.
When making these decisions, you’ll also want to consider the pain points of the employees, visitors, and patrons of your business. For example, beyond the work space area, where else might an employee need (or appreciate) strong cell signal? While you may be inclined to bypass signal enhancements in common areas, consider how often people routinely make calls or send texts and emails from these areas on their personal break times.
If you’re the owner of a retail business, you should consider the signal needs throughout your entire store. While a strong signal at the checkout counter is imperative for secure payments and fast transactions, your customers will also want to research or compare the price of a product online, access online coupons, or send a photo to friends or family for validation of an important purchase.
All of these are important considerations and your integrator can work with you to ensure you don’t overlook any key factors in deciding which areas in your building receive priority for enhanced cell coverage. Of course, you can always make future additions and adjustments to the installation as needed.
Design a Customized Solution
Once the initial consultation and site signal survey are complete, your integrator will put together a customized installation plan based on your specific requirements, building size, and outside signal strength.
WilsonPro offers a variety of repeaters to meet different size building requirements. Our repeater solutions can cover a large square foot area by installing multiple repeaters within a single building. Your installation plan will be designed to maximize coverage throughout your space, prioritizing any specific areas you’ve identified in your site survey and consultation.
The physical installation of antennas and cable will span both indoor and outdoor areas of your building. Repeaters are generally best placed in a dedicated IT closet or communications room because they require a reliable and strong power source to function properly.
A universal power supply is also recommended so the repeater will never shut down even in a power outage. When providing the details of your floor plan to your integrator, be sure to clearly identify where in the building these areas are located. This will help the integrator design the ideal repeater system layout for your needs.
Once the system design is finalized, you’ll receive a proposal outlining all of the details of the installation and an upfront breakdown of costs, including materials and labor. The cost breakdown is flexible and may go up or down based on any changes to your specifications. Proposals might also include case studies and/or recommendations from other WilsonPro customers.
If you prefer, you can also request a demo in your building. This involves your integrator setting up the donor antenna and cabling, and turning on the repeater. The demo gives you an opportunity to see firsthand how a repeater can improve connectivity in your building before you commit to an installation.
What to Expect During and After Installation
The goal of WilsonPro and our approved installers is to complete this process with as little disruption to you as possible. Because WilsonPro’s solutions use passive distributed antenna systems (passive DAS), they’re less intrusive than h active DAS installations, which require complex fiber optic networks that often involve breaking into walls, ceilings, or floors. WilsonPro-certified integrators will communicate to you during the site survey what they anticipate in terms of construction needs for the project, such as moving items, drilling, installing cable, and placing antennas.
Whenever possible, integrators will use existing access points to install equipment as long as cellular signal can be adequately amplified via those locations. Overall, you can expect your installation to cause minimal disruption to your daily operations.
The exact details of the installation will vary depending on the type of business, the construction of the building, and any aesthetic requirements.
- School or campus installations, for example, often must address thicker interior wall construction with concrete and brick. In these facilities, your installer will work to recommend the antenna that best satisfies the need for both aesthetics and coverage.
- Retail spaces, hotels, and office buildings have unique requirements because (as mentioned earlier) owners and building managers must consider both business/employee and customer/patron needs, as well as where and how various users will be using their devices. For many upscale or brand-conscious businesses, aesthetics may also be a consideration..
- Warehouse and manufacturing facilities typically have fewer aesthetic requirements. However, they must account for any materials or machinery that could impede signal to areas where it’s most needed throughout the building.
- Hospitals and healthcare facility installations must strike a balance between enabling critical communications and business functions, while also minimizing disruption to patients and doctors. Clean installation methods and techniques are used to meet the hospitals’ sanitary and environmental standards.
Ensure Performance with Remote Monitoring
To ensure the optimal performance of your cellular signal repeater system, your WilsonPro integrator will offer maintenance and support for any new or future needs or problems. Remote, monitoring is part of many WilsonPro boosters, including the Enterprise 1300, Enterprise 4300, and Enterprise 4330 series of products. These cloud-enabled systems alert customers of any changes or issues so the integrator can be notified and make adjustments to the repeater for optimal performance.
Both integrators and building managers can remotely monitor the repeater from any mobile device and be immediately notified of any issues, such as system failure, oscillation, or change in signal strength. This enables remote troubleshooting when necessary and also allows end users to closely monitor and measure the return on investment (ROI) on infrastructure spend and manage expectations with employees and leadership.
How Long Will Installation Take?
The installation of a cellular repeater system can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks or months. Completion times are dependent on several factors, such as building size, coverage requirements, facility accessibility, hours of installation work, and resource availability.
Once your project is complete, your integrator will conduct a walk through with you, measure the signal, and compare the level of improvement to the signal readings obtained during the initial site survey.
To learn more about WilsonPro repeater solutions and the installation process, download the eBook on the Definitive Guide to WilsonPro In-Building Cellular Amplifier Installation or contact us today.
