WHITE PAPER

Understanding Passive
Distributed Antenna
Systems (DAS)
White Paper by Dan Romanchik

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Understanding Passive Distributed

Antenna Systems (DAS)
One of the problems that many companies face is providing reliable cellular phone
communications inside their facilities. This problem is getting worse all the time as employees
rely less and less on traditional landline telephones and more and more on wireless phones.
Some studies estimate that 70% or more of wireless calls and data connections take place
inside a building. Today, people expect their wireless connections to be reliable inside a
building, at home or on the road.
Another reason for ensuring reliable cellular service inside facilities is the increasing use of
wireless home and building automation devices, such as the Scout Alarm System, that
require 3G or 4G connectivity for access and programming. Without a reliable connection,
users cannot take advantage of the features these devices provide.
One way that building owners, facility managers, and IT professionals can provide this level
of service is to install a distributed antenna system (DAS) in their commercial, industrial or
institutional buildings. Distributed
antenna systems have proven to
be cost-effective solutions to
providing uninterrupted service for
employees, customers and service
providers.
According to the HetNet Forum,
formerly called the Distributed
Antenna Systems Forum, a
distributed antenna system is a
network spatially separated by
antenna nodes connected to a
common source via transport
medium that provides wireless
service within a geographic area or
structure. More simply, as shown
in Figure 1, a distributed antenna
system receives signals from a
cellular network using an outside
antenna and distributes this signal
to antennas strategically located

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Figure 1. A distributed antenna system, or DAS, receives cellular signals using

an outside antenna and distributes the signal to antennas inside a building.

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inside a building or facility where the signal is weak or non-existent. In addition to receiving
and distributing a received signal, the DAS picks up and re-transmits signals that originate
inside a building or facility.
Distributed antenna systems can be passive or active. In a passive DAS, the outside antenna
connects to a cellular amplifier or repeater, which then connects to the distributed antennas
around the building or facility using coaxial cable and splitters, where appropriate. There is no
amplification between the repeater and the distributed antennas, hence the name passive
distributed antenna system.
Passive DASs support multiple carrier frequencies, but signals from the distributed antennas
located farther from the repeater will be lower in strength than signals from antennas that are
closer to it. Similarly, signals from wireless devices will be weaker when received by
antennas that are farther from the repeater. For this reason, passive DAS design is typically
used for smaller coverage areas (less than 200,000 square feet).
Active DASs, on the other hand, employ amplifiers at the distributed antenna locations, and
signals may be transported from the repeater to the distributed antenna locations via coax,
fiber, or CAT-5/6e cabling. The amplifiers amplify the signal from the repeater and provide a
stronger signal to wireless units. They also amplify signals from the wireless units to provide
a stronger outgoing signal. Active DASs may cover very large areas, but at the expense of
higher cost and greater complexity.

Do you need a Distributed Antenna System?

You may need a distributed antenna system if:

Tenants and facility users complain about dead spots or low signal levels, or you see
them standing near windows or going outside to make calls.

Your building is an LEED-certified building that uses low emissivity (low-E) glass that
prevents RF signals from entering the building.

Your building uses metal pan concrete poured construction that prevents RF signals
from traveling between floors.

Your building has a metal roof or metal wall panels, which prevent RF signals from
entering the building.

It's required for public safety coverage. Some cities now require that cellular service is
available throughout a facility.

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A passive DAS is probably the right solution for you if you need to support 100 simultaneous
callers or fewer on the same frequency and need to reliably cover 80,000 square feet or less.
With two amplifiers, a system can support up to 200 callers and 160,000 square feet of floor
space. One of the biggest advantages of using a passive DAS is that it costs considerably
less than an active DAS. The purchase price of a passive DAS can be 10 20% of the cost
of an active DAS.
Installation and maintenance costs are lower, too. The reason for this is that the system is
simpler. Passive DAS systems have no remote amplifiers or remote hubs to install and
maintain.

How to select a passive DAS for your application

When selecting a passive DAS for your building, you must consider the following:

Compatibility with the carriers and supported services that your customers and tenants
are currently using. While many passive DASs do support multiple carriers, they may
not support all of the services provided by those carriers. 2G and 3G support is usually
not a problem, but some systems do not support all of the 4G services for all carriers.

The amount of floor space that the system will have to cover. The more floor space that
you have to cover, the more distributed antennas, and associated equipment, like
splitters and attenuators, you will need.

The number of floors the system will have to cover. If your passive DAS system has
to cover many floors, you may need to install more antennas if the floor penetration
is poor.

The current outdoor signal strength. The stronger your outdoor signal, the more space
you'll be able to cover. With a strong outdoor signal (five bars), you will typically be able
to cover 80,000 sq. ft. With a medium-strength outdoor signal (three to four bars), you'll
be able to cover up to 60,000 sq. ft., and with a weak signal, you'll only be able to cover
40,000 sq. ft. (80K sq. ft. of coverage requires the SureCall Force5 Industrial grade,
passive amplifier. A SureCall Force5 Consumer grade amplifier will boost signal
coverage up 30K sq. ft.)

In some cases, especially when outdoor signals are weak, you may want to purchase more
than one passive DAS. This can still be a cost-effective solution because passive DASs are
much less expensive than active DASs.

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Should you in-source or out-source design and installation?

If you have expertise in telecommunications systems, then you may be able to successfully
install a passive DAS on your own. Most companies do not, however, have this kind of
experience, so we recommend getting proposals from companies like the
RepeaterStore.com. We have the expertise to ensure that all your bases are covered. A
proposal should include:
A propagation and modeling design (before and after DAS is installed). This model should
show how all the required areas and the frequencies and technologies that the system will
support.

A detailed bill of materials, including all product and equipment costs.

A project timeline, including time for installation and testing.

A plan to coordinate system registration with the appropriate carriers.

Ongoing support and maintenance agreements.

A plan to install upgrades and make design changes to support other technologies,
such as LTE (4G or Long Term Evolution), as the need arises.

Case study: Passive DAS keeps customers happy

To inspire and engage VIP shoppers, luxury retailers are turning to live-stream fashion
broadcasts, digital product displays and iPad-enabled sales associates. In addition, techsavvy shoppers expect and demand connectivity for their personal cell and data devices.
To ensure consistent wall-to-wall wireless customer service, one such retailer turned to
RepeaterStore.Com.
The retailer contacted RepeaterStore.com to install a system at their new downtown
location in a newly-constructed five-story building. We were contracted near the
completion of the building to install a passive DAS.
This installation presented several challenges:
As is often the case, the building prevented cellular users inside from getting a
strong signal.

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Although outdoor signals are usually very strong in urban areas, a repeater installed
in a nearby building prevented a strong signal from the customer's carrier of choice
reaching the building.
The signals from the carrier of choice were weak. The signals fluctuated up to -6 dB.
The design required concealed antenna panels and use of Plenum rated cable.

Fortunately, we were provided floor plans to assist us with the system mapping. After a
thorough analysis, we designed a system using two SureCall FORCE5 amplifiers and two
SC248W full-band panel antennas. Approximately half the distributed antennas inside the
building were connected to each amplifier. This is shown in Figure 2.

Figure
antennaswere
were
installed
above
the ceiling
to conceal
the
units
from view.
Figure2.
2. Panel
Panel antennas
installed
above
the ceiling
to conceal
the units
from
view

The project included remote amplifier monitoring with SureCalls Sentry units. The Sentry
allows users to remotely monitor system operation and alert users to RF interference. The
Sentry also allows real-time amplifier adjustments via the Internet.
Based on the success of providing quality service to the sales floors, we were asked to
expand system to include offices and storage space in the building's basement. We were
able to do this quite easily by adding a third Force5 amplifier unit, a SC222W antenna, and
distributed antennas to cover the space.
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