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There are several reasons you might decide to implement a cell phone signal booster system in your home or commercial building. Perhaps you’re having trouble sending or receiving texts. Maybe you are constantly experiencing dropped calls or poor call quality on your cell phone. Problems like this not only affect business operations and financial transactions but personal communications and productivity as well.
Cell phone boosters amplify the strength of an existing cell signal in order to improve call quality and cellular data reception inside a luxury home, corporate office, healthcare facility or other large building. When you decide to have a cell signal booster installed, be sure to review the following implementation process so you know exactly what to expect along the way.
Consult with a qualified integrator to determine your needs
As you begin the process of implementing a cell signal booster in your building, it’s important to work with a trained, professional integrator from the very start. Consulting with an expert will help identify your needs based on your particular situation.
For instance, connecting with an integrator will allow you to discuss the problems you’re experiencing, the carriers with the poorest signal, and whether the connectivity problems are with voice, data or both. The integrator will also want to discuss the type of building you’re in, including layout and square footage, and your building’s location.
Most integrators will schedule a phone call prior to an onsite visit in order to conduct an exploratory conversation and review these basics. From there, the integrator will schedule a site signal survey.
Schedule a site signal survey
A site signal survey is a necessary step in the course of installing a signal booster in a commercial building. A site survey involves an integrator coming to your building and taking signal readings of the existing signal outside the building.
This determines the source of the strongest cellular signal in the area, giving installers a clear sense of where to install an antenna. After all, one of the most critical aspects of an amplifier solution is the strength of the outside signal.
During this time, the integrator will walk the perimeter of the building and make observations inside and out to determine the best places to install the antennas, where to run the cable from the roof into the building and where to install the actual amplifier to boost the signal indoors. This process allows the technician to take a deeper look at the building and its square footage, and develop the most efficient installation plan.
Prepare for installation: antennas, cable and amplifier
Once the initial consultation and site signal survey are complete, the integrator will draw up plans for the actual custom installation. In many cases, a full installation can be completed in under a week. However, it depends on the size of the building and the complexity of the project.
First and foremost, cell signal booster customers need to be prepared to have an outdoor antenna installed on their roof. This is called the donor antenna, and it’s how the booster picks up existing signal from cell towers. The rooftop is almost always the best place for installation.
In addition, the installer will run coax cable from the antenna into building. In most cases, an existing penetration point is available, but if not, the integrator can assist in getting the necessary cable access point.
Once inside, the integrator will mount indoor antennas (or broadcast antennas) to the walls or ceilings, depending on the layout. Finally, there needs to be access to AC power in order to operate the amplifier itself — which is a small, unobtrusive box that can usually be concealed in an IT room or closet.
Follow-up with a service plan
Once powered up, cell signal boosters offer customers significantly better connectivity right away. Fewer dropped calls, more reliable phone connection and higher data speeds are the immediate benefits of a cell signal booster system.
Most trained and certified installers will be happy to create an ongoing service plan for customers should the need exist. However, the majority of signal booster installs are low- to no-maintenance solutions that will continue to operate smoothly for many years to come.
Learn more about our commercial cellular signal booster solutions and how they help overcome your greatest connectivity problems by downloading our ebook.
