RENT Magazine Q4 '21

up to respond to the ever-growing demand for constant cellular connectivity. But many times, building materials such as LEED windows, concrete or rebar, as well as busy urban environments, and underground or remote locations can block carrier signals from entering apartment facilities. This can result in spotty cellular coverage, dropped calls, or what many refer to as “dead zones.” Oftentimes, poor cellular reception is encountered in indoor and outdoor parking facilities as well as stairwells, laundry rooms, basements, elevators, and of course, in apartment units, especially those in high-rise buildings. A lack of reliable cellular coverage can put your tenants and your property at risk, as well as frustrate occupants. While Wi-Fi has historically been a low-cost option for many buildings, it is unreliable and does not deliver the performance that today’s connected world requires. On the other end of the spectrum is traditional Active DAS (Distributed Antenna System), which offers high performance coverage but for most facilities is cost-prohibitive, often costing hundreds of thousands of dollars and taking up to 18 months to install. In contrast, active DAS hybrid solutions combine the digital distribution performance benefits of traditional active DAS, but at a much lower price point. They are used to ensure reliable cellular coverage in multiple environments, from underground parking facilities and buildings as large as a million square feet to high-rise buildings. For spaces smaller than 30,000 square feet, there are also smart signal boosters that can be easily installed inside or outdoors. The Cel-Fi line of cellular coverage products offers the highest-grade solutions available in the market and can provide up to 1000x more gain than solutions based on older analog technology. DIFFERENT CELLULAR INNOVATIONS FOR DIFFERENT USES There are a variety of cellular innovations to address a wide range of coverage challenges in different environments in apartment facilities. For example, cellular signal can be weak in many outdoor parking lots and indoor parking structures. What’s often needed is a reliable cellular signal booster that is powerful and flexible enough to overcome the unique challenges posed in both outdoor and indoor environments. Marcus Carstens, business operations lead at Waveform, which custom designs cell signal boosters for a wide variety of applications, regularly recommends the Cel-Fi GO Smart Signal Booster line for both indoor and outdoor parking garages up to 30,000 square feet.

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