Have you ever walked in a retail store and the lines are crowded because the card readers are not working at the checkout counter? You may have experienced the loss of cellular signal at a far-off motel you visited on your last work trip.
Cellular signals are a necessity for the modern individual, and without them, we are essentially living off the grid. Apart from ruining your personal experience, weak or slow cellular signals can cause a world of problems for businesses.
This is where passive distributed antenna systems (DAS) can help business owners and their small businesses, while active DAS solutions can provide immense benefits for larger buildings and businesses.
Let’s discuss what passive DAS is, how it works, how it is different from active DAS, and what are its benefits and applications in the real world.
Always remember to consult Communications Solutions Inc. in Jacksonville, Florida for all your DAS solutions.
What Is Passive DAS & How Does it Work?
To put it simply, a passive distributed antenna system (DAS) is a cell phone signal booster. Unlike DAS or active DAS, which requires the creation of a new signal to distribute, passive DAS only amplifies existing signals in areas of weak or slow cellular signals.
It can amplify existing signals up to 32 times, solving any cellular connectivity issues.
The installation process of passive DAS is relatively easier, faster, and much less expensive compared to the installation of active DAS. Outdoors signals are captured by using donor antennas, strategically installed on the roof or near windows.
They are then connected to an amplifier unit using coaxial cables. The same cables are used to connect the amplifier to indoor antennas, or broadcast antennas, which are also strategically placed to overcome areas of weak or slow cellular signals.
Commonly, broadcast antennas like panel antennas are placed on interior walls and dome antennas are placed on the ceilings. This entire passive DAS installation works by capturing cellular signals from the outside, amplifying it, and redistributing the amplified signals indoors.
Benefits of Passive DAS
Apart from the cellular signal enhancing benefits, the best part about passive DAS is that it typically does not require any FCC approval or cellular carrier involvement, because it conforms to all regulations.
Additionally, it does not take too long to install and costs under one dollar per square foot, sometimes as low as thirty cents per square foot. Another benefit of passive DAS is that it can support all carriers, from big companies, like Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T, to much smaller local and regional carriers.
The antennas and amplifier do not discriminate and will work the same for all cellular carriers.
Passive DAS & Its Applications
Passive DAS works well for any type of business and below you will learn about some of its applications.
However, developers and large building or business owners may have bigger or better DAS requirements, which is where DAS solutions from Communications Solutions Inc. in Jacksonville, Florida comes into play.
They supply DAS installation for larger buildings and spaces that provide coverage for a far greater area than passive DAS to eliminate any dead zones or dead spots. Although, you can always consult them for any DAS requirements you may have, passive, active, large, or small.
That being said, let’s look at some of the applications of passive DAS in real-life situations.
- Retail Sector
The use of coupon apps in retail has increased over the past few years. More importantly, the pandemic has drastically increased phone payment methods around the world, all of which require cellular networks to function.
A passive DAS can enhance the cellular signals inside and outside retail stores to give customers a better shopping experience. Since passive DAS works well for all carriers, you can be assured every customer gets the benefits of amplified signals.
While this is great for customers, it is far better for retailers. They often lose sales due to unresponsive or slow systems and the subsequent waiting line buildup that occurs. Moreover, slow internet connections can affect the validation of debit or credit cards, which increases the chances of fraud.
- Social Events
Have you ever experienced slow or dead signals at a wedding, concert, or award function? You may want to call a friend who is lost in the crowd; but, you simply cannot get any signals on your device or theirs is out of range. This is a common issue, which can easily be solved with passive DAS.
Often, live events depend on live updates on Twitter or live streaming on Instagram and YouTube for their success. Hence, having a strong cellular and data connection is vital for them.
Even though most social events and gatherings are currently restricted in much of the world, passive DAS is a great solution for them nonetheless. Social event hosts and coordinators can benefit from the cellular signal amplification of a passive DAS system.
It solves any real-time social media update issues and provides for a far better experience for attendees because cellular signals from all carriers are amplified for smooth communications and data use.
- Motels & Small Hotels
Sometimes motels on the outskirts of towns or far-off highways suffer from poor cellular connectivity. The same is experienced in small hotels in the middle of busy cities, where cellular signals may be lost to the high-rise buildings or heavy usage in crowded areas.
These small businesses need to provide smoother guest experiences to keep up with the tough competition in the modern hotel industry, which includes seamless cellular signals. The simple days of clean sheets, good food, and customer service are no longer the norm.
Guests need more than the basics, and being able to communicate and use the internet is a top priority. Guests complaining of not being able to make calls or use data is a huge pitfall for motels and small hotel businesses.
It can negatively impact repeat business, recommendations, or worse, their yelp reviews. All the things that motels and small hotels heavily rely on. A passive DAS system in this situation is the best solution to overcome huge losses in the long run.
Conclusion
These were just some of the applications of passive DAS systems, and they are an excellent solution to amplify existing signals in many areas where weak or slow cellular signals exist, or they often keep dropping.
Many small business owners, like retailers, event planners, and motel owners, can take advantage of the cost-effective, time-saving, and multi-carrier benefits of passive DAS systems. It may be the differentiating factor that prevents future losses and saves their business.
For bigger buildings and large business owners, active DAS, or DAS solutions from Communications Solutions Inc. in Jacksonville, Florida, are the best and most comprehensive option.
If you want to learn more about DAS or passive DAS & its applications, or you want to consult or implement DAS systems for your building or large business, please Contact Us today!