For office premises, uninterrupted cellular communication is a production necessity, since most of the negotiations between employees, customers, and business partners are conducted over the phone.
Unfortunately, the quality of mobile communications often causes criticism, not only in small towns but also in large cities.
If you are interested in strengthening the signal in the office, in particular with the help of a Vodafone mobile signal booster, then this article is for you.
The Reason For The Poor Connection In The Office
Connection problems in the office can be expressed in such unpleasant situations as extraneous noise in the handset, distortion of the interlocutor’s voice, voice and Internet connection breaks, inability to make an outgoing call, etc.
The reasons for the above may be:
- Remoteness from the base tower of the mobile operator;
- Network congestion (for example, due to a large crowd of people);
- Obstruction of the office centre with forest plantations or high-rise buildings;
- Building materials that block the GSM/3G/4G signal (brick/reinforced concrete walls, energy-saving double-glazed windows, metal ceilings, etc.);
- Poor location of the office (for example, on the ground floor or in the basement);
- Too much office space.
Ways To Improve Communication In The Office
Kits that optimise mobile communications are divided into passive and active. At the heart of a passive amplification system is an antenna connected to a router and/or modem.
The principle of operation is as follows: a 2G-4G antenna is installed on the facade or roof of an office centre, directed to the base tower of a cellular provider, enters into resonance with the radio signal, amplifies it, and the modem and/or router connected to it by a coaxial cable distributes the amplified signal to serviced area. Let’s take a look at antennas that can be used to boost cellular coverage in an office.
1. Panel
Such devices are effective within fifteen kilometers from the base station of the mobile operator. The gain factor of panel radio antennas, as a rule, does not exceed twenty decibel-milliwatts, which is very often not enough for the full-fledged operation of a business centre.
2. Parabolic
They have a higher gain (from 25 decibel-milliwatts and higher) and can be effective at a distance of up to thirty kilometres from the base station.
Other advantages of parabolic models include ultra-wideband (the ability to work in different frequency ranges simultaneously), high efficiency, ease of installation and configuration, etc.
However, it should be taken into account that antennas with high gain may have a side effect. The gain value is inversely proportional to the radiation pattern of the device.
The higher the ratio, the narrower the chart. With a minimal deviation in the direction of the antenna, the gain can drop by several decibel milliwatts.
3. Supporting MIMO technology
The Multiple Input Multiple Output technology is primarily aimed at improving the mobile Internet by expanding the bandwidth of data transmission channels.
The main feature of MIMO antennas is the simultaneous support of different communication standards, for example, 2G, 3G, 4G, and LTE.
From a technical point of view, MIMO antennas can be both panel and parabolic, with all the advantages and disadvantages that follow from this.
Active signal amplification kits in the office are the most popular and effective. They are based on a repeater – an electronic cellular amplifier that can amplify even the weakest incoming signals and, unlike routers, improve not only the Internet but also voice communications. There are three, EE, and Vodafone signal boosters.
The procedure for installing active systems is quite simple. The outdoor 3G-4G antenna is mounted on the roof of the building and is guided by the mobile provider’s relay tower.
Inside the office, there is a network-operated repeater and an internal antenna that distributes an optimized signal to user devices (smartphones, tablets, etc.). A coaxial cable is used to connect components within the system.
What Do You Need To Know About The Work of Active Kits?
The coverage radius of an indoor antenna is determined by the actual power of the repeater and is not recorded in the data sheet.
The real power of the amplifier depends on the quality of the input signal, which is affected by the height of the donor antenna and its gain.
The higher the outdoor antenna is installed, the greater the coverage area you will receive on the territory of the facility.
The installation point of the receiving radio antenna is especially important if there are high-rise buildings, hills, forest belts, etc. near the office.
Practice shows that the correct installation of inventory can significantly improve the quality of communication and increase the range by fifty percent.
Installing multiple transmitting antennas is an efficient and cost-effective solution compared to purchasing a more powerful repeater.
The direction of the donor antenna can be adjusted using a 2G-4G signal speed metre. The principle is quite simple: you need to rotate the antenna in 25-30 degree increments and find the position in which the signal quality will be optimal. It is recommended to test the signal quality in the morning when the network is not yet overloaded.
If the incoming signal at the point of reception by an outdoor antenna is at a level of 100 or lower, even a repeater is unlikely to be able to rectify the situation.
And if it succeeds, then the coverage area from the internal antenna will be inadequately narrow. The only relevant way to amplify the radio signal is to raise the donor antenna a few metres.
Wrapping It Up
In order to choose an amplifier for an office space, you need to measure the signal level from the relay station. To do this, you can use special applications or professional radio frequency spectrum analyzers.
If you need professional support for installing a Vodafone mobile signal amplifier, we recommend that you contact UCtel.
You can improve the mobile signal of UK operators such as Virgin, Tesco, O2, and others in places such as shopping malls, hospitals, schools, parking lots, basements, etc.
