One of our clients, a biotech company with US Headquarters in Cambridge, MA, expanded to additional facilities in Lexington, MA. As soon as they moved into the first floor of their new space, employees discovered that the new building had unreliable cell service. Making and receiving calls – a convenience they previously took for granted – had become a daily challenge for the staff who had moved to the new building. Knowing that their space was slated to expand to the second and third floors of the building, it was clear that something had to be done to improve the cell coverage.
When they reached out to KTS we were immediately able to diagnose their issue. The new building is a LEED certified building which uses low-E glass. Low-E glass is made with layers of metallic coatings and/or inert gases which serve to block the sun’s rays and stop the transfer of heat. This can generate enormous energy savings. However, those coatings can also block out cell signals. There is a simple solution that allows cell signals to work in this type of energy efficient building: the installation of a cellular Bi-directional antenna (BDA). Cellular BDAs redirect the cell signal throughout the building.
The building’s owners had some concerns about the installation of cellular BDAs. The building is near Hanscom Air Force Base and they wanted assurance that the antennae would not affect the military base. They also wanted to ensure that the cellular BDA would not affect the surrounding neighborhoods. These concerns reflect common misconceptions about BDAs.
The antennae are not tall and highly visible, on the contrary, the antennae are around nine to 12 inches tall and are mounted on a mast that is about six-feet tall and are installed out of the line of sight so you will not see them unless you know where to look. The antenna points at the nearest cell tower and receives the signal; it then directs the signal inside the building. It does not emit any signal of its own. It merely redirects the cellular signal. A cellular BDA does not affect coverage of neighboring buildings or businesses, it simply boosts the signal to your building making your coverage better.
A cellular BDA does not interfere with other communications, like radar for example, because it does not produce a signal of its own, but merely redirects the signal from the cell tower. Therefore, the proximity to an Air Force base would not be an issue of concern.
Once all the questions about BDAs were satisfactorily answered and the plans were approved, we installed the cellular BDA. Immediately, the employees were able to make and receive calls and texts from anywhere in their new building, allowing them to stop worrying about their cell service and get back their research.
If your LEED certified building is causing sketchy cell service, there is an easy solution. Learn more about cellular BDAs here, then give us a call. We can design and install a cellular BDA and get your workplace back to top efficiency.
