High-Density and De-Densified Smart Campus Communications

3Traditional DAS Technologies

This chapter covers cellular technology at a very basic level, with particular emphasis on Distributed Antenna Systems (DASs). A DAS can be implemented to provide adequate cellular telephone and Internet access coverage within an area (typically an indoor area), where the propagation of a Radio Frequency (RF) signal is often impaired. DASs are typically used in large office complexes, hospitals, airports, stadiums, and other venues, to enhance and/or facilitate indoor reception due to RF attenuation caused by obstructions, furniture, walls, and various other signal‐absorbing materials. The higher the cellular frequency in use (for example, with the newer 4G/5G system), the greater the potential for indoor attenuation and blind spots. While some fundamental concepts are covered herewith, it is not the goal of this chapter to go beyond a basic description of cellular communication.

A DAS can be configured to support a variety (or combination) of services, including cellular communications services, Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) services, Personal Area Networks (PANs) services, RF identification (RFID) and Bluetooth beacon tracking services, Location‐Based Services (LBSs), and generic Internet of Things (IoT) sensor support services. The implicit focus of this chapter is on cellular communications services, delivered through traditional User Equipment (UE) such as a multimedia cellular smartphone handling voice, data, video, and telemetry; ...