Background
In today’s connected and digital world, cellular coverage has played a critical role in daily business operation and daily life. People communicate with each other by mobile phones over cellular network 5G/4G LTE, while connected devices exchange data via IoT (Internet of Things) technology, and autonomous vehicles running on the road, etc., all these applications rely on reliable cellular coverage. We can say the cellular coverage not only helps us to improve efficiency and productivity, but also makes our world better and smarter.
However, in some difficult places where the cellular coverage is poor or limited, such as, government buildings, commercial properties, factories that comes with structures with thick walls, or cellular blocking materials, underground parking lot, remote rural areas and agricultural locations, these places will block or inhibit cellular service, and bring challenges to our world.
Thanks to the signal booster, which helps to improve the signal coverage of 5G, 4G, LTE cellular network, and it has been widely used in both rural and urban areas where cellular coverage is limited, to overcome the connectivity challenges.
This article will tell you what is signal booster, how does it work? Where do you need signal booster? How does IoT technology helps to monitor and manage signal booster remotely.
- What is Signal Booster?
A signal booster is a type of bi-directional amplifier used to improve cellular coverage. A signal booster system commonly consists of a donor antenna that receives and transmits signal from nearby cell towers, a signal amplifier, and an indoor rebroadcast antenna, which is also called server antenna.
- How does Signal Booster Work?
- Donor antenna to receive signal
A donor antenna will be installed or mounted on roof top, vehicle, walls outside to receive signals from cell towers nearby.
- Signal amplifier to boost the signals
The donor antenna outside to receives and transmits to booster to amplify and pass the signal to inside server antenna.
- Server antenna to rebroadcast the signals
The amplified signals will be distributed and rebroadcasted to the areas where cellular devices need it.
- Where Do You Need Signal Booster?
- How IoT Helps to Monitor and Manage Signal Booster?
Although the signal booster has helped telcos to expand their cellular coverage, it also brought challenges to them to remotely monitor the status of massive signal boosters, maintain and manage the signal boosters, as the signal boosters have been widely deployed in different locations remotely.
Thanks to the IoT technology, by connecting an industrial 4G IoT router to signal booster, and a management platform at cloud server, signal booster operator is able to check the number, locations, status of signal boosters deployed via web-based platform or mobile APP, and remotely diagnose the issues and upgrade the firmware. It not only improves service efficiency and customer satisfaction, but also reduce maintenance cost.
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