Written by 
The planning for a commercial booster should be at the planning stage of your project, this allows the relevant cables to be laid in advance of any finished walls or ceilings. This allows the contractor to not just complete the cable runs when it’s cheaper to do so, he will already be running cables in trays without obstructions, fire walls or other impediments to cable runs.
Early planning ensures that the mobile signal booster will have access points that overlap and give 100% coverage. If the mobile booster system is retrofitted then issues like getting cables to areas where the ceilings are plastered, or no hatches of ceiling tiles being available can occur.
A mobile booster can be fitted during the build itself. What often happens, is that it is only when the walls and ceilings are in place that the signal drops and people are unable to make and receive calls. The new building acts as a Faraday cage and all of a sudden contractors on site, guests and potential buyers can no longer make calls. Most modern buildings will experience this issue due to the high quality of building materials used today, so considering the inclusion of a signal booster early on can negate this issue.
Coverage with a retrofit can give close to 100% coverage as the teams can look at using existing cable routes , hatches and risers. This allows them to cable from the roof into the building where an amplifier will be installed. The mobile booster amplifier will then be connected to a series of signal splitters, frequency combiners and LMR400 cables to antennas situated around the building.
The fireproofing is usually completed when a mobile booster is fitted late in the construction phase, if the fire proofing is in place we can still install the booster. Where the fire proofing is broken to run cables, it will be reinstated by the Mobile Signal Solutions team and will be marked up on the plans. The building management usually does not have to take further action however it can be inspected and verified after in some cases.
In a case where the project is completed, with the painting, tiling and furnishing already in place, installing a mobile signal booster can be very difficult, especially in private homes. Without communal landlord areas in which to complete the installation of the mobile booster and its antennas the client is often reliant on running cable outside of the building along the underside of downpipes, or if they have an attic to use the loft space to run cables from one end to the other and use a panel antenna facing downwards to beam the signal into different parts of the building. This method can be very effective in old period mansions with timber floors that allow signals to penetrate down through the floors.
In a modern clean home, with a perfect finish, the challenge of retrofitting a booster is very real, but our team will often find a solution. This may be using a powerful amplifier, usually used in larger buildings and broadcasting from a small number of central antennas. Providing a signal strong enough to beam through the home into at least the most important rooms, giving mobile signal coverage in the kitchen, living room and offices as well as the other less critical areas, like the bedrooms.
The mobile signal team are here to help, are the most experienced UK team of mobile booster installations and will find a way to retroactively fit a mobile signal booster. However, if you can, you should plan the installation of a mobile signal boosting system in the planning stages. We recommend you include the specifications of a booster into the tender document.
Mobile signal solutions team can complete a survey, specify the equipment needed for a mobile signal booster system and help your team to get quotes from multiple suppliers for a system that can be installed in phases while the construction is ongoing.
Please contact mobile signal solutions to help spec the tender document for a building mobile signal boosting solution. Design and costings can be provided to plan the install of a cellular mobile signal booster for any project from plans, once an onsite signal scan is completed to identify the networks available.