The In-Building Wireless market is expected to grow from $4.83 Billion in 2015 to $16.71 Billion in 2020, at a CAGR of 28.1% during the forecast period, according to a June 2015 market research report by MarketsandMarkets titled, “In-Building Wireless Market by System Components (Antennas, Cabling, DAS, Repeaters, Small Cells), Business Models (Carrier, Enterprise, Host), Building Size (Large & Medium, Small), Building Type, End Users, & Regions – Global Forecast to 2020.”
Commercial wireless users consistently demand reliable communications inside office and residential buildings for both business and personal needs. Additionally, across the nation, efforts to develop and implement national level model codes for public safety in-building communications are steadily underway.
DAS Design
As DASs (Distributed Antenna Systems) evolve, so too do the components that complement the DAS. When it comes to DAS design, choosing the correct component for dividing or combining signals can be a challenge. Considering the vast amount of choices between both the types of components and component manufacturers, design engineers are encouraged to closely examine and compare products frequently to ensure their designs are as efficient as possible.
Passive components such as Power Dividers, for example, are available in many types and are commonly used in DAS designs: “T-Junction” power dividers, Wilkinson power dividers, directional couplers, hybrid couplers and tappers. The frequency, applied power levels and port configurations of these components, along with environmental considerations, passive intermodulation (PIM) implications and end-user requirements all figure in to the decisions a designer must make when building bill of materials. Subtle and not-so-subtle differences between components can make or break a design. (Prime example: using a tapper instead of a directional coupler where directivity is needed for proper isolation between the “tapped” port and through port.)
Cross-band couplers, also known as diplexers, offer higher isolation and less loss than power dividers and directional or hybrid couplers. While each port of a standard directional or hybrid coupler is rated for a range of frequencies, a cross-band coupler’s ports are band-specific and can couple or divide a number of different frequencies with high isolation and low loss.
Duplexers, which should not be confused with diplexers, are used to combine or separate transmit and receive frequencies within a single paired spectrum.
National Passives Month
Westell is proud to offer an extensive line of passive components with industry-leading PIM performance and a variety of power ratings and input/output connector options. Westell has declared October 2015 as its “National Passives Month.” Together with its partners, Westell is offering promotions and exclusive offers designed to both incentivize and educate users on the benefits of deploying the right passive equipment. Due to the success of the program, Westell will be extending these benefits throughout the month of November.
Learn more at www.westell.com.
