Articles
by Pete Esposito
By anticipating future growth and planning for wireless communications that grow with the organization, businesses can save money and ensure hassle-free upgrading that keeps pace with expansion.
In 2009, Harris Communications installed wireless communications equipment for Riot Games, the creative company that produces League of Legends online gaming, to ensure clear cell phone reception inside their office buildings. The California-based video game developer has seen rapid growth, doubling its game community in the last four months. Thanks to our advance planning, their wireless communications are growing with them.
League of Legends has 32.5 million players registered, with 11.5 million monthly players. Their competitive League play offers a Season Two total prize pool of $5,000,000. Tournament play is broadcast as eSports over the web.
An increased investment in Riot Games this year by Tencent Holdings, its international publishing partner, has fueled their growth. Now expanding the product with Tencent, Riot Games currently has over 150 job openings, from artists and designers to analysts and engineers. The new staff needs cellular connectivity.
The growth plan we designed for Riot Games in 2009 included a custom wireless communications growth plan, starting with a wireless site survey to determine both current state needs and future needs should the organization expand into additional portions of the office building. We then installed scalable equipment capable of handling current and future loads, and ensured that the network of antennas could be efficiently expanded throughout the building as needed.
To replicate cell signals through an office or other commercial space, an installation requires at least one exterior antenna, one BDA (bi-directional antenna), and multiple smaller antennas to send and receive the cellular signal throughout the space. The BDA is the most expensive component, and cabling to connect the components is another large expenditure.
By choosing robust equipment and planning an efficient cabling blueprint, Harris Communications saved Riot Games the trouble and expense of replacing equipment each time they expand. Resale value for BDAs and other expensive components diminishes enormously after purchase, making replacement a very expensive option. Plus, a poorly planned cabling blueprint can lead to unnecessary and expensive re-routing projects with each expansion. So although the initial purchase price was slightly higher than it might have been, we saved Riot Games significant cost and trouble over the long term.
This past Monday, we headed out to California to assist Riot Games in their next expansion, and ensure that their new staff base receives the same high quality clear cell signal throughout the office building. All we had to do is run wires and add antennas, with no major equipment upgrades necessary.
In short, expanding on a system already purchased provides cost-effective and hassle-free upgrading, if the initial system is designed for scalability. Like Riot Games, Harris Communications knows how to equip champions for success.
by Pete Esposito
When the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia recently asked us to make their cell phones work inside the building, we knew it would be a special challenge. The walls between studios are padded with five layers of sound deadening material, which provides a great environment for music studies but a challenging one for cell phone signals.
Without a wireless site survey of the building, we could have installed multiple powerful amplifiers throughout the building and hopefully created a solution that would have adequately met their needs. However, by physically inspecting the premises and applying data from an RF spectrum analyzer and a signal generator, we were able to save the organization thousands of dollars and design a solution that we were confident would provide a crystal clear signal throughout the building—even in a sound-proof room.
The wireless site survey provides detailed information that enables Harris Communications to determine exactly how much signal amplification is necessary and where. This means we can purchase exactly the right bi-directional amplifier (BDA), exactly the right amounts of cable, and exactly the right number and type of bi-directional antennas for your office building or other commercial property. By avoiding the necessity of over-purchasing equipment to compensate for lack of knowledge, the wireless site survey saves the customer significant cost.
Additionally, by physically inspecting and determining strong and weak points within the building, Harris Communications can design a plan for installing antennas and cabling in a strategic manner to ensure better reception throughout the building, with no dead spots.
Without a wireless site survey, it is possible to obtain a strong signal within the building, but not only will the system be more expensive, it can backfire in terms of performance. An over-amplified signal may look like full bars on your cell phone, but the phone may not be able to power itself up high enough to get back to the antenna. And, without a properly designed antenna deployment plan, you may still end up with dead spots.
In some cases, a system that is too powerful can create noise back to the tower and shrink the coverage demographics. This will quickly get the attention of carriers, and they can demand that your system be turned off, and/or levy significant financial penalties.
To avoid these problems, every Harris Communications wireless site survey begins with a physical walk-through of the site. From the top of the building, we look for the location of incoming cell signals, from cell phone towers to repeaters mounted atop nearby buildings. We note how many and which carriers are available from each source, and the strength of the signal. This information is used to determine optimal number, location, and direction of your building’s main antennas, as well as the size of the BDA necessary.
Within the building, we inspect each office space, hallway, and common area using an RF spectrum analyzer to determine exact levels of signal and interference. Combined with knowledge of materials and location of physical barriers, this analysis enables us to select the right type and number of antennas.
Careful measurements and noting of unique conditions, including inspection of crawl spaces in the ceilings, utility areas, and other location-specific data, allow us to design an exact plan for installation of cables and wiring. With the cost of copper consistently going up, knowing the exact measurement of cable in advance saves money and simplifies budgeting.
Thanks to Harris Communications, the Curtis Institute of Music now receives clear cellular signals within offices, studios, hallways, stairwells, and common areas. However, it’s not just music schools that benefit. Office spaces, hospitals, factories, universities, and government buildings all can save money and get clearer cell phone reception with a wireless site survey.
Call Harris Communications for more information or an estimate: 803-325-1717
Came across this article when I was checking out the news in our region. The area that is referenced is long overdue for cellular coverage.
This just reaffirms how much society relies on and expects quality cellular coverage:
New Tower Might Help With Dropped Calls in Rural York County
A new cell tower planned in southern York County could bring relief for wireless customers fed up with missed calls and shaky reception. Cell service has been lousy for years in the rural areas south of Rock Hill. The 200-foot tower proposed by Comporium Communications would boost coverage from an unlikely spot – a corner of the driving range at the Rock Hill Country Club. “Cellular telephone coverage in this area is very weak or non-existent for Comporium and other wireless carriers,” said Keith Powell of Oasis Consulting of the Carolinas, a company pitching the facility…….
Go here to read the article in its entirety.
Spotty Cell Reception in Charlotte, NC
This is not a surprise to Harris Communications! We hear about the spotty reception and dropped calls that plague our peers and friends throughout Charlotte.
The problem is troublesome enough that it made it’s way into the Charlotte Observer.
Dropped Call Doldrums
If you are frustrated by poor cell phone reception and dropped calls in your facility, you are not alone. Hospitals are notorious for poor to nonexistent cell phone coverage.
Hello! I read an article a few weeks ago and have been meaning to share it with you. This article focuses on the spotty coverage that accompanies the IPhone.
Bird on a Wire……
This blog is industry related folks but not what we typically blog about at Harris Communications. My day started with the routine cup of coffee and logging onto my computer. I went to the local online paper this morning and I had to laugh when I read an article that talks about birds using a cell tower as “home”.