Blog
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 Jim McEwen
Lives are saved every day by the quick response of emergency teams. It’s amazing and gratifying to hear of students saved by effective college notification systems, whether it’s a child whose heart is quickly restarted by a nearby defibrillator and faculty trained to use it, or students and faculty successfully evacuated from buildings in the case of fire, terrorist attacks, or natural disaster.
Colleges, universities, and schools of every level seek to protect their students from dangers, and provide safety procedures for the unexpected. In the instance of a gunman that was spotted with an AK-47 at the University of Texas, security officers notified everyone on campus with text messages, loudspeakers, sirens, and an online posting. Thanks to up-to-date communication systems, security teams caught up with the man before anyone could be hurt, although he did take his own life. Immediate response may have saved many students.
What if people on campus had not heard the sirens, and were in an area of a building that did not get a clear cellular signal? What if staff needed a defibrillator to save a life, but they couldn’t locate it and the appropriate staff quickly enough? With a clear cell signal, and fully functioning wi-fi, they could send messages for help, and receive vital alerts and instructions.
Clearly, when there’s a problem on campus, wireless communications capability inside buildings is critical. However, those ivy-covered brick walls of old, solid buildings often don’t allow signals in, creating areas with little or no cellular reception. Newer, green buildings block cellular reception with low-emissivity windows and aluminum-clad insulation.
Furthermore, cellular carriers are now using 3G and 4G frequencies that carry higher data transmission on larger bandwidths. The higher frequencies allow carriers to serve more customers in populated places, but they don’t penetrate buildings as well as lower signals.
Harris Communications can make cell phones work in all these buildings, with all these frequencies, so that officers and campus officials can email or text all students right away. Security staff can tap a database to send an alert of the situation and issue life-saving instructions.
Carrier-neutral installation by Harris Communications ensures that each cell provider gets equal coverage inside college, university, business parks, medical, municipality, and government campuses. In addition, we represent and mediate as your advocate with all the cellular carrier networks to develop a network without frequency feedback, providing efficient service.
Harris Communications builds a college campus DAS, or distributive antenna solution, that provides wireless service to every area of its buildings. This network is customized using active repeaters, splitters and feeders for multi-building campuses, and optimized for each building type to get the same dependable signal.
The result is cellular and wi-fi access enabled all over the campus: where calls for help are sent, warning messages are heard, student safety is improved, and lives are saved.
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
Harris Communications is privileged to work with some of the best vendors in our industry.
We pride ourselves on continuing to establish and nurture relationships with our vendors so we can deliver comprehensive, cost effective and efficient solutions for our clients. We just heard about the CommScope wireless solution for a public transportation system in Italy. We are excited to see the innovative technology coming from a US company and look forward to CommScope’s continued growth and success.
To learn more about this wireless solution, GO HERE.
About East Cooper Hospital
East Cooper has been recognized with five star ratings for spine surgery, hip fracture repair and patient satisfaction; Gold Seals from one of America’s most respected health care organizations, and the designation as South Carolina’s “Get With the Guidelines Hospital of the Year”. They have an extraordinary team of health care professionals –some who touch our patients personally, and some who offer support and talents from behind the scenes. The entire staff is focused on the same goal: to provide care to our deserving friends, family and neighbors.
After 23 years of serving the community, a new facility was needed to accommodate growth in the community. The new hospital is twice the size of the former facility and offers conveniences and amenities that illustrate East Cooper’s commitment to the community. The new facility officially opened in April 2010 and is better suited to serve the growing community.
Nature of the Situation
East Cooper contacted Harris Communications after the facility was completed. They realized that the cellular reception was not reliable and wanted to seek out a solution. The new facility featured state of the art technology and reliable cellular reception was imperative. The hospital wanted reception for staff who rely on smart phones as well as visitors and guests who depend on cellular coverage to communicate. This particular hospital is a member of a large system and had stringent standards for qualifying outside vendors. Harris Communications was able to qualify based on our national experience in implementing repeater solutions for hospitals and other medical facilities.
Nature of the Solution
Harris Communications was able to determine that the main factor effecting the facility’s cellular reception was the construction of the building. There was enough cellular reception outside of the facility to be captured and repeated inside the hospital to create the cellular signal they needed. We designed and implemented a multi-carrier fiber solution for the entire facility. Once the installation was finished, we walked the entire facility to ensure the reception was adequate.
Contact us today to learn more about our services!
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.
About MVP
MVP Health Care, is a family of companies offering a range of health benefit plans and options combined with wellness programs designed to reduce health risks and control health care costs.
The company distinguishes itself by combining a diverse range of health benefit plan options offered by large insurers and the service and flexibility generally associated with a smaller company. MVP Health Care, Inc. currently serves more than 750,000 members across New York, Vermont and New Hampshire.
About the Situation
This particular case was for a key administrative building in Rochester, NY. The building functions as a call center, IT and Tech Support, Sales Department and a training facility. They contacted Harris Communications in need of spot coverage throughout the facility. Due to the variety of key services provided at this location, cellular coverage was a necessity.
We were able to design an all copper, spot coverage solution. The spot coverage ensured that the areas deemed most important would have cellular coverage and the project would come in on budget. Once the design and proposal was approved, our techs traveled to New York to implement the solution and ensure it was functioning to capacity.
Summary
The MVP facility now has seamless coverage in the designated areas. This accommodates executives and key personnel who need smart phone and cellular access when visiting and working at the facility. It improves productivity for MVP and contributes to client satisfaction as well.
About Courtyard by Marriott
Courtyard by Marriott is a brand of hotels owned and operated by Marriott International. The hotels are designed for and cater to business travelers. All rooms feature large desks, couches, free high speed Internet access, and filling breakfasts.
Most of its locations have full-service restaurants, and all have 24-hour “mini-marts,” for the guests convenience. It competes with other mid-priced business-oriented hotels like the Hilton Garden Inn.
The first location was built in 1985 in Atlanta and was Marriott’s first sister brand. The brand was intended to target business travelers who desired quality service at affordable prices. As the market changed and Courtyard grew, they have begun to cater to the leisure traveler as well. Most locations have a swimming pool or fitness center, mini-fridges and microwaves for rent, and offer family rates.
Marriott spent $2 billion in the mid-1980s on building out the Courtyard by Marriott chain in order to target a wider demographic. Overall, the chain is focused on accommodating guests and growing their target clientele.
About the Situation
Harris Communications was contacted by the Portland, Oregon Marriott Hotel because they lacked reliable cellular reception in the administrative and staff offices, banquet rooms as well as some hallways. In this particular case the area experiencing poor coverage was limited to one section of the hotel on the first floor. The main concern for Marriott staff is that they were not able to communicate and ensure guest satisfaction from an administrative standpoint as well as when parties and business engagements were being held in the banquet rooms. An ancillary issue was that guests were not able to use their cell phones when in those areas as well.
Nature of the Solution
We were able to design a copper solution that covered the area most in need of cellular enhancement. In this particular case, the hotel was a Green Building, which commonly attributes to poor cellular coverage. The design and installation was for a multi-carrier solution and was cost effective as it covered the pre-determined area as opposed to the hotel in it’s entirety. We were able to send our crew out to Portland and complete the installation on time, on budget and ensure the system was fully functioning prior to our departure.
Summary
The Hotel now has reliable cellular reception in the administrative offices as well as the banquet rooms. This ensures that the staff can communicate internally which will result in greater guest satisfaction. As an added bonus, groups that book events in the banquet rooms will benefit from cellular service as well. The guaranteed reception aligns with the customer service and event planning that Marriott strives to offer guests. Another success story from Harris Communications!
Harris Communications has successfully implemented a commercial cellular solution for a world wide relief organization. We were initially contacted by the organization when they were not satisfied with an existing solution at a smaller facility. The solution was not performing as promised.
We were able to walk the facility, determine why the other system was not performing and provide a superior solution that came in well under budget. As a result of that installation, the non-profit approached Harris Communications about a campus location they had that needed improved cellular reception. This solution was applied to a campus style set up and incorporated a total of eight buildings. The infrastructure is a copper solution and is composed of individual solutions for each building as opposed to one comprehensive solution. This schematic ensured that we were able to deliver the cellular reception and come in below budget by using copper as opposed to a fiber solution. Conduits were not available due to the mountainous terrain that surrounds the campus.
This was a high priority for the organization because they work in international relief efforts. In recent years, we have seen several natural disasters wipe out landlines and the most effective way to communicate is via cell phone. Haiti in particular was the impetus behind the organization seeking out a solution despite the ineffective solution they had purchased prior to working with Harris Communications. It is imperative to have good in-building coverage to reach people at all times and in any place in the facility. We provided a solution that enhanced Verizon and AT&T cellular signals.
Harris Communications is able to provide single and multiple building solutions. We work closely with clients to find a solution that is the best fit for their needs and budget. In many instances there are fiber infrastructures already in place that we can attach our system to. In other cases it is more cost effective to implement a copper solution. Contact us today to learn more about how we can assist you.
Harris Communications was able to provide a self-install solution for a power company located in rural Oklahoma. Kiowa Power contacted us seeking a solution for their office building. It is a green building which are commonly known to block cellular signals.
In this situation it was more economical to recommend a self-install due to the size of the solution and the remote location of the facility. We were able to work with the client over the phone and email to gather all of the relevant information to design an efficient and effective solution for Kiowa Power.
Harris Communications packaged all of the materials and wrote a self install handbook specific to the Kiowa facilities solution. We were able to deliver a comprehensive self install solution within the budgetary needs and guide the client through the install as well. In most cases we prefer to conduct a site survey, design and implement the solution. This was a unique situation given the square footage of the facility and remote location.
It was a pleasure to work with Kiowa Power and we are available to consult you on your facility as well. Contact us today to learn more about how we can create a cost effective solution to improve your cellular service.