User's Manual

EMS Wireless Operator’s Manual
EkoLink II
15
1.0 Introduction
The system overview describes the need for distributed RF antenna systems in
general terms and the concept of a fiber optic repeater system. The functional
overview describes the EkoLink II system as it is broken down into its major
components.
1.1 System Overview
The EkoLink II System is designed to distribute Cellular and PCS radio signals
within a building or campus of buildings where coverage/capacity would be
otherwise impeded. Using fiber optics to distribute the signals, and a network of
local antennas, the coverage area can be greatly enhanced. Correctly installed,
the EkoLink II is “transparent” to the service provider while simultaneously greatly
enhancing the coverage on the user’s side.
One of the key advantages of a fiber optic RF distribution system is that it
separates the issues of coverage and capacity. In an alternative system that
covers a building by distributing radio base stations, one must add a base station in
that area when faced with the problem of poor coverage in one section. Thus,
capacity is added to a section which might not need it. Similarly, when faced with a
capacity problem in a portion of the building, one would need an additional base
station regardless of whether additional coverage is required.
Coverage and capacity are two separate problems. With a fiber optic RF
distribution system, there are separate solutions to the two separate problems. For
poor coverage, an additional fiber optic antenna is added; for an area with
insufficient capacity, more base station transceivers are added. In this way,
equipment and channels are most efficiently used, and the entire system is more
economical. Not only can the fiber optic RF distribution system be used to create
uniform coverage throughout the entire building, including stairwells, elevator shafts
and garages, regardless of the size and construction, but it enables centralization
of the equipment. In the fiber optic RF distribution system, the bulky equipment
(such as the base station transceivers, filters, and power supplies) are located in an
equipment room, while the antennas are strategically placed for coverage. This
factor is especially significant in buildings where aesthetics are key, since it is
easier to conceal a small fiber optic antenna than several radios.
In addition to the aesthetic advantages of distributed fiberoptic antennas, the
overall system cost and complexity is greatly reduced. A typical application for the