How to Choose a DAS Installer Integrator: 10 Essential Tips and Insights

If you are here, you already realize the value of a Distributed Antenna System (DAS) in today’s hyper-connected world. A DAS is a system of antennas and other equipment that amplify and distribute cellular wireless signals throughout a building or area where there is weak cellular coverage or high user density. Examples include stadiums, high-rises, shopping centers, campuses, and office buildings. But the performance and cost of a DAS largely depends on the integrator you choose. By carefully evaluating these ten essential aspects, you can choose a partner who will deliver a robust, future-proof solution that meets your specific needs.

1. Understand the Benefits of Choosing the Right DAS Integrator

A qualified and experienced DAS integrator brings more to the table than simply installing antennas and cables. They are ultimately responsible for ensuring:

• Enhanced wireless connectivity: The right integrator ensures comprehensive signal coverage, eliminating dead zones across all floors, basements, and other hard-to-reach areas. This involves customizing the DAS to work with your building’s architecture, construction materials, and user requirements.
• Cost efficient: An experienced integrator will provide an accurate assessment of the equipment required to meet the needs of the building and will use their long-standing relationships with vendors to procure them for the best price. They will also be adept at using resources efficiently during the installation and will ensure to use equipment that have low on-going maintenance costs. 
• End-to-end support: They will provide end-to-end support from initial survey and design to regulatory compliance, deployment and long-term maintenance.

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2. Verify Technical Expertise and Certifications of the DAS Integrator

• Technical expertise: The installer team should include RF engineers skilled in designing systems that account for signal propagation, interference, and multi-frequency/carrier compatibility. This includes knowledge of building materials and their impact on RF signals, selecting the right equipment, determining optimal antenna placement, planning cabling routes, and creating detailed construction drawings and documentation. 
• Certifications: Check whether the installer has certifications from recognized organizations and equipment manufacturers (NICET, GROL, CommScope, SOLiD, JMA Wireless, iBwave, Telecoma or other OEM-specific programs). These certifications attest to the integrator’s technical expertise and ensure they are up to date on the latest technology and installation methods. 

3. Evaluate the Integrator’s Track Record and Industry Relationships

While on-paper technical expertise is a good starting point, look for a DAS integrator who has a proven track record. Specific factors to look for include: 

• Project portfolio: Request a portfolio of past projects or case studies showcasing their work. Ask for specifics, such as the types of challenges they encountered and how they resolved them. 
• Industry specialization: An integrator with experience in your industry (e.g., hospitals requiring compliance with HIPAA and public safety mandates) is more likely to anticipate and address specific challenges. If they have not done projects in your industry, examine their experience with different venue types like hospitals, hotels, office buildings. 
• Customer feedback: Online reviews, testimonials, and references from past clients offer honest insights into their professionalism and reliability. For added assurance, request references from long-term clients for reliability assessment
• Carrier relationships: Reliable integrators maintain strong relationships with major wireless carriers, which is crucial for securing necessary approvals and optimizing system performance. Verify the integrator’s history of working with multiple wireless carriers by studying their past projects. 
• Vendor relationships: Find an integrator who has long-term vendor relationships and buying power with them. This will ensure that you get the best deals on your equipment as well as support and access to the latest technologies. 
• Warranty and guarantees: Opt for integrators who can stand behind their work by offering warranties on equipment and guarantees for installation quality.

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4. Verify the DAS Integrator’s Knowledge of Regulatory Considerations

Regulations governing DAS systems are complex and vary across regions. Choosing an integrator with regulatory expertise ensures compliance and avoids costly retro-fits and penalties. A few regulatory considerations: 

• FCC compliance: The DAS system must comply with FCC regulations on spectrum usage, signal strength, and interference limits.
• Local building codes: Integrators must navigate local construction, fire safety, and zoning regulations, ensuring the system is safely integrated into your building’s infrastructure.
• Carrier approvals: Integrators often act as liaisons between building owners and carriers to secure approvals and ensure the system meets carrier requirements.
• Public Safety Networks: DAS is of two types, cellular DAS, which extends carrier cellular coverage and public safety DAS, which extends emergency responder radio coverage. Support for Public Safety DAS is required by law in some cases, such as hospitals, schools, or government facilities. The integrators must be proficient with Emergency Responder Communications Enhancement Systems (ERCES), and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and International Fire Code (IFC) requirements for emergency responder radio coverage.  

5. Assess Their Ability to Design and Install a DAS

Designing and installing a DAS requires a deep understanding of your building’s requirements. Some of the steps in the process include:

• Site surveys: The integrator should conduct thorough RF and structural surveys to identify coverage gaps, sources of interference, and optimal locations for antennas and other equipment. A skilled integrator will use tools like iBwave or similar software to create a detailed analysis of different parts of the building. 
• Custom solutions: Every building is unique, and the DAS solution should reflect its specific challenges and opportunities. The solution should account for your building size, layout, and materials, user density, scalability, and system integration with existing infrastructure. 
• Approach to project management: Ensure that the integrator provides a clear project timeline and milestone definitions, detailed documentation of installation processes, regular progress updates and communication protocols, risk management and mitigation strategies, and coordination plans with other contractors involved in the project. A proactive approach will not only provide clarity to the building owner, but also reduces the risk of delays and budget overruns.
• Seamless installation: The team should demonstrate expertise in discreetly installing cables, antennas, and equipment with minimal disruption to building operations. They should also be adept at working with other contractors and align with any construction or renovation schedules to avoid conflicts and delays.

6. Ensure the DAS Installer Carries Out Testing and Optimization 

Post-installation, testing and optimization are crucial for ensuring that the DAS delivers the required performance. Your DAS integrator needs to carry out the following:

• Signal strength and coverage tests: Advanced tools, like spectrum analyzers and RF scanners, should be used to verify network performance by measuring signal strength throughout the building and identifying potential interference. 
• Carrier acceptance testing: The integrator should work with carriers to conduct acceptance tests, validating that the system meets their performance standards.
• System optimization: The integrator should fine-tune the DAS, including adjusting signal power levels, optimizing antenna placement, and mitigating interference.

7. Ensure They Provide Long-Term Maintenance and Support Services

The DAS installation is only one step in the journey. A truly reliable integrator is the one that offers the best ongoing support to address any issues as well as continually optimize the system to maintain peak performance. Ensure that the integrator you choose offers the following post-installation services:  

• Routine inspections: Ask about preventive maintenance schedules, including regular inspections to identify and resolve potential issues. Regular system performance reviews should be part of these inspections to confirm that the system is delivering the promised performance. 
• Rapid response: Confirm the availability of 24/7 emergency support services, including rapid dispatch of technicians for urgent repairs.
• Proactive monitoring: Go for integrators that offer proactive monitoring services to detect and address issues before they impact users or improve services through regular updates and real-time optimization. Many DAS integrators also offer remote monitoring solutions that help take off load from your in-house team.
• Long-Term SLAs: Ensure the integrator provides service level agreements (SLAs) that define response times, maintenance schedules, and performance guarantees.
• Documentation and training: The integrator should offer comprehensive system documentation and training for your in-house IT or facilities team.

8. Financials Considerations

• Transparent quotes: Request a detailed breakdown of costs, including labor, materials, equipment, and additional services. This will help you compare proposals fairly.
• Value assessment: Look beyond the initial price to assess long-term value, including system reliability, scalability, and maintenance costs. Compare the cost and return on investment you expect from the project. 
• Consider the financial stability and insurance of the integrator: An often overlooked aspect is the financial health of the integrator. Choose an integrator that has the financial backing to complete and support your project. They also need to have the appropriate insurance coverage in case things go south and they aren’t able to complete the project. 

9. Ensure They Pursue Technology Innovation and Upgradability

Choose an integrator who stays up-to-date with evolving technology:

• Knowledge of emerging DAS technologies: The integrator should be constantly updating their knowledge of emerging DAS technologies and use the latest technologies in their installation to ensure that the setup is future proof. 
• Experience with 5G implementation: They need to be well-versed with implementing 5G setups given the array of benefits this latest-gen technology brings to business. You can look at their past projects to analyze their experience with the latest technologies. 
• Upgrade and expansion capabilities: The integrator should have the ability to carry out any upgrades in the future as they are most familiar with your specifications such as building structure, layout, user requirements, etc. Study their track record of system upgrades and migrations for their existing clients. The last thing you want is to deal with a new vendor from the ground-up when you decide to scale or upgrade your DAS down the line. 

10. Narrow down on the right DAS integrator

Once you’ve evaluated potential integrators, finalize your decision based on an assessment of the following factor.

• Conduct interviews: Meet multiple potential DAS integrators to discuss your project in detail and assess their responsiveness and expertise.
• Request detailed proposals: Each proposal should include a timeline, costs, milestones, and key deliverables. Ensure the proposal includes a breakdown of costs, choice of various equipment, and details about warranties and support. 
• Verify references: Once you narrow down, contact previous clients of the installer to confirm their satisfaction and inquire about post-installation support.
• Go with your instincts: Ultimately, choose the integrator who inspires confidence and demonstrates a genuine understanding of your needs.