How to Properly Design as In-Building DAS - Part I - Use of Directional Couplers in DAS

RF in-building coverage has become a fast growing market in recent years. Commercial wireless users increasingly demand reliable communications inside office and residential buildings for their business and personal needs. Most of the reference materials and application notes on in-building coverage solutions have focused on the booster technologies or system design architecture. One often overlooked aspect in the system design is the DAS implementation. This includes connecting all the cables and antennas throughout the building and balancing the signal levels at each DAS node. If ignored, an improperly designed DAS results in 
degraded performance and unnecessary cost increases. 

This 2-part series of articles is an effort to outline a simple process of designing a DAS in order to achieve the most efficient RF coverage distribution. Part I talks about the Use of Directional Couplers in DAS and Part II covers the DAS Design Process.