Cellular Repeaters

 
Are your consumer repeaters difficult or technical to install?
Not at all. There are 4 main components to the system: (1) Outdoor or Donor Antenna, (2) Coaxial Cable, (3) Indoor Repeater or Base Unit, and (4) Indoor Service Antenna. You simply need to mount the outdoor antenna on a pole or antenna bracket in an appropriate location, run your length of coax to the base unit, install the base unit on a wall inside the area you want to improve reception to and then connect the indoor service antenna. Most customers get this installation done in an afternoon with the help of a friend.
Which frequency band do I order?
In the USA, the two main frequency bands used at present are the 800Mhz and 1900Mhz bands. Some providers use either one or the other, while other providers use both bands. For those that use both bands, they predominantly configure their network to support voice on the lower band and data on the upper band, or 1900Mhz in metro areas and 800Mhz in rural areas. There are several other factors involved, but to make this process as easy and worry free for our customers, please just go ahead and submit your order for anyone of the compatible bands for wherever you are located. Let us know the service provider and services you would like to support and we will double check your order and let you know if any adjustments need to be made.

For the rest of the world, providers use either the 900Mhz, 1800Mhz or 2100Mhz bands. If you are not sure which frequency you are on, you may still go ahead and submit your order for either model and we will research the data and let you know.
How many calls will your repeater support?
Our repeaters will support the same amount of calls as the nearest cell tower you are getting a signal feed from.
What is Signal Isolation?
In simple terms, it is the separation that is needed between the donor (outdoor) antenna and the indoor service antenna. The donor antenna takes the signal feed from the cell tower, sends it through a length of coax to a base repeater unit, and then out to the indoor service antenna. This process is constantly monitored by the base repeater unit. If you happen to place the indoor service antenna too close to the outdoor donor antenna, the amplified signal that is broadcasting from the indoor service antenna will feed back into the donor antenna and will cause what is called signal oscillation. This can be avoided by creating sufficient distance between the indoor and outdoor antennas. This does not always relate to a specific distance as this isolation is measured in Decibels. Typically, 70dB isolation is needed for wireless repeaters to function properly.

Different materials (roof, walls, sheetrock, aluminum) all have different levels of attenuation or signal reduction. Therefore, this decibel value can be achieved in many configurations. Typically, a donor antenna installed on the roof of a single story home and the base repeater unit or indoor antenna mounted down inside the home, (not in the attic) is usually enough isolation for a repeater system to function properly. For applications where there is no obstruction between the indoor antenna outdoor antennas, then a minimum distance is required to create open air isolation.
Where should I install and point the donor antenna of my repeater kit?
We always recommend installing the donor antenna of your repeater kit on the roof of your building. There are several reasons for this.
It allows the antenna to pick up the strongest signal from the cell tower.
It allows you free access to rotate your antenna in any direction to fine tune the best input signal to the antenna.
It helps create the isolation needed between the outdoor antenna and the indoor service antenna so you do not need to reduce the output power of your repeater to avoid signal feedback or oscillation.
Since cellular signals are vertically polarized, the elements of the antenna should always be perpendicular to the ground. In the case of an Omni directional antenna, it should be pointing straight up and in the case of a directional antenna, the long end must be facing the cell tower.
What if I don’t have access to the roof, then what?
In applications where access to the roof is not possible or very inconvenient, you could consider placing the donor antenna of the wireless repeater kit on a balcony, in a window or at the side of a building. You will need to let us know this beforehand, so we can supply you the appropriate donor antenna or mounting bracket for this type of application. Please remember to provide as much distance as possible between the donor antenna on the balcony, window, or at the side of the house or apartment, and the indoor service antennas.
What does the Color of the LED’s on the repeater mean?
Green: System Functioning well Orange: Slight detection of signal oscillation. (Relocate base unit or attenuate DL power) Red: Strong detection of signal oscillation. (Power off repeater immediately, adjust dip switches, then power back on)
What should I do with extra coax?
Do not coil it up. Coiling up excess coax can create an electro-magnetic field which can drastically reduce the performance of your system. As much as it is reasonable, run out any excess coax you may have. A good practice however, would be to make one small loop right where the coax cable connects to the outdoor antenna pigtail. This will help reduce the chances of water getting into the line and causing corrosion over time, which will result in the reduction in performance of your system.
Can the internal antennas’ coverage overlap each other?
Yes! There is no need to create isolation or separation between the indoor service antennas, if multiple antennas are used. Internal antennas are all being serviced from the same output, so it’s the outdoor and indoor antennas that need isolating from each other.
Are cellular repeaters legal?
Only in a stationary application can a wireless cellular repeater be used as the perfect solution to improve wireless coverage, but is it legal? Well, depending on where you are located in the world, most service providers request that you get their permission before you install a wireless repeater kit in your home or office since the frequency band your mobile phone or PC Card is operating on is licensed to that service provider by the applicable regulatory agency in that country, and therefore the service provider now has rights to that bandwidth. In the USA, that agency is called the Federal Communications Commission. (FCC)

Now, whether that service provider decides to exercise that right against the end user is another matter. Most service providers overlook excerising this right unless they have determined the equipment you are using is causing interference to their network. In that case, they will track you down using test equipment to trace where the interference is coming from and either try to help you get your equipment setup properly and provide you a retransmit agreement which happens in many cases or, simply ask you to switch off the equipment. The customer needs to adhere to the request of the service provider if this is requested as, the service provider is mandated to protect their network in the interest of other end users, its obligations to public safety, and the substantial investments made to deploy its network. Failure to comply will result in legal action. This is why it's extremely important that the equipment you choose to invest in, is of network grade and the manufacturer' technically proficient in network engineering.

You may find the network managers of certain service providers being very opposed to consumer products being used on their networks, as there have been many instances where sub-standard equipment or poor engineering practices have resulted in network interference or worst yet, the shutdown of some sectors of the network. Other network area managers are more liberal and will simply deal with it on a case by case basis.

Network operators are also bound by regulations that don’t allow them to subsidize repeaters that amplify a competitor’s bandwidth by using a wideband or neutral host repeater. But, this is a regulation imposed by the regulatory bodies against the service providers and not the end user. So in many cases, a service provider may choose not to get “officially” involved when an end user decides to install a repeater kit, because at the end of the day, it means potential air time for all the service providers operating within that bandwidth and sometimes the only viable option to customer retention. The only obligation then left with the consumer at this point to be fully compliant, would be to obtain a retransmit agreement from their service provider. There is no cost to this agreement.

Other more conservitive service providers are very adamant about only using equipment on their network that supports their allocated bandwidth. This type of repeater is called a channel selective or narrow band selective repeater, which YN also specializes in. These repeaters are considerably more expensive than wide band repeaters because they are customized to support a specific block of channels. Some owners of large buildings have felt as though they are held to ransom by being forced by the carrier to invest in specific brands of these band selective repeaters because of the close relationship a service provider may have with a particular repeater manufacturer. This in no way brings into question the quality of a particular brand of channel specific repeater over another, but simply comes down to brand preference by the network operator.

In this industry, you will find strange phenomena’s like brand (A) repeater being accepted in one market or state on a specific network and then that same brand (A), not being not approved for use on that very network in another market, or state. Because of this lack of consistency, we personally know of some customers that have threatened to cancel all their wireless lines (sometimes numbering into the 100’s) if the service provider was not willing to consider accepting a more affordable brand of narrow band selective repeaters. YN for example is on the approved vendor’s list of some service providers, but not all. So, our products are used in some markets by network operators and not others.

At the end of the day, all the players involved need each other to survive. The carrier needs the customers' revenue and the customer needs the carriers' network. This therefore calls for mutual respect and understanding between all parties where end users want an affordable solution and carriers need to protect their network from inferior equipment. YN hopes that one day soon this industry can be properly regulated and all manufacturers of quality products have an equal and fair opportunity to service all markets.