June 20, 2025
Commercial (and occasionally residential!) clients often come to us at Metro Wireless to solicit a solution boosting LTE and 5G cellular signal and coverage across the big three carriers– AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile.
And for good reason!
In today's connected world, reliable cellular coverage is no longer optional— it's a business imperative. Especially in Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) corporate environments, employees and users rely on devices utilizing all sorts of cellular carriers and 4G/5G frequencies to stay productive.
At Metro Wireless, we've developed a meticulous DAS (Distributed Antenna System) design and implementation process.
In this post, we break down our approach into four key phases, each designed to ensure precision, efficiency, and client satisfaction:
Editor's note: Before we dive in, you should know this post is part of a four-part blog series on how we at Metro Wireless execute our DAS offering. Be sure to check out the other posts in this series for more info on:
Starting any infrastructure project without a proper roadmap is like building a house without a blueprint. That’s why initial discovery and budgetary pricing are essential for DAS projects — it lays the groundwork for everything that follows. After all, we acknowledge DAS ain’t cheap…
This journey kicks off with gathering and analyzing key documentation. This includes:
This review gives us a comprehensive understanding of a client’s environment, whether it's a high-rise office building, sprawling warehouse, or another environment.
By doing homework up front, we can spot potential design and installation challenges early, reducing risks and avoiding costly surprises later in the game.
We at Metro Wireless have done enough of these projects to know what questions to ask up front.
Whenever a client asks for a DAS quote, we ask them to fill out a discovery intake form, which includes questions like:
Once we know more about the client’s desires and requirements, we’re able to select the appropriate DAS network hardware for their needs and build a basic design for budgetary pricing.
Based on what we learned during the review of the floor plans and the discovery questionnaire, we can move forward with an estimate.
We call this the Rough Order of Magnitude Bill of Materials (ROM BOM). This is the project's first draft in hardware planning. It lists out:
Here’s where we separate ourselves from the rest.
Our in-house construction experts are involved from the get-go. They help estimate labor costs, identify installation needs like D-rings, mounts, and cable management systems, and provide a reality check on what’s physically possible in your space.
A simple quote from a distributor who claims they can support your DAS project won’t think of things like D-rings, how the antennas get mounted, etc. – that’s where we come in!
We don’t just throw out numbers. Our pricing is tied to all the information collected by this point, and considers:
This results in transparent pricing and realistic budget expectations.
In our experience across many DAS projects, ‘normal’ projects like offices and warehouses with standard construction materials and standard installation requirements, can expect to budget:
If a site has a challenging install environment (e.g., nighttime install requirements like at hospitals, complicated building materials) then a client should expect to budget more accordingly.
Phase 1 is more than just preparation— it’s a blueprint for success. By understanding the space, calculating needs, and collaborating across teams, we ensure the project starts on the right foot.
Every detail counts, and we make sure nothing is left to chance. That’s the power of laying a strong foundation.
Assuming a client is satisfied with the budgetary pricing, we move on to the more formal design process.
With client budget approval (typically $2,500 to $15,000), our RF engineering team leverages iBwave, the DAS industry’s top DAS design software, to develop a predictive model of your DAS solution.
This advanced tool (similar to Ekahau’s DAS design tool) enables us to:
We partner closely with clients to align the design with their unique needs, whether prioritizing high-traffic zones (e.g., conference rooms, lobbies) or identifying cost-saving exclusions in low-usage areas (e.g., stairwells and bathrooms). The outcome is a detailed technical package, featuring:
Combining cutting-edge modeling with client collaboration ensures a right-first-time design, minimizing surprises during deployment.
Following budget approval, RF engineers use iBwave software to create a predictive DAS model. This involves simulating signal propagation, optimizing antenna placement, and collaborating with the client to prioritize coverage zones. Key deliverables include heatmaps, schematics, and compliance reports, ensuring an efficient "right-first-time" design to minimize deployment issues.
Key Deliverables:
Goal: Achieve a "right-first-time" design, minimizing deployment surprises.
While predictive modeling offers a solid foundation for planning, it’s real-world testing that ensures success.
Our On-Site Survey and Grid Test process brings your design to life through hands-on validation, starting off with using two essential rooftop tests:
In order to ensure a seamless DAS integration, we must first test the outdoor donor signal strength to ensure there is enough pre-existing LTE/5G signal for our DAS system to ‘grab onto’ and rebroadcast indoors.
Our in-field DAS technicians start by accessing the rooftop at the client site. From there, they use their enterprise-grade signal meter and, by simulating real antenna placement, take signal measurements
Our field technicians also measure signal strength from eight compass directions (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW) to identify the optimal orientation for donor antennas.
This helps uncover hidden or unlisted towers that may outperform those shown on public carrier maps, and also ensures the system leverages the strongest and most consistent external signals.
Raw signal strength only tells part of the story. We must also assess signal clarity and stability. This test evaluates signals from all major carriers: Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, and covers both 4G LTE and 5G networks, future-proofing the solution.
Effectively, we’re pinpointing the cleanest, least-congested signals for sustained DAS performance.
For example, at a recent client site survey, the rooftop signal strength and signal quality measurements revealed the following, per our Construction Manager who performed the site survey:
“It tells me whether there's a tower out there at all. For [client redacted], we know that there's no Verizon 5G on the roof. Only Verizon 4G can be found up there. That was indicated in the signal quality test, not picking up anything in 5G. So, we use that to tell the client as well, this is why you need the system, because you don't have 5G and your 4G is mediocre on the roof.”
Sometimes, the measurement data can be conflicting (e.g., where to position the antennas), and this is where our expertise can come into play. From the same Construction Manager and site survey:
“..and pointing in the opposite direction, I might find less signal in comparison, a -75 with an RSQ of 19, which is terrible. Then the other is pointing the opposite direction, I might find signal level at -105, but an RSQ in the single digits or perhaps less interference coming from that direction. I would go with the RSRQ reading over the RSSI any day. You always say: garbage in, garbage out. So, I typically look for the signal with the better RSQ.”
After the outdoor measurements are performed and we confirm we can achieve a high-quality donor DAS signal, we then move indoors to perform a grid test, or a current state analysis of LTE/5G signal strength and signal quality across the carriers.
Using the same signal meter from the outdoor test, we then conduct a systematic indoor grid test, taking multiple current-state signal measurements every 1,600 square feet at various locations. We typically take not one, but two data point tests for each 1,600 sq ft grid, ensuring we have reliable information to rely upon.
Our experienced technicians can usually survey over 80,000 square feet in a single day, with each test taking approximately three minutes to complete. The resulting data allows us to:
Critical: Each data point from the Grid Test is a pass/fail- depending on the signal strength and quality benchmark set. This helps client teams make an informed decision on where signal is currently adequate or inadequate.
This comprehensive survey transforms your DAS design from a design concept into a field-tested, performance-optimized project and solution.
Confirming cable paths requires on-site verification.
This includes coordinating specialized roofing work for weatherhead penetrations to preserve warranties, validating the feasibility of the headend location inside the MDF relative to the 300 ft donor antenna cable limit, and identifying accessible vertical risers (i.e., chases or stacked rooms) for efficient multi-floor routing.
The entire pathway from roof to headend must be physically confirmed as viable.
Roof penetration coordination: Requires careful planning and coordination with roofing contractors to install weatherheads and ensure proper sealing to maintain roof warranties.
Headend location verification: The designated headend location (often MDF or IDF) must be physically verified on-site to ensure donor antennas can be placed within the crucial 300 ft cable run limit. The initial design location might be impractical, necessitating alternatives closer to the roof access point.
Vertical pathway identification: Confirming the existence and accessibility of vertical risers (e.g., chases, stacked electrical/mechanical rooms) is essential for efficient cable routing between floors. The ideal scenario is stacked rooms allowing straight vertical drops; if unavailable, identifying the nearest usable riser and potential drilling paths is necessary.
Cable route feasibility: The entire cable path from the roof (i.e., donor antennas) down to the headend location must be mapped and confirmed, considering vertical drops and horizontal runs within the building structure, while strictly adhering to the sub-300 ft length requirement.
This meticulous planning ensures a smooth transition to the installation phase, where our experienced technicians bring the design to life with precision and efficiency.
Armed with validated data from the site survey, our field technician collaborates with our RF engineer to refine the design and prepare a comprehensive proposal that goes far beyond a simple quote.
Our deliverables include an executive summary with ROI analysis, updated technical specifications, and visual documentation that helps clients understand exactly what they're getting.
The proposal also includes case studies demonstrating our successful implementations and a transparent pricing structure that breaks down all costs. This attention to detail transforms our proposal from a simple estimate into a complete project roadmap, giving clients confidence in their investment.
Here are the deliverables you can expect from Metro Wireless within two weeks after completing the site survey:
What sets our process apart is the seamless integration of advanced technology and hands-on expertise.
While predictive software provides an excellent starting point, our experienced professionals validate every assumption with real-world testing. This dual approach eliminates guesswork and ensures systems perform as promised from day one.
From the initial discovery phase to final implementation, we maintain open communication with clients, ensuring their priorities guide every decision.
Whether it's optimizing coverage in high-traffic areas or finding creative solutions to architectural challenges, our team is committed to delivering solutions that meet both technical requirements and business objectives.
Ready to transform your facility's cellular coverage? Contact Metro Wireless on sales@metrowireless.com today to begin your custom DAS assessment and experience our proven methodology firsthand.
But don’t just take our word for it— see it in action! We’ve published a real-world DAS Case Study showcasing how we deliver seamless, cost-effective connectivity.
Tyler Hoffman
CEO
