June 20, 2025
Let’s face it— poor LTE/5g cell service inside buildings is a headache we’ve all dealt with. Dropped signals can be incredibly frustrating, whether you're trying to make a call in a warehouse filled with shelves or on a Zoom meeting in a glass-walled office.
Waiting on that SMS two-factor authorization (2FA) code can take forever, or not come in at all…
That's where Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) come in. They're designed to pull in outside cellular signals and amplify them throughout the building using a network of antennas. But getting it set up correctly? That’s a whole different game.
Installing DAS isn’t as simple as plugging in a router. It’s a multi-step process that includes surveying the site, choosing the right gear, running cables, mounting antennas, and fine-tuning everything until it works like a charm.
In this post, we detail how we go about installing a DAS solution. After all, we’ve done many of these projects over the years, and the collective experience of our team means we have some best practices to share!
Our professional DAS installation approach is broken down into three 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:
Donor antennas are the gateway to the outside world, and also the start of our installation process.
They pick up the outdoor 4G/5G signal from Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T and bring it inside the building to be redistributed and broadcast.
Fortunately, from the site survey during our DAS design phase, we already know the best location and alignment positions for the antennas.
That site survey helped us to figure out where we can mount antennas for the strongest signal, usually up on the roof. If needed, we install a weatherhead to keep the elements out where cables enter the building.
We have a few different types of DAS donor antennas that we use, all depending on the individual client’s site environment:
These antennas are mounted securely– often on ballast mounts to avoid roof holes– and we run high-quality, low-loss ½” coax cable or LMR 400 to carry the signal inside to the MDF or telco closet.
Then comes the fun part— signal tuning. Using professional RF cellular signal meters, like the CELFI Compass XR, we fine-tune the position of the antenna like we’re trying to tune an old-school TV to the perfect channel.
Once the outdoor DAS antennas are installed and aligned, with the cables run to the MDF, we then move on to setting up the ‘brains’ of the DAS hardware.
Once the signal is inside, via the cables from the outdoor donor antennas– the DAS hardware needs a traffic director and some muscle to support it. That’s where Nextivity CELFI Network Units (NUs) and Coverage Units (CUs) come in.
Network Units are typically mounted on the wall and control how the signal is routed and rebroadcast in-building. NUs are powered by AC, and we always recommend connecting them to a trusted UPS.
Coverage Units provide the muscle– they take the donor signal from the Network Unit(s) and amplify and distribute the signal to the internal server antennas. The Coverage Units are PoE (Power over Ethernet), which makes life easier— fewer and thinner cables, less hassle.
After installing the antennas, all coaxial cables are routed to the server antennas. The coax is typically pulled with extra length for flexibility, then terminated and secured afterward. The final step involves installing couplers, splitters, and combiners, completing the setup at the server antennas.
We also install lightning arresters to safeguard against power surges and ensure all equipment is properly grounded. Each surge arrester is connected to the local ground in the MDF using #12 AWG wire.
Now that the signal is inside and juiced up via the donor antennas, Network Unit(s), and Coverage Units, we need to get it to the people.
That’s where server antennas come in.
Connected to the Coverage Units via coax cable, these antennas are installed throughout the building and are responsible for broadcasting the enhanced LTE/5G signal. Depending on the space, we mount them:
Using the appropriate attachment/securement method, such as D-rings on warehouse I-beams or custom mounts, our field installation team mounts all the server antennas.
Coax cables are then carefully routed to each antenna, with a little extra slack just in case. Once they’re in place, we connect the antennas, using splitters or couplers as needed to balance the signal levels being broadcast (e.g., 10 dB, 6 dB, 2 dB DAS couplers).
After this phase, the hard work is mostly over!
No DAS installation is complete without rigorous testing. Turning it on is just the beginning.
Upon completing the physical installation, we set up the site in the DAS hardware’s cloud management portal and registered and provisioned the network unit online.
Then our installation team checks everything over:
If any signal is too hot or too weak, we tweak the gain or add attenuators to bring it into the sweet spot.
Our lead DAS Construction Manager had a real-world example from a recent install he performed:
“Nexivity recommends your RSSI and RSRP be in the 60s to 70s, maybe even as high as the 80s, which is still a good signal; the attenuator correlates signal quality with the signal level. If you have too hot of a signal, say -40db, but you have an RSRQ of 20, that's not going to be a good signal. You can put an attenuator on there and knock that signal down by 10db or 20dB. So you're at -60db or -70db, and you'll see that your RSRQ will drop (improve) as well. They kind of correlate. Less signal, less distortion.”
Once we confirm the installation was successful, here’s where we prove it all works.
Using the same process from the pre-install site survey, we perform a post-install Grid Test.
Tediously, our installation technicians go room by room, area by area, measuring the new signal and comparing it against what we found during the initial survey. It’s a before-and-after snapshot that shows just how much coverage has improved.
The final report is shared with the client and includes:
Every DAS install involves a carefully chosen set of tools and components. We use:
These tools help us handle the installation with precision and consistency every time.
Want to know what separates a good DAS install from a great one? It’s all in the details.
Common pitfalls
The settings of your DAS installation change everything. With their towering shelves and massive metal machinery, warehouses eat signals for breakfast!
Offices, on the other hand, often allow signals to glide through thanks to drywall and open layouts— until someone adds a new wall, and your perfect plan goes out the window.
Here’s how each space plays differently:
Each building is a character in its own story. Here are some more real-world environmental quirks we’ve encountered into while installing DAS solutions for clients:
Installing a DAS solution isn’t just a technical task— it’s a craft.
You’re engineering LTE/5G connectivity where it didn’t exist before. Whether it's navigating a complex warehouse layout or working around sleek office designs, each project demands a unique integration approach.
From surveying and antenna alignment to testing and final reports, every step matters. Get it right, and you’ll enjoy crystal-clear calls and reliable data from corner to corner.
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
