How it works
From the first question to a plan your team can build.
Start with a short request. In less than 72 hours you get a free DAS Necessity Score. When paid work makes sense, we quote one defined scope for your building.
Two kinds of work
A free first look, then work specific to your building.
Free
DAS Necessity Score
A free first look, in less than 72 hours, at how likely your building is to need a DAS for emergency radios (the antennas, cables and amplifiers a building would otherwise need throughout), with a general result for cell phones.
Includes
- A preliminary need or risk result for emergency radios
- A general result for cell phones
- Predicted good and weak areas, where the information supports it
- Confidence, inputs used and missing evidence
- The next useful step
Does not include
- Building-specific causes, change locations or material substitutions
- A measured test or an authority's approval
- A building-specific result for cell phones
Quoted for your building
Building-specific work
One defined professional scope, with deliverables listed in the proposal.
Includes
- Causes of the reception problem, by location
- Qualified alternatives and exact recommended changes
- Change Sheet and specification text for your architect
- The design of any system the building still needs
- A record of approved choices and received evidence
Stays with your team
- Design approvals, pricing, purchasing and installation
- Field testing by a qualified provider
The sequence
What happens, in order.
Send a request
Address, project stage and what needs to work inside. No field readings needed.
YouFree score in less than 72 hours
A DAS Necessity Score: an emergency-radio result and a general result for cell phones. If we need more information first, we say what is missing.
Coverage by DesignDefined proposal
One quote for our scope, with deliverables listed. Physical work, testing and other providers are shown separately.
Coverage by DesignAnalysis and plan
We prepare the Change Sheet, the specification text and the design of any system still needed.
Coverage by DesignReview and build
Your architect checks the choices. Your builder prices and installs what you approve.
Your project teamTest and record
A qualified provider performs the required tests. We interpret the agreed evidence and keep the record of approved choices.
Testing provider and Coverage by Design
The method on one floor
What the three steps do to one floor.
This is the top floor of a sample building. It is split into 20 areas, the way fire code acceptance tests check each floor. Switch between emergency radio and cell phones.
Illustrative wave model, not a predictionLevel 3 plan, top floor. Not to scale.
As designed: most of the floor gets little or no signal. Only the parts of the offices closest to the glass get some signal.
Readings at five spots
- West officeEmergency radio: Little or noneCell phones: Little or noneFrom DAS
- Open officeEmergency radio: Little or noneCell phones: Little or noneFrom DAS
- StairEmergency radio: Little or noneCell phones: Little or noneFrom DAS
- East officeEmergency radio: Little or noneCell phones: Little or noneFrom DAS
- Electrical roomEmergency radio: Little or noneCell phones: Little or noneFrom DAS
Readings and grid marks come from the same model as the map.
Sample outputs
What the paid work produces.
The Change Sheet below is an illustrative sample. A real one uses your building's plans and evidence.
| Choice | As designed | Option | Why | Expected result | Evidence | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Shell material, glass wall | As designed | Panel swap | Main source of signal loss behind the glass | Predicted Better behind the glass. |
Test data needed | Builder price pending |
| 2Shell material, concrete wall | As designed | Built-in change | Main source of signal loss on the concrete side | Predicted Better on the concrete side. |
Review needed | Builder price pending |
| Interior walls | As designed | Keep as designed | A change would not help the spaces that need it | No change recommended | None needed | No change |
| DAS | Assumed throughout | Only where still needed | What the building still needs after choices 1 and 2 | Predicted Stated area by area. |
Radio test by qualified provider | Priced only if needed |
- Each choice has a place.The sheet says where a change goes and why.
- Keeping the original is an option.When a change would not help, the sheet says so.
- Missing evidence is named.Nothing is shown as settled before it is.
- Prices come from your builder.Until then the sheet says "pending".
- Phones and radios are separate.Each has its own result line.
- Separate results for emergency radios and cell phones
- Specification text your architect can review and your contractor can price
- The design of any system the building still needs
- A record of approved choices and test evidence
Responsibilities
Who is responsible for what.
We are responsible for our own professional work. We do not become your contractor, construction manager or installer.
| Activity | Responsible |
|---|---|
| Signal analysis, material specification and the design of any system still needed | Coverage by Design, or a qualified radio design professional we disclose |
| Architecture, structural, fire, energy and envelope approvals | Your architect and engineers, supported by manufacturer evidence |
| Material purchasing, trade contracts and installation | Your contractor, suppliers and licensed installers |
| Site safety, means and methods, schedule and construction quality | Your construction team |
| Field tests | A qualified provider retained by the project. We define and interpret the agreed evidence. |
| Formal acceptance and required approvals | The authority having jurisdiction and the building owner |
Costs
Three parts, each with a named provider.
You see the whole decision cost before you commit. Seeing a combined budget does not make us responsible for building the work.
Plain-language terms
Words you may hear on a project.
You do not need any of these to start. They are here for reference.
- DASdistributed antenna system
- The antennas, cables and amplifiers installed inside a building to carry radio signal to areas the outside signal does not reach.
- BDAbi-directional amplifier
- A signal booster that strengthens radio signal in both directions between an outside antenna and inside antennas. Often part of an emergency-radio system.
- ERCESemergency responder radio coverage system
- The system a building may need so firefighters and other responders can use their radios inside. Some codes and documents call it ERRCS.
- RFradio frequency
- The part of the spectrum phones and radios use. RF analysis studies how that signal travels into and through a building.
- AHJauthority having jurisdiction
- The office that enforces the code for a project, often the fire marshal or building department.
- Signal strength
- How much radio signal reaches a point. Engineers measure it in units such as dBm. You do not need these numbers to use this site or to start a request.
Questions
Questions about the process
Do we need plans to start?
No. Start with the address, project stage and what needs to work inside. If the review needs plans or specifications, we request them through a private link.
Do you install equipment?
No. We specify and design. Your contractor and licensed installers do the physical work.
Who performs the radio tests?
A qualified testing provider retained by the project. We define the evidence we need and interpret the results.
Can you guarantee the building will pass?
No. A prediction is not acceptance. The authority having jurisdiction decides acceptance based on the required tests.
What if we keep the original material?
That is your choice. We show what it does to reception and what the building would still need, so the decision is informed.
Check My Building
See what your building can do for reception.
Start with the address, project stage and what needs to work inside. There is no charge. In less than 72 hours you get your free DAS Necessity Score or a list of what we still need.
No field readings are needed to send a request. A reliable conclusion may require more information or testing.
