Mobile repeater DAS for data centres
Data halls, plant rooms and security airlocks are built to keep things out, and mobile signal is one of them. Yet engineers, security staff and contractors need their phones for calls, sign-in codes and incident response on every level.
Why data centres lose signal
The construction that protects the equipment also blocks the mobile network.
Heavy construction
Thick concrete, steel, fire-rated walls and windowless data halls stop most outside signal.
Secure zones
Airlocks, security rooms and caged areas are often the deepest parts of the building, where staff most need to call out.
Phones as work tools
Staff use their phones for sign-in codes, on-call alerts, vendor support calls and incident response, wherever they are on site.
CEL-FI QUATRA across multiple levels and buildings
QUATRA suits data centres because it scales floor by floor and building by building from a central Network Unit.
A Network Unit distributes the selected carrier signals and power to Coverage Units over category cabling. Fibre expansion carries the system to a Fibre Hub on another level or in a separate building, so one design can cover a multi-level facility or a campus.
- Up to six Coverage Units connect directly to each Network Unit.
- A compatible Fibre Hub adds up to six more, for up to twelve per Network Unit.
- Category cable runs of up to 100 m from the Network Unit to each Coverage Unit, or 200 m with a QUATRA Range Extender.
- Coverage Units powered over the cable (PoE+), so no local power is needed at each antenna point.
- Remote management through the WAVE Portal, which can run over the Network Unit's own cellular modem, separate from the data centre's network.
How we work on a data centre site
We work within the site's security, access and change-control procedures from the survey through to handover.
- Free desktop analysis, then an onsite RF survey of each level and building that needs service.
- A design for every carrier, with CEL-FI QUATRA for multi-level and multi-building sites, or CEL-FI G41 repeater hubs for smaller areas.
- Inductions, escorted access and approved work windows, planned with your facilities and security teams.
- Lifts and stairwells included, so staff keep signal moving between levels. In-lift coverage.
- Cabling to your standards, with labelling and as-built documentation.
- As-built signal testing and call tests at handover, measured against an acceptance criterion agreed with you.
QUATRA with fibre expansion, installed by Proeye
We installed this QUATRA Network Unit and Fibre Hub to cover a multi-level building in New South Wales, commissioned with call tests on every level.
The building is an aged care community, not a data centre, but the system architecture is the same one we use for multi-level and multi-building sites.
Data centre questions
Does the system need to connect to our network?
No. The QUATRA Network Unit has its own cellular modem for remote management through the WAVE Portal, so it can run separately from your network. A LAN connection is available if you prefer it.
Can one system cover several buildings?
Yes. Fibre expansion lets a QUATRA system reach a Fibre Hub in another building or on another level. For larger sites we design with more than one Network Unit. The right layout depends on the size and scale of the coverage required.
Can you work inside a live data centre?
Yes. Work is planned with your facilities and security teams, within your access, induction and change-control procedures, and scheduled into approved work windows.
Will it cover every carrier?
We design for the carriers you need and confirm each carrier's requirements for the site. Every repeater we install is registered, and carrier authorisation is obtained as part of the registration process.
No signal in the data hall?
Start with a free initial desktop analysis. Send the address, floor plans and where reception fails.