A Distributed Antenna System (DAS) is a way to deal with isolated sports of poor coverage inside a large building by installing a network of relatively small antennas throughout the building to serve as repeaters.
DAS sends and receives cellular signals helping improve voice and data connectivity and there are several different types of DAS depending on the capacity an coverage, as well as associated costs.
The three main types of DAS signal distribution systems are passive DAS, active DAS and Hybrid DAS.
Passive DAS
This can be installed in a matter of weeks and is the lowest cost solution. This is ideal on smaller building with fewer users or a building in a urban area with strong outdoor signal.
Active DAS
This requires a power source to operate and is ideal for buildings larger than 300,000 sq ft and with large amount of users. It is the most powerful system, but can take a few months to install, due to requiring network approval as well as a full design and installation.
Hybrid DAS
This system is ideal for buildings with low capacity requirements and installation times and cost are lower. The network approval is not required as it extends the network from the nearest mast and are a mix of fibre optic/ethernet and coaxial cabling.