Step 1
Check your building
Send the address, the project stage and what needs to work inside. In less than 72 hours you get a free DAS Necessity Score: an emergency-radio result and a general result for cell phones.
In-building wireless coverage, planned during design
The building decides whether phones and emergency radios work inside.
A few material choices in a building's shell block most of the signal. We find them during design and specify changes, so the building is ready for its emergency-radio test, phones can work for the people inside, and it needs less DAS, or none.
Free DAS Necessity Score in less than 72 hours. A DAS is the antennas, cables and amplifiers a building would otherwise need throughout.
Illustrative render, not a predictionTeal floors show where signal reaches. Red marks the materials that block it.
- As designed
Material choices in the building's shell stop most of the signal. They are marked in red.
- Panel swaps
A few shell materials are swapped for ones that let signal through, such as our spandrel panels. Signal now reaches the offices along the glass.
- Built-in changes
Our patent-pending assemblies go into the concrete walls, the stair and the roof. Signal now reaches every floor and the stair.
Why it matters
The radio test happens near the end of construction. Choices made during design decide most of the result.
Glass is chosen for energy. Stairs are enclosed for fire safety. Walls and roofs are specified for weather and cost. Each choice is right for its job. Together, they decide where radios and phones work inside.
- Design
- Glass walls chosen
- Stairs and cores enclosed
- Specifications
- Wall and roof assemblies set
- Procurement
- Materials ordered
- Construction
- Walls and ceilings closed
- Radio test
- Coverage problems found
- Opening
- Tenants move in
The opening can wait on a fix.
A system goes in late, with no budget line.
Cable runs through finished ceilings.
Tenants ask why their phones don't work.
Check the building while your team still has choices.
Check My BuildingHow it works
Three steps, starting with a free look at your building.
Step 2
Get one clear plan
We find the few material choices that block signal and specify changes your architect can review and your contractor can price. Where a system is still needed, we design it for just those areas.
Step 3
Build it and test it
Your team builds the approved changes. A qualified provider runs the required radio test before the building opens. The goal: a building ready for that test, phones that work for the people inside and less equipment to maintain.
Who it's for
Everyone on the project shapes coverage. Start with your role.
Owners and developersKnow what coverage will take while the design can still change.For owners
Architects and engineersSee which wall, roof and glass choices control coverage.For architects
General contractorsPrice the right scope at bid time, from specifications that say what changes.For contractors
Fire officialsBuildings planned for the radio coverage test from the start.For fire officials
DAS Necessity Score
A free first look, in less than 72 hours.
It tells you how likely your building is to need a DAS for emergency radios, gives a general result for cell phones, and names the evidence that would settle the question.
A DAS, or distributed antenna system, is the antennas, cables and amplifiers installed inside a building to carry radio signal where the outside signal does not reach.
What you send
- Building address, or city and project location
- Project stage
- What needs to work inside: emergency radios, cell phones or both
No field readings, radio frequencies or plans are needed to make the request.
What comes back
DAS Necessity Score
Illustrative layout, not a result
- Building
- Sample commercial building
- Scope
- Emergency radios, with a general cell-phone result
- Emergency radios
- Need or risk category
- Cell phones
- General result
- Predicted areas
- Shown where supported
- Confidence
- Stated with reasons
- Inputs used
- Listed
- Missing evidence
- Listed
- Next step
- Stated
Sample buildingProject
ScoreDocument
Radios and phonesScope
IllustrativeStatus
About
We start with the building.
For more than twenty years I was often called in after the radio test failed, when the walls were closed and the inexpensive choices were gone. I started Coverage by Design to check the building itself during design, while those choices are still open.
20+Years in in-building wireless
2,500+Buildings worked on before Coverage by Design
No equipment sale decided in advance. We don't sell or install equipment, so our advice follows the building: no added system, a smaller one, or a full one where it is needed. We focus on buildings where design changes can do the most.
About Coverage by DesignQuestions
Common questions
Will this eliminate the need for a DAS?
It can. A DAS, or distributed antenna system, is the antennas, cables and amplifiers that carry radio signal through a building. Depending on the building, the result can be no added system, a smaller system or a full system. We check your building first and tell you which.
Does the building still take the radio test?
Yes. Every building still takes the test your jurisdiction requires. Our work is to plan the building so it is ready for that test.
Are you replacing our architect or contractor?
No. We supply the signal analysis, the specifications for the building changes and the design of any system still needed. Your project team keeps its own role.
What does the free score include?
The DAS Necessity Score is free and arrives in less than 72 hours. It gives an emergency-radio result and a general result for cell phones. A building-specific answer for cell phones is part of the paid work.
Is the free score proof that we pass?
No. It is a preliminary screen. It is not a measured test or an authority's approval.
Does emergency-radio coverage mean phones work too?
No. They use different networks and frequencies, and phones have no code test. Each gets its own result.
What does it cost?
The DAS Necessity Score is free. Paid work is quoted for your building. Your project team prices and contracts for the physical work. Any outside testing or other prerequisites are listed in the proposal.
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.
