The Waveform Blog

136 years ago today, on April 6 1880, Oliver Heaviside was granted British Patent 1407 for the coaxial cable. Heaviside was 30 years old and had left formal education at the age of 16. He taught himself physics, mathematics, and electrical engineering while working as a telegraph operator. Researching at home, he began to publish his findings on attenuation and...

Wilson Electronics (who also make the weBoost line of consumer repeater kits) have launched their Wilson Pro brand, a new line of powerful, flexible, professional-grade cell phone signal boosters. Wilson Pro booster systems use antennas and an amplifier to capture available cell signals outside a building, boost those signals and then redistribute the amplified signals inside the building, ensuring reliable...

The New York Times ran a really informative article last week about Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS). It explained how a system works and why they’re needed. “It turns out that the thick concrete walls, reinforced steel floors and specially coated low-emissions windowpanes used in many new high-rises can weaken, if not block out, wireless signals. And units perched in the clouds,...

Download the newly released research report on U.S. Smarphone Use in 2015 from Pew Research.  Interesting findings include: 49% of smartphone owners experience content that they are trying to access not displaying properly on their phone at least on occasion, with 10% saying that this happens to them “frequently.” 47% experience poor or dropped signal quality that prevents them from using their...

In January 2015, the FCC wrote to the four major US carriers asking them to "publicly indicate their status regarding consent for each Consumer Signal Booster" that has passed the FCC's new certification process. 62 amplifier systems in total were listed as approved, and carriers were asked to review whether those boosters are safe for use on their networks. In early...

A question we commonly hear is “What does the future hold for the DAS market?” Obviously, the wireless industry in general is growing and will continue to do so. The most visible segment of that expansion is the consumer sector, including smartphones, tablets, accessories, apps, and content. The DAS industry has largely remained behind the scene and inconspicuous to the...