Wireless RF-over-ethernet

RFS (Radio Frequency Systems) has unveiled ClearFill Star, claimed to be the world’s first fully digital RF-over-ethernet wireless indoor cellular coverage system.

It uses a digital IP-based approach that improves indoor wireless service by converting radio coverage into an IP based ethernet application. This can reduce the total cost of ownership by up to 30-40% compared with other in-building solutions.

Central to its cost-effectiveness is the use of Cat 5e standard LAN cabling and switches.

Designed to complement the company’s ClearFill suite of wireless indoor solutions, ClearFill Star is designed to offer carriers and enterprises access to a new set of options for harnessing and distributing RF signals inside buildings.

Coverage is provided via several remote radio heads (similar to WLAN access points) powered over ethernet, whereas the indoor capacity is defined by the number of base station interface units connected to the cell sectors of a W-CDMA Node B.

A key feature is its distribution of an RF signal from a node B via a gigabit ethernet network connection. The use of an ethernet network as a transport medium cuts the cost of indoor wireless deployment since it uses existing cabling.

All base station interfaces and active antennas (indoor remote radio heads) are powered via the Cat 5e cable (power-over-ethernet).

Another advantage is the possibility of managing the capacity of the base station, using a process of software-assigning to alter which remote radio heads are allocated to which base station or base station sector.