In-Vehicle Cellular coverage for Police

The Challenge

Grace, the manager of IT and Business Systems for a Nevada based law enforcement agency contacted a solution provider for carrier-grade solutions on the AT&T cellular coverage for patrol cars. Grace must ensure that officers have the necessary technology to do their jobs from various locations – in varying conditions – across a very wide distance.

Law enforcement officers leverage either department issued or their personal cell phones; that are given priority access to the FirstNet Network. At any given time, there are several law enforcement officers along a rural and mountainous terrain, 100-mile road north / south and east / west. In addition to patrol, they also conduct vehicle searches and interview potential law violators. They must keep in constant communication so that everyone is aware of one another’s whereabouts and activities, including requests for back up. Otherwise, they risk safety threats, and situations requiring additional resources can quickly spin out of control. Because of the rugged terrain surrounding them, the officers are unable to get a reliable cell phone signal from the main office or within their kiosks, making communication between them a challenge. Grace is alerted to the situation, and works to rectify the problem.

The Solution

Grace learns about the Cel-Fi GO M Smart Signal Booster from her agency’s systems integrator. Each vehicle was already outfitted with communication equipment, but clearly an enhancement was needed as well.

The solution is the only carrier-grade booster product available to the market, delivering up to 65 dB of gain while in Mobile Mode, which is 100x greater than the illegal repeaters found in many markets. This is the only dual-mode product that can switch to Stationary Mode at up to 100 dB gain. Cel-Fi products are also network safe, and provide no interference.

The Results

The vehicles were outfitted with Cel-Fi GO M for mobile boosting with mag-mount antennas. Once the systems are turned on, patrol officers at the station and on the road check their phones and notice, for the first time, several bars of signal. No more patrol areas with blacked out coverage. Because it is so cost-effective to purchase and install, Grace is reaching out to other law enforcement teams that may be experiencing coverage issues in an effort to proactively solve their coverage needs.

Do you have questions about improving cellular coverage for Public Safety Professionals? Contact our partners at Cel-Fi Online Resellers for Emergency Response.

Before: Coverage Gaps

After: Almost No Coverage Gaps