Coverage
Repeater or 4G PoC radio? How to compare them
By Jolene Wong
Look at five years of cost, not the first invoice, and test whether 4G even reaches your site.
A repeater costs more on day one. A PoC radio looks cheap on day one and keeps charging you. So compare them over five years, on your site.
How they differ
| Repeater system | 4G PoC | |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage comes from | Your own antenna system | The mobile network |
| Basements | Designed in | Only where 4G reaches |
| Yearly cost | MCMC licence | Data fee per radio |
| Distance between sites | Limited unless linked | Not a problem |
| Who owns the system | You | Depends on the network |
What goes in the five-year sum
- Equipment and installation.
- Yearly MCMC licence, or the yearly data fee for every radio.
- Maintenance.
- What it costs to add more radios later.
When I pick which
One building with bad indoor signal usually points to a repeater. A team spread across different towns usually points to PoC. I test first either way, because I have seen a 4G PoC radio fail to cover a site.