Sunday 22 March 2015

Aerial Installation in Communal Properties

For communal properties, such as a block of flats, hospitals and residential homes, it’s necessary to have a special type of aerial installation when digital TV and radio services are required. This is because multiple dwellings within the property must share the same signal and it would be impractical to install a separate aerial for each resident.

Therefore it’s necessary to combine the signals received from aerials and to separate them so each resident of the building can have access to digital TV and radio services that they require. Any reputable aerial installation company will be able to tackle communal aerial installation projects. The most common way to install aerials in communal properties is by using an IRS system. Below is an explanation of how IRS works.

IRS systems

Integrated Reception Systems (IRS), generally speaking, will consist of an aerial for digital TV and digital radio, and one for Sky. The signals from the aerials are then combined and then wires are run to the individual dwellings within the building, allowing residents to enjoy a wide range of services such as Freeview and Sky amongst others.

The required aerials are installed on the roof of the property and the cables are run down to the distribution equipment, which is usually referred to as the “headend”. The headend is usually placed in a central location within the building and somewhere where it’s safe from damp and other hazards that could be dangerous. If for whatever reason, the headend cannot be placed inside the building then it can also be situation in a waterproof cabinet outdoors.

The purpose of the headend isn’t just to separate the signals so they can be sent to the different dwellings but also to strengthen the feeds from the antennae so that they’re strong enough to provide service to all the dwellings within the building. The signals are then combined using multi switches so that all the signals from the different aerials can be sent down a single cable. The cables that are sent to each dwelling are then decombined using a Quad outlet plate, so that they can be plugged into the necessary equipment for us.

Fibre optic IRS

Although copper coax cables have been traditionally used in IRS systems, there’s a growing trend for using fibre optic cable. There are a few key advantages to using fibre optic cable rather than copper coax. Firstly, fibre optic cable is capable of transporting data over a much greater distance when compared to copper coax. It’s also lighter, which makes it easier and more practical to use. There are no earthing requirements when using fibre optic cable either because glass does not conduct electricity so there is no current flow.

About the Author:

David writes on all subjects related to digital TV and radio services, including communal aerial installation.

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