Solutions · Healthcare
Inside a hospital, with thick walls and wards across multiple floors, keeping radios always connected is a challenge. We design the coverage and the networks that solve it.
We design, install, and maintain DAS for in-building radio coverage, professional DMR and TETRA radio networks for staff, and control rooms for hospitals and healthcare facilities. We bring over twenty years of mission-critical communications experience to the healthcare sector.
The three challenges of running a healthcare facility.
What a healthcare facility has to guarantee every day, in every ward and every building.
Radio coverage in complex buildings
Hospitals are large buildings, often spread across several floors, with construction materials that attenuate the radio signal. From basement levels to the wards on the top floors, coverage has to reach everywhere, with no dead zones.
Many teams, continuous communications
Ward staff, maintenance, security, and facility services all work in the same building with different radio needs. They need networks that let them talk to each other and stay operational without interruption, without relying on the phone system.
A long-lasting investment
The system has to last for years and be maintained without stopping the facility’s operations. What counts is component quality, technical documentation, and support contracts with guaranteed response times.
How radio coverage gets inside a hospital.
The signal from the outdoor networks stops at the walls: from the technical room, a DAS riser distributes it floor by floor, down to the basement levels.
- Equipment and positions we install
- The DAS head-end unit, the repeater of the staff radio network, the uninterruptible power supply, and the control room position.
- DAS antennas
- The antennas distributed floor by floor bring radio and cellular coverage to every ward, down to the basement levels.
- Below ground level
- On the basement levels the signal from the outdoor networks does not reach: coverage comes only from the DAS antennas.
- Links
- The control room is connected to the radio network repeater through the facility’s data network.
What a system for a healthcare facility includes.
The systems that make up the installation of a healthcare facility and the work each one requires, from coverage in the wards to supervision of the equipment.
Building coverage and the DAS
- Radio coverage study floor by floor, taking account of the building materials and the shielding of the structure
- DAS head-end unit in the technical room and line amplifiers along the risers
- Distributed antennas in corridors, wards, stairwells, and basement levels
- Rooftop antenna that picks up the signal of the outdoor radio networks and brings it inside the building
- Coverage tests ward by ward, with signal level measurements at the critical points
Risers, cables, and passive components
- Optical fiber and coaxial risers between the technical room and the floors
- Splitters, couplers, attenuators, and termination loads of the distribution system
- Cable routes in the shafts and suspended ceilings, kept separate from the power lines
- Connectors and joints fitted and sealed, with standing wave ratio (SWR) measurement
Staff radio network
- DMR Tier II and Tier III repeaters, TETRA trunking, or VHF/UHF links, according to the customer’s requirements
- Channel and talkgroup plan for wards, maintenance, security, and support services
- Emergency calls and group calls, with priority over other communications
- Authorization paperwork and frequency licensing
Cellular coverage in the wards
- Survey of mobile operator coverage in the wards and on the basement levels
- Mobile operator band repeaters connected to the same DAS distribution
- Coexistence on the same installation between the cellular bands and the professional radio network bands
- Authorization paperwork with the mobile operators to repeat their signal inside the facility
Control room and integration with the facility systems
- Respondr dispatch console and operator positions
- Interfaces to the facility’s TETRA, DMR, and VHF/UHF radio networks
- Integration with the building supervision platforms via SNMP, relay contacts, and APIs
- Recording of radio communications and search through the call history
- Link to the emergency services covering the area
Power supply and continuity
- Distribution board and lines dedicated to the radio equipment, separate from the ward loads
- Uninterruptible power supplies and buffer batteries sized for the required autonomy
- Bonding of equipment, racks, and antenna supports to the earthing system
- Surge arresters on the RF lines and on the power lines
- Test of the installation running without mains power
Staff terminals and accessories
- Supply of portable terminals for ward staff, maintenance, and security
- Programming of channels, talkgroups, and user profiles
- Earpieces, microphones, and charging bases distributed across the wards
- Communication tests in the field and verification of emergency calls
Supervision and maintenance
- The Track-TP platform connected to the radio equipment, the network devices, and the facility sensors
- Status monitoring of the repeaters, the risers, and the DAS amplifiers
- Alarm notifications to the technical staff by email, WhatsApp, and Telegram
- History of measurements and interventions, available to reconstruct a fault
- Scheduled maintenance visits in the windows agreed with the facility
What it takes for radio to work across the whole hospital.
A concrete path: from radio coverage in the wards to communication recording.
Coverage reaches every ward
Inside the hospital, with thick walls and basement levels, the radio signal from outside doesn’t get through. We design and install DAS that distribute radio and cellular coverage to every ward, from the basement floors to the top floors.
Staff communicate on a dedicated network
Ward staff, maintenance, and security talk to each other over professional DMR and TETRA radio networks that we design and maintain: clear communications, always available throughout the facility, without relying on the phone system.
The control room coordinates from a single position
The operator follows communications from the Respondr console, which brings the facility’s radio networks together at a single operator position: one interface to talk with every team and coordinate with local emergency services.
The systems stay under control
In the equipment room, the radio and network devices stay under control: the Track-TP platform shows system status on a single dashboard and reports a fault or degradation in real time, before it becomes a service outage.
Communications stay recorded
Respondr’s built-in recording system keeps the facility’s radio communications: every exchange stays documented and available to reconstruct events.
The systems we deploy.
Each solution has its own in-depth page: here you’ll find only what it does for a healthcare facility.
- Control room
Radio rooms and dispatch
We build the radio rooms of healthcare facilities with Funktronic consoles and the Respondr platform: the facility’s radio networks and team coordination at a single operator position.
- Staff communications
DMR and TETRA radio networks
Radio networks for the staff working in the facility: DMR Tier II and Tier III systems, TETRA trunking, and VHF/UHF links, from design to maintenance.
- In-building coverage
DAS and in-building coverage
We design and install DAS to bring radio and cellular coverage inside hospitals, wards, and enclosed infrastructure, where the signal from outside doesn’t reach.
- Monitoring
Track-TP
A web platform that shows the status of network devices, radio networks, and facility sensors on a single dashboard, with real-time alerts.
- Traceability
Communication recording
Audio recording systems for radio communications: every call stays documented and available to reconstruct events.
- Radio terminals
Radio fleet supply
Supply, programming, and maintenance of the staff’s radio terminals: we are authorized resellers for Motorola Solutions, Hytera, and Kenwood, and the exclusive Funktronic distributor for Italy.
Frequently asked questions.
The questions we are asked most often about this type of system.
Does installing a DAS mean closing the wards?
No: the work proceeds area by area, one at a time, on a program agreed with the medical management and the technical office, which sets which zones are touched and in which time slots. Noisy or dust-producing work is contained and scheduled away from inpatient areas, while the cables run in the suspended ceilings and shafts already used by the other building services, so few wall openings are needed. How long it takes depends on the size of the building and on the access constraints in the wards: we define it after the site survey, together with the work program.
Can professional radios interfere with medical equipment?
The risk is real and is managed at the design stage, not once the system is switched on. Three elements are addressed: the frequencies used, the power of the terminals, and the minimum working distance in rooms where sensitive equipment is present. The areas to treat with care, such as operating rooms, intensive care units, and diagnostic imaging, are identified together with the facility’s clinical engineering department, which also indicates the equipment to keep under observation; the check closes with field measurements before commissioning.
Do you need the mobile operators’ authorization to bring the cellular signal into the wards?
Yes: repeating a mobile operator’s signal inside a building requires that operator’s consent, and an application has to be opened with each of the operators you want to bring inside. We prepare the technical work and the documentation, but the response times are set by the operator, so it is worth starting the applications while the system is still at the design stage. The same DAS distribution carries both the mobile operator bands and the professional radio network bands: the installation is sized from the outset for every band planned, and the individual bands are switched on as the consents come through.
What happens to radio coverage during a power failure?
It depends on how the active part of the system is powered. The cables, splitters, and antennas of the DAS need no power and keep distributing the signal; what does need power is the head-end unit, the line amplifiers, and the repeater of the staff radio network. That is why we connect them to dedicated lines, separate from the ward loads and brought onto the facility’s backup supply where one is available, with an uninterruptible power supply and buffer batteries sized for the autonomy the customer requires. The autonomy is verified with a test run without mains power, before commissioning.
Our systems integrate with the equipment you already have.
No closed systems: we use open protocols, let different technologies coexist on the same infrastructure, and work with the certifications that public tenders require.
Different networks on a single console
From the same console, Respondr manages the staff’s TETRA, DMR, and VHF/UHF radio networks and communications with local emergency services.
Integration with the facility’s systems
The monitoring systems interface with the facility’s supervisory platforms via SNMP, relay contacts, and APIs: alerts arrive where you already work.
Certifications and qualifications
Teleproject is ISO 9001:2015 certified and SOA OS 19 qualified. The Respondr and Track-TP platforms are designed in compliance with the NIS2 directive and the ISA/IEC 62443-3-3 standard.
Request a proposal for your healthcare facility.
Feasibility analysis, radio coverage study, and project planning, tailored to your requirements.