Hot Topics :: The Village of Barrington Hills

Hot Topics includes subject matter that remains newsworthy over a significant period of time with the potential to impact the character and integrity of the village. Items covered on this page may not change frequently. We will maintain the latest public status as the information becomes available. While not all of the subject matter may be in the “backyard” of all residents, the decisions have far reaching ramifications to the village as a whole and as such we encourage all residents to show support. Latest news in each topic area will be at the top followed by references and older information.

Cellular Telephone Quality in the Village

Background: Since a Resident Survey in 2005, the subject of Cellular Phone Service Quality has been an active topic within the village.

Even before 2005, Barrington Hills was part of a nationwide pioneering efforts when mobile phones were first introduced. Equipment and cellular towers for part of the initial mobile telecommunications infrastructure were installed at the Village Hall, and in return, funds from Cellular Service Providers helped the vIllage add on to the government building facilities.

The Barrington Hills Police Department receives many more Cellular calls for assistance than landline calls each month. The Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) equipment to support accepting cellular calls and having the mapping and location capability to find the caller's location, longitude and latitude, was installed in the village as part of the early introduction of such technology. This helps save to lives.

Between 2005 and the present day, Cellular Tower applications became the topic of many special meetings. For the most part, residents stood firm in resisting the addition of more traditional towers within the village boundaries for aesthetic reasons. The residents argued that the towers were detrimental to the village's open spaces. At a minimum, tower applications are encouraged only when there are multiple carriers participating in the project. Successful applications in most recent years have been granted by adding carriers onto existing tower infrastructures.

In 2009, a fairly new technology, DAS, Digital Antenna System, was introduced for outdoor applications. Before 2009, working DAS units were predominantly solutions for indoor applications such as large shopping malls and arenas to boost indoor cellular quality. In 2009, zoning applications were accepted and resolutions were approved by the Board of Trustees to add outdoor DAS technology to the village along village owned and maintained roadways.The applicant this time was American Tower Corporation (ATC), on behalf of their initial client AT&T Wireless.

The location of the Village Hall was requested by the vendor to serve the DAS hub equipment needed to improve cellular transmission within the village without the use of additional towers in selected areas. DAS is not a replacement for towers, but another tool in the arsenal to improve service performance in dead spots which remain inside the village boundaries without this boost. Added benefits of having a village hub for the equipment, means the village may gain access to some of the capacity of the augmented facilities to improve communications for the village government and police department for public safety.

The DAS Project has been featured on the Village News Main Page since mid-2009. This page has been developed to move the topic to the Hot Topics portion of the website. It also allows the historical and current news to remain on the site.

The Technology Committee prepared an article on Femtocell technology which may be needed with or without DAS to boost indoor quality of service. The article on Femtocell technology is on this page.

Cellular Improvement DAS Project Status

March 11, 2010

American Tower Corporation (ATC) announced that it has deployed an outdoor distributed antenna system (DAS) network in Barrington Hills, Illinois in response to increasing wireless coverage needs. The system was completed in February 2010. “Our increasing focus on outdoor DAS networks results from our customers’ unique needs to expand their network coverage in areas where traditional wireless tower sites are not an option. They allow wireless service providers the ability to deliver the coverage they need while balancing community aesthetic demands and zoning requirements."

American Tower has designed a multi-carrier system in the Barrington Hills area. American Tower’s outdoor DAS utilizes existing utility poles in the public right-of-way. AT&T is the anchor tenant on the system.

DAS Technology Installation along Brinker Road

January 2010 Update

Photo1 of ATC' s DAS Installation along Brinker Road 2010- photo by Dan Strahan, Village Engineer

Photo 2 of ATC' s DAS Installation along Brinker Road 2010 - photo by Dan Strahan, Village Engineer

Village Accepted Proposal for Improving Cellular Coverage

Two Resolutions Passed by Board of Trustees

Update: July 27, 2009 American Tower Corporation (ATC) was on the agenda for the Board of Trustees monthly meeting. ATC sought and received approval for the Right of Way (ROW) along the five (5) Village Roads where DAS equipment will be mounted to ComEd utility poles. See Village Resolution 09-15.

The ATC - Village Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) request for the DAS Hub to be installed at the Blockhouse at the Village Hall was presented and approved; further work will be done to finalize the details. See Village Resolution 09-16. The next step for the Village maintained roads is the Permit process required for the proposed poles.

Other Village Roads are going through a similar approval process with the entities who maintain those roads. In total, fifteen (15) roads within the Village will be addressed for DAS coverage to improve Cellular Phone service for participating Cellular Carriers. Read on for more background.

Update - More Bars in Barrington Hills!

Since the last update, the ATC outdoor DAS project has made considerable progress. Barring any unforeseen weather complications, the network is still on track to be “on-air” by Spring 2010, if not sooner. All of the key approvals are in place with the Village, County, and State to be able to move forward. Village residents will begin to see pole activity and some underground digging near the Village Administration building the next couple of months.

While AT&T will be the first tenant on the network, ATC is actively marketing the network to all of the FCC licensed wireless carriers in the market. We are hopeful that others will join as well. Once the DAS network is operational, AT&T customers will notice improved coverage in the DAS network coverage area. Go to the DAS Coverage Maps below. Only once a carrier joins the network, will the DAS improve their [customers’] coverage.

Recently, the Village and ATC reached agreement to utilize the existing Block House at the Village tower site for ATC’s use.

Related Village News - Below

Two Resolutions Passed by Board of Trustees

Cell phone users will soon have access to more reception bars. The Board of Trustees approved most of the resolutions that will allow American Tower Corporation, on behalf of AT&T, to install a visually unobtrusive Distributed Antennae System (DAS) to already existing poles in the Village. The project is slated to begin this fall. Gone will be the days of standing at a second floor window with your hand raised in the air to find a reception bar.

The next step for the Village maintained roads is the Permit process required for the proposed poles. Other Village Roads are going through a similar approval process with the entities who maintain those roads. In total, fifteen (15) roads within the Village will be addressed for DAS coverage to improve Cellular Phone service for participating Cellular Carriers.

For common questions and answers read the DAS PDF Document click here. For Background and photos see below.

Goal to improve cellular coverage

The Village received a proposal from American Tower Corporation (ATC) to install and operate a neutral host Distributed Antenna System (DAS) network to improve cellular coverage in Barrington Hills. The DAS network that ATC has proposed will employ “nodes” installed at 15 locations within the Village and several in neighboring communities (see Initial Node Location Map below).

Initial Node Location Map

Unlike cellular towers which are typically large 120ft+ steel structures, each DAS node’s small utility-like equipment is expected to be located on existing utility poles within the public right of way. (see Representative Node Photos below).

Node Photos

Each node’s weatherproof housing is approximately 3.5ft.wide by 3.5 ft. tall by 12 in. deep. Each node will be connected back to the Hub (central control equipment to be installed within an existing outbuilding located near our Village Hall) via a fiber-optic cable attached to the applicable utility pole. A 2 in. diameter 8 ft. tall antenna will be mounted near the top of the utility pole. Ninety minutes of battery back-up at each node is also planned.

ATC will act as a “wholesale service provider” and has indicated that the DAS network can accommodate all of the current six cellular carriers. Residents should note that no new subscriptions or surcharges (additional service fees) will be incurred by cellular users when accessing the DAS network. To date, ATC has signed a Letter of Intent with AT&T Wireless to utilize this DAS network, and is in discussions with other cellular service providers regarding their willingness to use the network.

ATC anticipates that, if all necessary approvals are received, the DAS network could be operational by mid-2010. A franchise agreement authorizing ATC to use Village rights-of-way (ROW) will be presented to the Village Board for their review and approval later this summer. (ROW Approved July 27)

DAS systems are common in indoor areas such as shopping malls, airports and high rises. Other communities such as Nantucket, MA and Hilton Head, SC have had outdoor DAS solutions deployed.

Drive Test Map

Drive Test Map
Predicted DAS Coverage of Proposed Network from American Tower
Green line based on actual drive test; Yellow based on tuned predicted model

For further background information on DAS Networks and the complete American Tower presentation of June 15, 2009, please click the below links:

DAS Overview

American Tower Presentation
This is a PDF document

Technology Review Committee

Can a “Femtocell” Improve Your Cellular Coverage at Home?

Will I need Femtocell Technology when DAS comes to my area?

The ATC DAS Proposal which was accepted by the Village July 27, 2009 is not a guarantee the Cellular Service being addressed will work better inside buildings and homes. The drive testing covered outdoor use of Cellular Technology via DAS in lieu of Cellular Towers to improve communications. Once DAS has been implemented, testing should be done by the homeowner and if service inside the home is not reliable, a Femtocell Product may be required to boost performance.

Recent product announcements from several cellular service providers may help improve cellular coverage within the home for some of our residents. Complementing the existing nationwide network of cell towers in use today, new products called “Femtocells“ can provide a cellular signal in areas that suffer from poor cellular service such as your home or perhaps a basement.

A Femtocell unit provides a low-power radio signal that allows you to make and receive calls using your cell phone within a limited coverage area. The unit is physically the size of a thick book, and requires that it be plugged into AC power as well as requiring a spare broadband Ethernet connection for Internet access. In addition, these units also utilize Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite data to report location information, and in the event that the unit cannot properly receive GPS data where placed within your home, you will also need to connect an external GPS antenna.

Similar to cordless telephones, the low power radio signal produced by these products means that the area covered is limited. Since it is dependent upon where the unit is placed within your home, the actual coverage may not be known until the unit is actually installed and operating.

Some Questions and Responses:

R. Availability varies depending upon the cellular service provider you currently use. T-Mobile began offering a product, called “HotSpot@Home” in 2007. In 2008, Sprint announced availability of their product, called “Airave," and in January 2009 Verizon announced availability of their product, called “Network Extender”. AT&T Mobility has also just announced that their product, called “3G Microcell” will be available soon. At the present time, there are no announcements regarding availability from other local service providers such as U.S. Cellular.

R. No, each of the cellular service providers’ Femtocell units are unique and will only work with cell phones registered to their network, so if your family has cellular service from multiple providers, then you will need to purchase one Femtocell unit from each service provider.

Q3. I have service from another provider not mentioned , e.g. U.S. Cellular… can I use a Femtocell?

R. No. A Femtocell unit purchased from a cellular service provider can only be used with cell phones that work on that provider’s network. Some cellular service providers do not yet offer a Femtocell product, and you will need to wait for further announcements from them.

R. Verizon’s, Sprint’s and AT&T’s units do not require a new cell phone as their cell phones interface with their Femtocells in the same way as traditional towers. However, T-Mobile’s product requires that the cell phone communicate with their Femtocell using a secondary radio signaling scheme, Wi-Fi, and does require the purchase of a special cellular phone equipped with this feature.

Q5. Can I plug a Femtocell into my existing telephone line or use a dial-up internet connection?

R. No. The unit requires a broadband Internet connection such as that provided by AT&T DSL or Comcast Cable in our area. Note that you must have available a spare Ethernet port from your Internet access to plug into.

R. You will need a spare Ethernet connection with a minimum speed of 100 Kbps for a single call, and higher speeds are needed to process multiple simultaneous calls. In our area, Comcast and AT&T offer this service. If you are connected to the Internet through a satellite provider such as Starband, problems with the speed and delays associated with satellite links might preclude your using it.

Q7. Will a Femtocell support more than one cell phone conversation at a time?

R. Verizon and Sprint have indicated that their Femtocell units will support a maximum of three (3) simultaneous cellular calls.

Q8. Will all of my cell phone’s features be available when calling through a Femtocell unit?

R. Verizon and Sprint have indicated that their units will not support either location based or EV-DO data services. This means, for example, that you won’t be able to “web-surf” via your cell phone when using their Femtocells.

Q9. Can I make calls via a Femtocell outside the home or while driving in my car?

R. Similar to cordless phones, Femtocells only cover a small area. Thus a unit located within the home may provide only spotty coverage outside the home. It is possible to move between the area covered by the Femtocell and an area covered by a cell tower, provided that there is sufficient coverage from the cell tower.

R. Yes. At the time of purchase, it is important that residents properly register their Femtocell to the location where the unit is used.

R. Femtocell units do not contain an internal battery, so unless you have separately provided battery back-up for the unit, it will not work during a power failure. It is important to know that, without an alternative power source, during a power failure you will not be able to make calls, including emergency calls such as 911.

R. No, the unit requires access to the internet to route calls, and will not function if your internet connection is lost.

R. You should contact your cellular service provider to obtain information regarding pricing of the unit as well as possible monthly service charges.

R. You should contact your cellular service provider for additional information or to purchase a unit. Additional information may also be obtained via the Internet by clicking on your cellular service provider’s web link below: