Patent attributes
A communication system includes a signal source for transmitting downlink signals and receiving uplink signals to and from an indoor signal coverage area; and a distributed antenna system interposed between the signal source and the indoor signal coverage area. The distributed antenna system includes an antenna monitoring unit connected to at least one service antenna through a distribution network. The at least one antenna transmits and receives the downlink signals and the uplink signals to and from at least one terminal unit within the indoor coverage area. The antenna monitoring unit includes an RFID transceiver that communicates with at least one RFID tag attached to the at least one antenna and detects the location of a point of anomaly with respect to that one antenna when a signal from the at least one RFID tag is not received by the RFID transceiver, or when a power level measured by the RFID tag and reported back to the RFID transceiver falls below a predetermined threshold level.
