WILSONELECTRONICS.COM, WILSONPRO.COM AND ZINWAVE.COM ARE NOW WILSONCONNECTIVITY.COM
Dome vs. Panel Antennas: Choosing the Right Cell Signal Booster

Dome vs. Panel Antennas: Choosing the Right Cell Signal Booster

February 7, 2024

Poor cell reception in commercial spaces is a common painpoint for business owners and customers. Buildings up to 140,000+ square feet often struggle with reliable cellular coverage due to distance from cell towers, building materials, and other environmental factors.An enterprise-scale DAS solution from Wilson Connectivity solve these challenges by amplifying 3G, 4G LTE, and 5G signals—but choosing between dome and panel antennas is crucial for optimal performance. This guide compares both antenna types to help you select the best solution for your space.Commercial cell phone signal boosters generally come with three major components:
  1. The Outside Antenna, which pulls in the existing cellular signal.
  2. The Amplifier, which boosts the signal up to 32X depending on the quality of the outside signal.
  3. The Inside Antenna(s), which rebroadcasts the amplified signal throughout the building.
Like the Outside Antenna (which comes in variations of Yagi or Omni antenna), the Inside Antenna also comes with two options: dome or panel. While both are capable of rebroadcasting enhanced 3G, 4G LTE, and 5G signals inside the workplace, there are some differences.

Panel Antennas

The majority of WilsonPro signal booster kits like the Pro 70 and Pro 70 Plus use panel antennas. They are wall-mounted, and broadcast enhanced signal in a specific direction (generally in a cone of 45 to 70 degrees).By having such a concentrated field of transmission, these antennas allow for a stronger signal when a cell phone user is next to the antenna. They also provide better coverage when the user is in line-of-sight of the antenna.Panel antennas make sense for businesses that have certain areas where quality reception is a high priority (e.g. office, conference room, lounge, etc.).If certain places within your commercial building demand better coverage and faster data speeds, we’d generally recommend panel antennas.

Dome Antennas

Newer and more powerful boosters like the WilsonPro 4000 and industry-leading WilsonPro 4000R use dome antennas. They are ceiling-mounted and broadcast 360 degrees of amplified signal.Contact us to learn more about Wilson Amplifier solutions.This solution provides a wide, horizontal spread of signal, delivering it uniformly throughout the floor.Dome antennas make sense for buildings with low ceilings, open office spaces, and unobtrusive walls (e.g. material like sheet rock and wood or thick walls).If getting signal equally throughout a space is important and the number of internal interference is low, then dome antennas are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also deliver great results.

Which pro-grade inside antenna is right for you?

It depends. Each project needs a strategic, customized approach for optimal results.There are many factors to consider such as the current outside signal, internal building structure, wall density and material, and metals that distort RF signal.But, as a rule of thumb, if you have priority areas, go with panel antennas, especially if your existing outside signal is mediocre to below average. Panel antennas have a better degree of penetration.When you’re dealing with low ceilings and open office space, go with the dome antennas, as they have a wider horizontal reach.For more help in choosing the right inside antenna, contact our WilsonPro team.

Featured & Trending Now

Elementary school hybrid DAS system

How Neck River Elementary Built Stronger Connections with Hybrid DAS

Zinwave wideband DAS solution

True Wideband DAS for Complex, Multi-Operator Environments

PGA Tour golf course connectivity supported by Wilson solution

When the PGA TOUR Comes to Your Backyard