Mouser Electronics: Active Fiber DAS Across a 980,000 Sq Ft Distribution Facility

Mouser Electronics is a global electronic component distributor headquartered in Mansfield, Texas. Its campus combines corporate office space with a high-volume distribution operation, spanning close to a million square feet across interconnected buildings. As the company expanded its automated warehouse operations, reliable cellular coverage became essential for keeping staff connected and supporting day-to-day communications across the facility.

Mouser needed dependable in-building coverage to support staff communications throughout its distribution operation, including a move toward cellular-based two-way radios that depend on a strong, consistent signal. The existing coverage broke down in the parts of the building that were hardest to reach, with dead zones toward the back of the warehouse and in lower areas where the outside signal could not penetrate. For a facility of this scale and density, relying on the macro network alone was not viable, and the company needed a partner who could engineer coverage specifically for a warehouse environment and coordinate the necessary signal sources.

The facility presented a convergence of RF challenges. Metal racking running floor to roof acts as a near-continuous barrier to cellular signal, reflecting and absorbing it before it can reach a user. The building included mezzanine levels that effectively made parts of the warehouse multi-story, along with semi-underground areas where signal penetration was especially poor. Antenna placement had to account for the realities of the space, including weight limits for lifts on the mezzanine and the need to route cabling and mount antennas cleanly through an active, working warehouse. At roughly 981,783 square feet across interconnected buildings, this was an enterprise-scale deployment that demanded careful engineering rather than a generic coverage solution.

RSRF designed and deployed an active fiber Distributed Antenna System built on ADRF ADXV Series equipment. Active fiber was the right fit for the building's scale: it allowed head-end equipment to be centralized and signal distributed over single-mode fiber to remote units across the facility, with fiber able to run long distances between interconnected buildings without signal loss.

Signal was sourced off-air, using bi-directional channelized amplifiers fed by rooftop donor antennas to bring in and rebroadcast AT&T and T-Mobile coverage. Verizon was already performing well inside the building, so it was kept out of scope to keep the system focused and cost-effective. The design supported LTE and 5G NR, with antennas placed to push coverage into the racked aisles, mezzanines, and lower areas where signal had previously failed.

RSRF delivered an active fiber DAS covering Mouser's distribution facility, bringing dependable AT&T and T-Mobile coverage to the warehouse floors, mezzanines, and previously dead areas toward the back and lower levels of the building. Engineering the system specifically for a high-bay, metal-dense environment meant the coverage held up where it was needed most, supporting staff communications throughout the operation. Post-installation, RSRF's Network Operations Center provides ongoing monitoring, maintenance, and support under a multi-year service agreement.