Method and system providing rf distribution for fixed wireless local

Abstract

A system and method is disclosed for distributing a radio frequency (RF) signal within a building structure or other structure not readily transparent to radio frequencies. The RF signal originates at a wireless local loop (WLL) base station and is intercepted by a main antenna on the building structure. The intercepted RF signal, which is contained in a RF bandwidth, is distributed throughout the building structure over a low bandwidth medium, e.g., in-building cabling, which has a transmission bandwidth below the RF bandwidth. In order to accomplish this, the system has a global reference oscillator for distributing a global reference tone of high stability to the entire system. Local oscillators controlled by this global reference tone deliver RF reference tones of high stability required for mixing the RF signal to obtain an intermediate frequency (IF) signal which is fed through the low bandwidth medium to remote sites. At the remote sites the RF signal recovered from the IF signal by mixing with the RF reference tone and re-transmitted, often to WLL communication units. When the WLL base station has a connection to the Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN), the WLL communication units provide users with wireless telephone services.