WAVETHRU
The laser surface treatment for glazing designed to enhance indoor mobile connectivity
Modern buildings – with their well insulated roofs and super-insulating coated glass – tend to attenuate incoming mobile signals, creating issues for indoor mobile connectivity. The result is dropped calls, low data speeds and frustration for building occupants. The same goes for trains: the metal body and the coated windows reflect mobile signals. And that means poor mobile connectivity!
What if there were a glazing that could let mobile signals in more easily while maintaining the insulating and solar control performance of the coated glass window? Challenge accepted!
AGC tapped into its broad experience with coatings to come up with a solution! The Technovation Centre developed a coating ablation treatment that is applied to the low-emissivity metallic coating on the insulating glazing. A laser is used to remove part of the coating by etching very fine, almost invisible lines in a pattern optimised in such a way that mobile signals can pass through more easily. The treatment is so gentle that it does not affect the physical properties of the glazing at all.
The result is WAVETHRU, a solution that delivers better indoor connectivity. WAVETHRU enables the reception and transmission of between 30% and 50% of the mobile signal. That's a huge difference compared to only 1% of the signal that is able to penetrate a building's untreated super-insulating glazing.
The laser surface treatment has virtually no impact on the insulation or solar control function of the coated glazing. In other words, the glazing maintains its environmental performance.
In addition, a study* carried out by Ghent University and IMEC on the Impact of WAVETHRU on radio waves absorbed by mobile phone users inside buildings showed that AGC's solution is better for phone users’ health as it reduces the quantity of radio waves absorbed by mobile phone users inside buildings. When a user is calling, the biggest impact on health comes from the mobile phone itself since the electromagnetic waves emitted by the phone's antenna are very close to the user's brain. Having better connectivity indoors means the cell phone uses significantly less power to pick up signals and consequently emits less power into the user’s brain.
Not only is WAVETHRU great for newbuilds, but the surface treatment can also be applied on-site to existing windows in a building, across either all or part of the glass facade, depending on the building's location and the client's needs. With WAVETHRU it is no longer necessary, in large buildings, to install costly and energy-intensive DAS systems, which are usually complex to install, require ongoing maintenance and replacement costs, and only work for one operator.
(*) Study by Ghent University and IMEC available at www.wavebyagc.com
The WAVETHRU solution allows mobile communications indoors without investing in complex and expensive distributed antenna systems. WAVETHRU is the more sustainable and cost-effective solution for transforming disconnected spaces into hubs of optimal connectivity, ready for tomorrow's technologies.
Bernard, Manager Wave by AGC.
Innovation highlight: Better indoor mobile coverage in your office
WAVETHRU is a laser surface treatment applied to the windows of a building to enable mobile telephone signals to more easily enter the building. It improves indoor call quality and is easy to install as the treatment is applied on-site to existing windows and it is non-intrusive (no wires, no electricity, no equipment). It has no impact on the building's aesthetics and does not affect the glazing's insulation or thermal performance.
The WAVETHRU™ laser surface treatment can be applied to a wide range of glazing compositions and multiple coatings on a same glazing can be treated. It is cost-effective compared to traditional signal boosters, does not require any maintenance and is compatible with all mobile operators.
WAVETHRU is available for newbuilds as well as renovation and retrofit projects, since the treatment can be applied on site directly to the installed glazing.
For more information, visit www.wavebyagc.com
Product highlight: Enhancing connectivity in trains
Modern trains feature double-glazed windows with metallic coatings for optimal thermal insulation. However, this well-intentioned feature also creates a Faraday cage effect, severely disrupting mobile signals and leaving passengers disconnected. The WAVETHRU Retrofit treatment addresses this modern-day dilemma. AGC experts perform all the work directly at the train depot. This glass treatment technology allows 4G and 5G signals to pass through train windows effortlessly, ensuring that passengers can enjoy both a comfortable journey and uninterrupted mobile connectivity.
For more information, visit www.pulsaart.com
