AIN Self-Aim (SOCA)
A motorized rotator carries a MIMO directional antenna through a 360° scan, reads live RSRP/SINR from the paired outdoor router, and locks onto the strongest measured server. A per-address drive test built into the CPE — remotely re-triggerable every time the network changes.
Outdoor router + SOCA rotator + B41 MIMO directional antenna. NOC-driven remote calibration, portal-based re-optimization on every network change event.
- SINR seams. A 23-site single-frequency B41 grid is interference-limited wherever sectors overlap. In seams the strongest usable server is frequently not the nearest site, and it changes when the network changes. Fixed aiming is a guess frozen in metal.
- Takeover & upgrade wave. Re-tilt, azimuth optimization, Queens/Midtown-East gap fills, then the n41 hardware upgrade — every one of those events invalidates fixed CPE aiming across some slice of the base. SOCA converts each into a remote re-scan from the portal.
- De-skilled install. Mount, plumb, power. The system self-surveys. Widens the installer pool and removes aiming as a failure mode from SITE SURVEY addresses.
- Telemetry for free. The controller polls router RSRP/RSRQ/SINR continuously. Every install becomes a permanent calibration probe against our prediction rasters.
- Dual-SIM scanning. Optimizes per SIM — one antenna serves both a private B41 SIM and a public-carrier backup SIM with each aiming decision made on measured signal.
- Resilience via auto re-aim. If the serving tower fails or is taken out for maintenance, the NOC triggers a fresh 360° scan and the rotator re-aims to the next-best sector automatically — no truck roll, service restored in the same maintenance window. Fixed-aim CPE would sit dark until a tech climbed the roof.
At 2496–2690 MHz, LMR-400 coax loses ~6.5–7 dB per 100 ft. Router placement relative to the rotator is the whole game:
Weatherized outdoor router mounted at the mast within ≤3 ft (≤0.5 dB) of the SOCA-carried antenna. Ethernet — not coax — runs down the building. This is the only configuration we quote for Marginal / SITE SURVEY addresses.
Coax from the rotator antenna down to an indoor router. Every 30 ft of LMR-400 costs ~2 dB, nearly half a prediction band. Permitted only where total run is under ~25 ft and the address grades Strong / Serviceable.
| Qualification signal | Default quote | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| YES, single dominant server (≥ ~4 dB over #2) | Integrated fixed-aim ODU | Cheapest correct answer; aiming is unambiguous |
| YES / YES-EXTERNAL-CPE, top two within ~3 dB, or SINR seam | SOCA + external MIMO + outside router | Measured aiming beats predicted aiming exactly here |
| SITE SURVEY verdict | SOCA quote replaces the survey | First 10-min scan IS the survey; hardware stays if service works |
| Business Dedicated / Slice with failover | SOCA dual-SIM on the enterprise router | Per-SIM optimized aiming; remote re-opt inside the SLA |
| Address on the re-tilt / n41 upgrade path | Bias toward SOCA | Avoids the re-aim truck roll we already know is coming |
| Strong-grade addresses | Indoor gateway or value ODU | SOCA adds cost without benefit where any aim works |
“Your antenna aligns itself to the strongest tower automatically, and if we improve the network, it re-aligns remotely — no revisit needed.”
Speed quotes remain governed by the network's prediction-based model. Vendor “3× range / 2× speed vs omni” claims are not carried into customer commitments.
- • IPX2 rating verified against sustained wind-driven-rain behavior; mounting orientation and drip-loop specified per unit.
- • Wind rating checked per building against NYC design wind speeds including antenna sail area. Structural sign-off per mast.
- • Rotator failure mode: holds last position (fixed-aim fallback). RMA logistics and 3-year warranty in distributor agreement.
- • Portal fleet management (multi-tenant views + alerting) confirmed at IOT, not per-unit app sessions.
- • Scan behavior on TDD / private PLMN verified with chosen router; dual-SIM (private + MNO) behavior signed off.
- • 4×4 cabling topology (4 jumpers to router, controller in management path only) per user manual.