Patent ID: 7756470

Claim:
A distributed repeater system that has: (a) a donor unit that: (i) has a donor antenna integrated with active electronic components and (ii) receives and amplifies RF signals from a fixed station of a wireless communications network; (b) a coverage unit that is coupled to the donor unit and processes the RF signals from the fixed station; (c) a network of integrated active antenna modules (IAAMs) that are coupled to the coverage unit, each have a respective antenna integrated with active electronic components, and amplify and radiate the RF signals into a coverage area of the repeater; (d) a system that controls stability of the distributed repeater system using: (i) a signal generator that generates a Coverage Area Signature (CAS) signal and inserts the CAS signal into an RF path that traverses the repeater system; (ii) a detector that detects signal components corresponding to the CAS signal in an input signal received by the repeater system; and (iii) a microcontroller that controls a gain of the repeater system based on the detected result.