Glass plays a vital role in the design, functionality, and aesthetics of any building, whether residential or commercial. As glass technology continues to advance—improving solar, thermal, and acoustic performance—it’s essential to consider its impact on building connectivity.
Three Critical Glass Factors That Influence Building Connectivity
1. Glass Coatings
Sustainable building standards like LEED, BREEAM, and the EU’s Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings (NZEB) directive have driven innovation in glass coatings. These coatings significantly enhance energy efficiency and help reduce global warming by improving a building’s thermal insulation. Today, virtually all glazing on the market is coated, regardless of the supplier, as it’s the only way to meet modern high-performance energy standards. For example, uncoated double glazing typically has a thermal U-value of 3.0, while coated glass can lower this to a U-value of 1.0, offering much better performance.
However, while these coatings boost insulation, they also present a challenge: they can hinder the propagation of wireless signals inside buildings—a concern as coated glass becomes more widespread.
Glass coatings consist of extremely thin, nearly invisible layers of metal oxides (such as zinc, tin, and silver) that improve insulation and block solar radiation. These coatings are applied via an electromagnetic vacuum process and, while highly effective, are sensitive to humidity. This is why they are always placed inside the cavity of double or triple glazing units.
There are two main types of glass coatings:
- Low Emissivity (Low-E) Coatings: Designed to reflect infrared radiation emitted by heating systems inside a building, while allowing solar heat to pass through from the outside, keeping interiors warmer during winter. Low-E coatings are mostly used in residential buildings.
- Solar Control Coatings: These block more of the infrared spectrum and are optimized for balancing thermal comfort, light transmission, and aesthetic appeal, maintaining optimal indoor temperature and clarity. These coatings are common in commercial buildings with large glass facades.
While effective at their intended purposes, both coating types significantly reduce the strength of radio signals, which are already weakened by propagation from base stations and by physical obstacles. Coated windows can cause an additional 20-40 dB reduction in signal strength compared to uncoated windows. From a wireless communication standpoint, this signal loss is considerable and can lead to poor connectivity and degraded services inside buildings.
2. Glass Structure: Double and Triple Glazing
Beyond coatings, the structure of windows significantly influences signal transmission. It’s important to note that clear, uncoated glass is transparent to radio waves; however, once coated, glass attenuates signals.
Here’s how different glazing options affect connectivity:
- Double Glazing: Comprising two layers of glass with a gap in between, this option offers improved thermal insulation. Typically, double glazing includes one coating, which moderately impacts signal transmission, causing around 25 dB attenuation.
- Triple Glazing: With three layers of glass and two coatings, this option provides excellent insulation but results in higher signal attenuation, reaching up to 40 dB.
3. Building Configuration
The choice of glazing often depends on the building’s purpose:
- Residential Buildings: Double glazing is commonly used in residential structures, offering a balance between energy efficiency and connectivity. These buildings usually use low-emissivity (Low-E) coatings to retain heat from heating systems while allowing solar heat to enter. In colder climates, or for enhanced energy efficiency, triple glazing may be preferred, though it further impacts signal transmission.
- Commercial Buildings: For commercial spaces, where energy efficiency is paramount, double or triple glazing with solar control coatings is often used. The goal here is to reduce overheating in the summer and lower HVAC consumption while maintaining good light transmission. However, these coatings can negatively affect wireless signal strength, so it’s important to consider connectivity needs when making glazing choices.
Connectivity Considerations
- Decibel Reduction: Glass windows with multiple layers and coatings can reduce signal strength by 25 to 40 dB, which can degrade connectivity and reduce data speeds.
- Network Saturation: As more devices connect to wireless networks, signal penetration through coated glass becomes increasingly challenging.
- Silver in Coatings: Many advanced glazing solutions use silver layers for insulation, which can effectively block radio waves, further complicating connectivity.
Innovative Solutions
To tackle these challenges, WAVETHRU offers a simple, non-intrusive solution. By laser-treating glass surfaces, WAVETHRU enhances wireless signal transmission through coated glass, effectively overcoming the attenuation caused by multiple layers. This innovation improves radio frequency transmission without compromising insulation or energy efficiency.
WAVETHRU is the perfect solution for future-proofing buildings, balancing low carbon footprints with energy efficiency and optimal connectivity. It’s a cost-effective and efficient choice for multi-use buildings, ensuring robust connectivity while preserving thermal and optical properties.
- Network Saturation: As more devices connect to wireless networks, signal penetration through coated glass becomes increasingly challenging.
- Silver in Coatings: Many advanced glazing solutions use silver layers for insulation, which can effectively block radio waves, further complicating connectivity.
While advanced glazing solutions are critical for energy efficiency, they can significantly hinder wireless connectivity. For more information on how WAVETHRU can help, contact us.
