Keeping a Faith Community Connected and Safe

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn serves a vibrant community through its parishes, schools, and outreach programs. Its Douglaston, NY facility spans 240,000 square feet and functions as both a community center and residence for retired priests. Reliable cellular service is essential for safety, communication, and daily operations, but maintaining strong connectivity inside the massive structure proved to be a serious challenge.

THE PROBLEM

No Signal in a Fortress-Like Facility

Built during the Cold War era, the Diocese’s massive concrete structure was designed to endure, but that durability came at a cost. The thick reinforced walls completely blocked cellular signals from entering the building.

The facility includes a community center, pool, fitness center, and housing for retired priests across four floors. Guests and staff frequently struggled with zero reception, dropped calls, and failed texts. The lack of mobile signal raised serious concerns about emergency response and overall safety—particularly for the elderly residents living on the top floors.

Frustrated by poor communication and aware of the potential liability, the Diocese reached out to Bolton Install Pros at SignalBoosters for a comprehensive signal improvement solution.

THE SOLUTION

Cel-Fi QUATRA 4000c Hybrid DAS

Our technicians began with an in-depth site survey to understand the building’s structure, coverage goals, and carrier requirements. Because the Diocese needed strong AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile signals and the nature of the building, we recommended the Cel-Fi QUATRA 4000c by Nextivity. It’s a powerful hybrid DAS system capable of delivering carrier-agnostic coverage with industry-leading gain throughout large, complex facilities.

With Nextivity’s Smart Server Antennas, the QUATRA 4000c also supports panic button functionality, enhancing emergency response—an essential feature for a building housing elderly residents, given previous incidents.

During installation, a few unexpected challenges arose, such as equipment procurement delays, securing special roof penetration permissions, and running cables through reinforced walls. Despite these obstacles, the Bolton Install Pros team used creative problem-solving and precise coordination to ensure the system was properly installed and fully optimized.

THE RESULTS

Reliable Connectivity and Peace of Mind

After implementation, the Diocese’s facility experienced strong, consistent cellular signal across all four floors, eliminating dead zones entirely. Residents, guests, and staff can now make clear calls, send messages, and use mobile data without interruption.

The building’s panic button system now operates seamlessly, giving staff real-time visibility and location tracking for emergency alerts, which significantly improves safety and response times.

With reliable signal and enhanced safety, the Diocese can focus on serving its community without communication barriers. The project’s success has since led to ongoing collaboration on additional Diocese school projects.