Active antenna ceiling tile

A method of installing a wireless communication system in a building, the method comprising:

• installing a plurality of ground plane tiles without an antenna layer in a ceiling of a building, the ground plane tiles installed beneath a set of structures between the ceiling and a floor above the ceiling, wherein the ground plane tiles are configured to be electromagnetically reflective;
• joining the plurality of ground plane tiles together in a lateral plane using a conductive joining element to create a ground plane;
• installing an active antenna tile in the ceiling, wherein the active antenna tile has the same approximate area as a ground plane tile from the plurality of ground plane tiles and wherein a ground plane layer of the active antenna tile is positioned within the lateral plane of the plurality of ground plane tiles;
• and
• joining the ground plane layer of the active antenna tile to at least one of the plurality of ground plane tiles thereby including the ground plane layer of the active antenna layer as part of the ground plane, wherein a ratio between the number of ground plane tiles and the number of active antenna tiles is greater than or equal to 8 to 1;
• and
• electrically connecting the active antenna tile to at least one of a bidirectional power divider, a router, a bidirectional amplifier, and a donor antenna.

An active antenna ceiling assembly comprising:

• a ground plane structure comprising a plurality of ground plane tiles without an antenna layer, wherein each ground plane tile comprises an electromagnetically reflective layer;
• and
• an active antenna tile having the same approximate area as a ground plane tile from the plurality of ground plane tiles, the active antenna tile comprising:
• a first dielectric layer;
• an antenna layer comprising a number of antennas configured to receive and transmit radio frequency (RF) signals, the antenna layer disposed on the first dielectric layer;
• and
• a ground plane layer disposed above the antenna layer and in electrical communication with the ground plane structure, wherein a ratio between the number of ground plane tiles and the number of active antenna tiles is greater than or equal to 8 to 1;
• wherein the active antenna tile further comprises a second dielectric layer disposed between the antenna layer and the first ground plane layer;
• and
• wherein the active antenna tile further comprises a router and wherein the number of antennas are configured to serve as wireless antennas for the router.

An active antenna ceiling assembly comprising:

• a ground plane structure comprising a plurality of ground plane tiles without an antenna layer, wherein each ground plane tile comprises an electromagnetically reflective layer;
• and
• an active antenna tile having the same approximate area as a ground plane tile from the plurality of ground plane tiles, the active antenna tile comprising:
• a first dielectric layer;
• an antenna layer comprising a number of antennas configured to receive and transmit radio frequency (RF) signals, the antenna layer disposed on the first dielectric layer;
• and
• a ground plane layer disposed above the antenna layer and in electrical communication with the ground plane structure, wherein a ratio between the number of ground plane tiles and the number of active antenna tiles is greater than or equal to 8 to 1;
• wherein the active antenna tile further comprises a second dielectric layer disposed between the antenna layer and the first ground plane layer;
• and
• wherein the ground plane structure further comprises one or more windows without ground plane tiles for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) access.

An active antenna ceiling assembly comprising:

• a ground plane structure comprising a plurality of ground plane tiles without an antenna layer, wherein each ground plane tile comprises an electromagnetically reflective layer;
• an active antenna tile having the same approximate area as a ground plane tile from the plurality of ground plane tiles, the active antenna tile comprising:
• a first dielectric layer;
• an antenna layer comprising a number of antennas configured to receive and transmit radio frequency (RF) signals, the antenna layer disposed on the first dielectric layer;
• and
• a ground plane layer disposed above the antenna layer and in electrical communication with the ground plane structure, wherein a ratio between the number of ground plane tiles and the number of active antenna tiles is greater than or equal to 8 to 1;
• wherein the active antenna tile further comprises a second dielectric layer disposed between the antenna layer and the first ground plane layer;
• and
• a bidirectional amplifier configured to communicate an RF signal between the active antenna tile and a donor antenna.