System for dynamically controlling the gain of a repeater

A system comprising:

• a cellular repeater having a variable-gain donor antenna adapted to communicate with a base station, and a server antenna adapted to communicate with a mobile device;
• at least one programmable processor;
• and
• a machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one programmable processor, cause the at least one programmable processor to operate the cellular repeater to at least:
• receive, at the cellular repeater, a signal having an input signal power level, the input signal power level dynamically changing;
• and
• set, at the cellular repeater, a gain at the variable-gain donor antenna to a predetermined first level, an amplifier configured to modify the first input signal power level of a first signal;
• detect, at the cellular repeater, an increase in the input signal power level of the signal during receipt of a first data burst;
• drop, at the cellular repeater and in response to the detection, gain of the amplifier from the predetermined first level to a second level less than the predetermined first level, the drop of the gain of the amplifier being over one or more cycles of the signal;
• hold the gain of the amplifier at the second level until receipt of a second data burst having the input signal power level;
• and
• gradually increase the gain of the amplifier from the second level to the predetermined first level in response to an expiration of period of time during which no signal is received at the cellular repeater.

A system comprising:

• a cellular repeater having a variable-gain donor antenna adapted to communicate with a base station, and a server antenna adapted to communicate with a mobile device, the cellular repeater receiving a signal having a dynamically-changing input signal power level;
• and
• a gain hold processor comprising logic to dynamically control a gain of the received signal by the cellular repeater based on the input signal power level;
• the gain hold processor being configured to at least:
• set gain of an amplifier to a predetermined first level;
• detect an increase in the input signal power level of the signal during receipt of a first data burst;
• drop, at the cellular repeater and in response to detection, the gain of the amplifier from the predetermined first level to a second level less than the predetermined first level, the drop of the gain being over one or more cycles of the signal;
• hold the gain of the amplifier at the second level until receipt of a second data burst having the input signal power level;
• and
• gradually increase the gain of the amplifier from the second level to the predetermined first level in response to an expiration of a period of time during which no signal is received at the cellular repeater.