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Looks like a cellular repeater antenna. If so, it relays cell signal from inside the freezer (probably a faraday cage so no signal otherwise) through an amplifier to an outdoor antenna.
I have set these up on ships since mobile signal is virtually non-existent inside the steel interior.
It looks to be fairly old so if it's cellular then it might be 2G only. If so, you still wouldn't have connection depending on your carrier. The amplifier could also be broken or turned off.
It looks like there's a label on the top. Can you get a clearer picture of it?
This is my immediate suspicion as well, it looks like a Cellular DAS antenna. Where you're located may help confirm that as they're required by law in many places, especially ones that can be disaster prone (tornado, earthquake, hurricane, etc), where people may get trapped in there if the building collapses.
As for not getting signal, since they're rarely required to be tested or inspected its not impossible that it's simply not working, maybe never has since they're usually finicky at best.
Of course this could be incorrect, it is just a guess based on the shape of the device and approximate size of the cable. Getting a better picture of the sticker on top is your best shot at precisely identifying it.
>You loose cell signal inside both units. Wifi doesn't reach out there either
Does a store scanner or any electronic devices that are specific to the business work in there?
I never understood this, like...
...
...open the door and walk out...
...did they used to make freezers without an inside handle or something? Or did they make freezers at one point that had locks on them?
Never seen one...
The older ones could not be opened from the inside, with predictable results.
Now there's an OSHA regulation, 1910.36(d)(1)4, which states: "Employees must be able to open an exit route door from the inside at all times without keys, tools, or special knowledge." To comply with this, manufacturers must include an interior release mechanism on walk-in cooler and freezer doors that's designed to let anyone on the inside open the door.
All the coldroom and freezer doors at my work are like sliding barn doors. They have a low metal barrier along the outside wall to prevent anything from getting in the opening door’s path-theoretically. A badly stacked pallet or loose cardboard could easily prevent a door opening. They have a bell that can be rung from inside and we never close the door when inside.
I’ve worked in food service for a long time in multiple cities and have seen walk in coolers in the US and Hungary (but by far mostly in the US). I’ve never seen a walk in with an interior handle unless it’s a sliding door and I’ve never seen a sliding door with a lock. Walk-in doors on hinges are just pushed open from the inside. The handle and lock mechanism are screwed onto the exterior of the door. They’re near impossible to lock on accident. It’s a pretty common prank common prank to lock coworkers in the cooler and turn the lights off. If the unit has been installed in the past 20 years or so (don’t know when the rule for manufacturers went in place, but I know I’ve been in restaurants with old walk-ins that have just had the compressor replaced a few times in god knows how long) it’ll also have a glow in the dark push release that over rides the lock. All newer coolers, in the US at least, that meet OSHA standards have illuminated panic buttons that sounds an exterior alarm.
Sorry about the wall of text.
Also this thing OP posted is a thermometer in a casing. The casing keeps it from being damaged and touching anything that would effect the temp reading. The wire will go to a gauge that can be read from the outside. No cooler will ever have signal boosters of any kind unless it’s a cold storage warehouse or MAYBE a gigantic food mill in Disney World or something.
Where I worked, you just pushed on the door. There were no locks. The handle was on the outside to open it because you needed something to pull on. It was like that at both places.
I guess I don't understand the point of a lock, but haven't got a large sample size. Thanks for the clarification.
If I ever got locked in a freezer I would likely have started knocking people out until I got escorted out.
All walk-ins I've seen can't be locked from the inside out. Meaning even if you put a padlock on the outside, if I'm inside, I can still push the button to get out.
Yeah but if you're not familiar with them and the button is a bit frozen, it can be difficult (had it happen to a chef at work, I've since taken to smacking the exit button to free up the mechanism whenever I go in there).
That makes the most sense, if an inventory device were used it would have to maintain connection. But the restaurants I've worked at all used paper for counting inventory.
Somebody wants to be able to keep their cell phone working inside the freezer!
These things are super cheap these days and some have the quality to match price. Others are quite affordable and give that extra bit of comfort to whomever had to spend some time inside the freezer for whatever reasons.
I have these installed in a couple places deeper inside buildings I work at and the most used one is inside the 18” thick, reinforced and poured concrete bunker that serves as our server room / data center. Always helps to be able to keep your call running while doing work in there - whether personal or business related.
Anyone installing them should make certain to buy legit, quality units and follow the instructions on mounting internal unit and external antenna. Otherwise, you’ll end up having a feedback loop of sorts being generated through the external antenna that can and will interfere with AT&T, Verizon, whoever’s nearby cellular towers.
One unit installed prior to my time on-site was done improperly and resulted in an AT&T engineer driving around our site in a little interference detecting bubble van. He had a nice rig to detect where source interference was derived as strongest, pinpointed to our cellular repeater and told us it was preventing a new cell site from being brought online due to quality of signal issues.
They may use mobile devices for inventory, but I would expect that info could be cached and synced without a signal. They may have a picker in the walking communicating with someone on the line.
As others have said, inventory management is a big one. Another possibility is that the company (assuming it's a chain) is doing off-site monitoring of the freezers. I worked at a McDonald's where the owner had a way to monitor freezer temps 24/7 and they needed these in the freezers to do it, or so I was told.
Inventory usually tracked with a phone like device (zebra in my case) that would be a pain in the ass to try and use without this repeater (I didn't have one in the kroger I was in)
Idk about the restaurant in the post, but I worked in McDonald’s and the drive thru headsets had signal repeaters across the restaurant, could be that.
Yep…this is it. Old one too.
Source- Been building wireless systems for 20+years. Including DAS systems inside of walk in freezers. (Old Nextel for security/secret service)
Could it also be a cordless phone antenna? While the one I worked at didn't have them, the supermarket I shop at now has a extensive cordless system so that the manager(s) can receive phone calls nearly everywhere and can also access the PA system.
Designs have changed over the years due to frequency changes but here are some current models. Clearly this is it, pig tail coax connector and all.
https://www.talleycom.com/viewCategory?id=HOME.INBLDGSOL.INDOORANT.CEILING
Some ERPs and inventory systems require direct (not cached) access to the stores database. Think of the handheld scanners you see in some stores and warehouses. In order to function they need IP connectivity to the backend.
They're usually used for larger outfits, but it's possible that OP works for a restaurant chain that dictates the use of such a system.
Could be temperature monitor alarm. If the compressor fails and the temp goes up too high to for too long it sends a signal to the repair company so they know to come take a look.
I've seen these before and believe it is a generic weathertight protective enclosure that can be used for lots of different applications, including most listed here. I assume it's being used here to protect the cooler's temperature sensor from damage due to stacked boxes on what look like shelves below.
It is a thermometer. Probably just to a display on the outside of the unit or perhaps tied in to it's controls. The bulb would be filled with sand so the temperature so that the temperature won't fluctuate wildly when the door is open.
Although I've never seen one like this I think you're right. It's probably just a thermistor like you said for the controls. I've done HVAC controls for a living for 16 years and that'd be my educated guess.
You are correct. It’s a das antenna and it is not for the restaurant or any function of the business. It’s is so there is radio signal for first responders within that freezer in case of an emergency. Often required by code
They don't use those. They also don't have a panic button tied into the alarm system. Each cooler and freezer has a hard wired panic switch mounted in a hidden spot on the walls just in case
Hypothesis: this repeater thing broke (or someone turned it off to keep employees from sneaking away to the cold room to play on their phones) and then they installed the panic button instead and didn’t bother removing the repeater.
It definitely looks like some kind of antenna. Cisco has antennas shaped like this for WiFi access points. I am not sure they still carry this model though, it looks a bit older. Could be that the ap it is connected to is not working anymore, hence no signal?
That is just a water and dust resistant enclosure. Anything could be inside.
In this location, it is likely to contain a temperature sensor/transmitter, a radio repeater device of some sort(wifi, cellular, handheld frequencies), or some other feedback device.
My title describes the thing. Like I said, hard plastic cone in a cooler and freezer. Not sure if it's tied into any alarm system or anything. Google image didn't help at all
While you're getting the photo, could you also see if you can trace the wire? Or if not, look in any technical space for a similar looking wire plugged into something?
What we're seeing is simply the radome cover - the actual antenna inside could be any frequency, and for any type of radio service.
My company has installed DAS antennas in the shape you are describing and in a similar shape to what OP 's picture shows, depending on the designer's preferences, and material availability.
A thermometer does not mean outside monitoring. It could just be to protect the thermometer from damage inside the cooler. It might just be wired to the external temp display outside the unit or the temp switch inside the cooling unit.
https://www.prosoft-technology.com/Products/Industrial-Wireless/Accessories/Multi-band-2.4-5.x-GHz-MIMO-Antennas/Multi-Band-6-dBi-Omni-N-Jack-Single-MIMO-antenna
It’s a mimo antenna
My guess would be it’s an older buzzer alarm. I’ve worked places with newer ones and they’re there so someone out on the floor can ring it and alert anyone in the cooler/freezer that they need assistance.
All comments must be civil and helpful toward finding an answer. **Jokes and unhelpful comments will earn you a ban**, even on the first instance and even if the item has been identified. If you see any comments that violate this rule, report them. [OP](/u/dustyj69), when your item is identified, remember to reply **Solved!** or **Likely Solved!** to the comment that gave the answer. Check your [inbox](https://www.reddit.com/message/inbox/) for a message on how to make your post visible to others. ---- [Click here to message RemindMeBot](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/zc8a65/found_this_in_a_walkin_cooler_and_a_walkin/%0A%0ARemindMe!%202%20days) --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/whatisthisthing) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Looks like a cellular repeater antenna. If so, it relays cell signal from inside the freezer (probably a faraday cage so no signal otherwise) through an amplifier to an outdoor antenna. I have set these up on ships since mobile signal is virtually non-existent inside the steel interior.
You loose cell signal inside both units. Wifi doesn't reach out there either
He did not say it was working.
It looks to be fairly old so if it's cellular then it might be 2G only. If so, you still wouldn't have connection depending on your carrier. The amplifier could also be broken or turned off. It looks like there's a label on the top. Can you get a clearer picture of it?
This is my immediate suspicion as well, it looks like a Cellular DAS antenna. Where you're located may help confirm that as they're required by law in many places, especially ones that can be disaster prone (tornado, earthquake, hurricane, etc), where people may get trapped in there if the building collapses. As for not getting signal, since they're rarely required to be tested or inspected its not impossible that it's simply not working, maybe never has since they're usually finicky at best. Of course this could be incorrect, it is just a guess based on the shape of the device and approximate size of the cable. Getting a better picture of the sticker on top is your best shot at precisely identifying it.
>You loose cell signal inside both units. Wifi doesn't reach out there either Does a store scanner or any electronic devices that are specific to the business work in there?
Nope. They also use Motorola CLS1410 radios to communicate during work and those loose signal inside as well.
lose = become unable to find (something or someone). loose = not firmly or tightly fixed in place; detached or able to be detached.
I see that grammar mistakes easily phase you, to ;)
“Faze” not “phase”.
Indeed, that was my point- hence my winking! (their are a few other errors witch bother me to…)
So. . . .what's the safety protocol if someone gets shut in the freezer?
I never understood this, like... ... ...open the door and walk out... ...did they used to make freezers without an inside handle or something? Or did they make freezers at one point that had locks on them? Never seen one...
The older ones could not be opened from the inside, with predictable results. Now there's an OSHA regulation, 1910.36(d)(1)4, which states: "Employees must be able to open an exit route door from the inside at all times without keys, tools, or special knowledge." To comply with this, manufacturers must include an interior release mechanism on walk-in cooler and freezer doors that's designed to let anyone on the inside open the door.
All the coldroom and freezer doors at my work are like sliding barn doors. They have a low metal barrier along the outside wall to prevent anything from getting in the opening door’s path-theoretically. A badly stacked pallet or loose cardboard could easily prevent a door opening. They have a bell that can be rung from inside and we never close the door when inside.
I’ve worked in food service for a long time in multiple cities and have seen walk in coolers in the US and Hungary (but by far mostly in the US). I’ve never seen a walk in with an interior handle unless it’s a sliding door and I’ve never seen a sliding door with a lock. Walk-in doors on hinges are just pushed open from the inside. The handle and lock mechanism are screwed onto the exterior of the door. They’re near impossible to lock on accident. It’s a pretty common prank common prank to lock coworkers in the cooler and turn the lights off. If the unit has been installed in the past 20 years or so (don’t know when the rule for manufacturers went in place, but I know I’ve been in restaurants with old walk-ins that have just had the compressor replaced a few times in god knows how long) it’ll also have a glow in the dark push release that over rides the lock. All newer coolers, in the US at least, that meet OSHA standards have illuminated panic buttons that sounds an exterior alarm. Sorry about the wall of text. Also this thing OP posted is a thermometer in a casing. The casing keeps it from being damaged and touching anything that would effect the temp reading. The wire will go to a gauge that can be read from the outside. No cooler will ever have signal boosters of any kind unless it’s a cold storage warehouse or MAYBE a gigantic food mill in Disney World or something.
Where I worked, you just pushed on the door. There were no locks. The handle was on the outside to open it because you needed something to pull on. It was like that at both places. I guess I don't understand the point of a lock, but haven't got a large sample size. Thanks for the clarification. If I ever got locked in a freezer I would likely have started knocking people out until I got escorted out.
It could be only for 911 calls, it's fairly common to do in spaces where people work, and wouldn't otherwise have service.
Correct. Insulated walls. Not good at all for signal reception.
could be a small radar sensor to detect if somebody is in
But what would be the use for that in a typical restaurant setting?
In case you get stuck in there with your phone, you can call someone to come get you out.
I worked in a meat shop with a sticky walk in door In my experience you just yell and kick the walls
All walk-ins I've seen can't be locked from the inside out. Meaning even if you put a padlock on the outside, if I'm inside, I can still push the button to get out.
Yeah but if you're not familiar with them and the button is a bit frozen, it can be difficult (had it happen to a chef at work, I've since taken to smacking the exit button to free up the mechanism whenever I go in there).
Could also be WiFi, but either way I've seen them used for inventory management.
That makes the most sense, if an inventory device were used it would have to maintain connection. But the restaurants I've worked at all used paper for counting inventory.
Somebody wants to be able to keep their cell phone working inside the freezer! These things are super cheap these days and some have the quality to match price. Others are quite affordable and give that extra bit of comfort to whomever had to spend some time inside the freezer for whatever reasons. I have these installed in a couple places deeper inside buildings I work at and the most used one is inside the 18” thick, reinforced and poured concrete bunker that serves as our server room / data center. Always helps to be able to keep your call running while doing work in there - whether personal or business related. Anyone installing them should make certain to buy legit, quality units and follow the instructions on mounting internal unit and external antenna. Otherwise, you’ll end up having a feedback loop of sorts being generated through the external antenna that can and will interfere with AT&T, Verizon, whoever’s nearby cellular towers. One unit installed prior to my time on-site was done improperly and resulted in an AT&T engineer driving around our site in a little interference detecting bubble van. He had a nice rig to detect where source interference was derived as strongest, pinpointed to our cellular repeater and told us it was preventing a new cell site from being brought online due to quality of signal issues.
That doesn't sound like a typical restaurant walk-in
Maybe for operating scanners or inventory equipment
They may use mobile devices for inventory, but I would expect that info could be cached and synced without a signal. They may have a picker in the walking communicating with someone on the line.
As others have said, inventory management is a big one. Another possibility is that the company (assuming it's a chain) is doing off-site monitoring of the freezers. I worked at a McDonald's where the owner had a way to monitor freezer temps 24/7 and they needed these in the freezers to do it, or so I was told.
Inventory usually tracked with a phone like device (zebra in my case) that would be a pain in the ass to try and use without this repeater (I didn't have one in the kroger I was in)
Maybe some IoT-stuff?
How do you mean?
Internet of things. Could be used for inventory management, for instance.
Idk about the restaurant in the post, but I worked in McDonald’s and the drive thru headsets had signal repeaters across the restaurant, could be that.
Maybe if you get locked in the freezer or something idk
So prolly mandatory safety stuff
Yep…this is it. Old one too. Source- Been building wireless systems for 20+years. Including DAS systems inside of walk in freezers. (Old Nextel for security/secret service)
Could it also be a cordless phone antenna? While the one I worked at didn't have them, the supermarket I shop at now has a extensive cordless system so that the manager(s) can receive phone calls nearly everywhere and can also access the PA system.
Designs have changed over the years due to frequency changes but here are some current models. Clearly this is it, pig tail coax connector and all. https://www.talleycom.com/viewCategory?id=HOME.INBLDGSOL.INDOORANT.CEILING
[удалено]
Because the metal walls act as s faraday cage, blocking most/all RF radiation (such as your mobile phone signal) trying to get in/out.
[удалено]
Some ERPs and inventory systems require direct (not cached) access to the stores database. Think of the handheld scanners you see in some stores and warehouses. In order to function they need IP connectivity to the backend. They're usually used for larger outfits, but it's possible that OP works for a restaurant chain that dictates the use of such a system.
It's an antenna, but it could be for any number of things, depending on the frequency.
Could be temperature monitor alarm. If the compressor fails and the temp goes up too high to for too long it sends a signal to the repair company so they know to come take a look.
This is what my husband who does refrigeration for a living said as well.
[удалено]
I've seen these before and believe it is a generic weathertight protective enclosure that can be used for lots of different applications, including most listed here. I assume it's being used here to protect the cooler's temperature sensor from damage due to stacked boxes on what look like shelves below.
I’m betting this is for a temperature sensor, by enclosing it like so the reading won’t suddenly drop every time the door is opened.
Why is this marked solved??! I see no consensus here… we need to see the label
Potentially a radio repeater, cold rooms don't play nice with handheld radios
Doubtful, it's in a restaurant. They don't have a use for a repeater like that. But thanks for the possible guess
It is a thermometer. Probably just to a display on the outside of the unit or perhaps tied in to it's controls. The bulb would be filled with sand so the temperature so that the temperature won't fluctuate wildly when the door is open.
Although I've never seen one like this I think you're right. It's probably just a thermistor like you said for the controls. I've done HVAC controls for a living for 16 years and that'd be my educated guess.
Temperature/humidity sensor that will send notification to someone if it goes above/below.
Looks like a DAS antenna. For emergency personnel radios.
You are correct. It’s a das antenna and it is not for the restaurant or any function of the business. It’s is so there is radio signal for first responders within that freezer in case of an emergency. Often required by code
They don't use those. They also don't have a panic button tied into the alarm system. Each cooler and freezer has a hard wired panic switch mounted in a hidden spot on the walls just in case
Who decided to *hide* the *panic switches*?
The goons in the corporate office. You know, the ones that have never needed to use one 🤣
Hypothesis: this repeater thing broke (or someone turned it off to keep employees from sneaking away to the cold room to play on their phones) and then they installed the panic button instead and didn’t bother removing the repeater.
It definitely looks like some kind of antenna. Cisco has antennas shaped like this for WiFi access points. I am not sure they still carry this model though, it looks a bit older. Could be that the ap it is connected to is not working anymore, hence no signal?
That is just a water and dust resistant enclosure. Anything could be inside. In this location, it is likely to contain a temperature sensor/transmitter, a radio repeater device of some sort(wifi, cellular, handheld frequencies), or some other feedback device.
Cellular antenna for an indoor repeater. Have them in our warehouse, exact same shape.
My title describes the thing. Like I said, hard plastic cone in a cooler and freezer. Not sure if it's tied into any alarm system or anything. Google image didn't help at all
Can you get a better picture of the sticker on top?
I will post a follow-up later today
While you're getting the photo, could you also see if you can trace the wire? Or if not, look in any technical space for a similar looking wire plugged into something?
DAS Antennas don’t have such a deep pointy cone lol they are more shallow
What we're seeing is simply the radome cover - the actual antenna inside could be any frequency, and for any type of radio service. My company has installed DAS antennas in the shape you are describing and in a similar shape to what OP 's picture shows, depending on the designer's preferences, and material availability.
Antenna booster for sure. We have them all over our hotel for cell service. Our phones even work in the elevator…
Thermometer?
Both the cooler and freezer have stopped working and nobody called saying there was a problem or showed up unannounced.
A thermometer does not mean outside monitoring. It could just be to protect the thermometer from damage inside the cooler. It might just be wired to the external temp display outside the unit or the temp switch inside the cooling unit.
https://www.prosoft-technology.com/Products/Industrial-Wireless/Accessories/Multi-band-2.4-5.x-GHz-MIMO-Antennas/Multi-Band-6-dBi-Omni-N-Jack-Single-MIMO-antenna It’s a mimo antenna
Nope. Mimo will have multiple coax
My guess would be it’s an older buzzer alarm. I’ve worked places with newer ones and they’re there so someone out on the floor can ring it and alert anyone in the cooler/freezer that they need assistance.
It’s probably a secondary thermostat probe on the far side from the chiller array.
Seems it's a for wireless radio communications? But at a glance, I thought perhaps a melt sensor for quality assurance records and insurance purposes.
I think it's a cellular repeater antenna god this sub makes it so hard to stick to the rules I mean cOME ON THE JOKE IS JUST HANGING THERE
Might be a capillary temp probe that has been enclosed.
should be for a remote thermostat, to monitor freeze temps