With internet use on the rise, the risk of gadget radiation increases. Use these tips on how to block radio waves in your house to keep yourself safe.
The average person encounters a dozen types of radiation every moment of every day of their lives. The vast majority of that radiation is harmless. A scant portion of that radiation is even helpful but a tiny fraction causes harm.
Technology has harnessed and controlled radiation in many forms to produce useful results, and a few not so useful. Understanding the electromagnetic spectrum is key to learning how to block radio waves in your house.
The electromagnetic force is one of four basic forces in physics. It’s also the most well known, even more well known than gravity. So the question must be asked, “how do I protect myself from electromagnetic radiation?”
The simple answer is to stay away from the sources but the more detailed answer is to learn what to be worried about, and what to ignore.
How to Block Radio Waves in Your House
Blacking out all of the elements of the electromagnetic spectrum from entering your house takes a lot of time, effort, and specialized materials. Blocking a few ranges can be done relatively quickly and on the cheap.
When reducing EMF (electromagnetic fields) in the home, you need to consider factors including the refraction of angels in the house, access points, and the composition of internal structures.
Get started by understanding the basics of electromagnetism.
Understanding Electromagnetism
The EM spectrum contains more than just radiowaves. Look around your house, anything you can see is a part of the EM spectrum. Not the objects themselves but the light refracting off them and back to you.
Radio waves, microwaves, the infrared, the light spectrum, and beyond are all part of EM.
On the low end, you have giant wavelengths moving at low frequencies. At the high end, you have sub particle wavelengths at extremely high frequencies.
Just beyond the visible spectrum, you encounter wavelengths that start to have the power to produce harmful reactions. This is the boundary between ionizing and nonionizing radiation emissions.
So what’s radiation?
Understanding Radiation
Radiation exists everywhere at all times. That’s because radiation isn’t de facto harmful. It is the effect of any energy coming from any source.
Radiation can heat objects, it can create visibility, it can carry signals, and it can split atoms. It all depends on the power of the radiation. This is measured in its size (with smaller being more dangerous and frequency, with higher being more dangerous.
In this case, danger indicates dangerous to organic life.
Radiation can do one of three things when it encounters an object.
- Reflect off. This occurs when the wavelength can’t be absorbed by the matter encountered.
- Get absorbed. This occurs when the wavelength is the right size but not at a high enough frequency to push electrons out.
- Ionize. This occurs when the wavelength is the right size and the frequency is high enough to displace electrons.
That last category of radiation includes your Hulk-inducing gamma rays and your skeleton revealing x-rays.
Take a look at a cancer causes and prevention fact sheet and you’ll see lots of warnings about ionizing radiation and nothing about radio frequencies or RF radiation. Why? Because it lacks the physical ability to interact with your cells.
Understanding Frequency
Frequency is a measure of the speed of a wave. It’s measured in Hertz and in the case of radio frequencies you’re looking at kilohertz to gigahertz (kHz and GHz).
A typical router works in the sub-6 GHz range. You’ll see a 2.4 – 5 rating on the device that tells you this frequency. The new 5F networks can run at 24 GHz, which is five times higher than the previous networks.
For a quick comparison, visible light runs between 750 THz to 428 THz. A terahertz is 1,000 times larger than a gigahertz.
Where EMF Hides in the Home
The largest amount of EMF in your home gets in through the windows in the form of light. The next largest source is the walls which trap and transfer heat coming in from the outside.
The largest source of ionizing radiation coming into the house also comes through the windows in the form of sunlight, specifically the ultraviolet component.
If the wiring in your house is bad or old, it can also generate EMF (electricity itself is a result of manipulation of electromotive forces). This isn’t typical and normally has a noticeable heating effect.
Basic Shielding
To get started with electromagnetic radiation protection you will need some nice, thick blackout curtains.
Next, unplug anything that draws power. If you’ve ever felt an adaptor or been near the back of the fridge, you have felt the heat that is generated. That heat is EMF.
Remove any kind of microwave and convert your stove to a gas range.
Turn all of the wireless devices in the home off and remove any wireless routers. Hardwire all of your devices.
Consider picking up a shortcut configure app like BetterTouchTool to simplify turning all of your devices from outdoor wi-fi to internal locked modes. This will save you a lot of time and ensure all devices are set the way you want.
Advanced Shielding
To block out even more EMF and to protect yourself from electromagnetic radiation nearly completely, you need to take more steps.
You can purchase RF-EMF paints that add density to walls and contain Ferro particles that interrupt electromagnetic wavelengths.
In addition, grounding plates should be attached to each door and periodically around the exterior of the house. This removes static electricity on the lowe end of the EMF spectrum.
Remove or seal all windows to prevent light and lightwaves from entering the home. Construct a Faraday cage by installing Ferro metallic poles in a grid around the house. These need to be well-grounded to generate a repulsive field.
This field will block out all radio and microwave signals.
To block out any x-rays and gamma rays you will need a dense shield made of lead or beryllium. If possible, several inches of water suspended between concrete bulwarks can also absorb enough rays, though the earth’s atmosphere blocks the majority of these already.
Stay in the Know
Now you know how to block radio waves in your house. It’s ultimately only worth it if you have agoraphobia but it can be done. Keep coming back here to find out more about the world.
