House Paint Foils Wardrivers

Ant writes "Security-minded U.S. decorators' supply outfit, Force Field Wireless, claims to have developed a do-it-yourself solution to the international menace of marauding geek wardrivers: DefendAir paint 'laced with copper and aluminum fibers that form an electromagnetic shield, blocking most radio waves and protecting wireless networks.' According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's report, one coat of the water-based paint 'shields Wi-Fi, WiMax and Bluetooth networks operating at frequencies from 100 megahertz to 2.4 gigahertz", while two or three applications are 'good for networks operating at up to five gigahertz.' However, there are downsides to this." Since it's a water-based paint, exterior use is only recommended for people who want more copper and aluminum in the soil surrounding their house.

Comments

Dupe

[BenFranske]

This story was already covered here

Neal, you're dumb

[Anonymous Coward]

Just because it's water base doesn't mean it will wash away with water. Latex paint is water based... Once the water evaporates the emulsion hardens.

Re:What about cell phones

[drgonzo59]

Yap, at just about 1.9 GHz (or at .9 or 1.8 GHz for my European friends).

Re:What about cell phones

[pyrote]

Does your phone operate at frequencies from 100 megahertz to 2.4 gigahertz" ?
Yes, 1.9Ghz actually

Re:Interesting...

[plover]

Umm, no. Faraday cages are bi-directional. They block EMF in either direction.

For proof, go stand in front of your microwave oven with the door closed, heat a glass of water for a minute, then go reproduce. If your children are born with n arms, where 1 < n < 3, the EMF was blocked.

Re: Old-Fashioned Siding

[Lucas Membrane]

Take a look inside your walls. I'll bet you've got thermal insulation in there that is in those rolls sandwiched between aluminum foil. That will put a pretty good dent in the UHF and up, but the RF will leak out elsewhere.

Re:What about cell phones

[csteinle]

GSM phones regularly try to poll their base station even when not in use. When there's no signal, they do this at maximum power.

Re:Radiation in a reflective cavity.

[PatrickThomson]

The microwave is tuned to optimally excite the rotational frequency of aqueaous water.

Er, no it's not. Microwave ovens radiate at about 2.3-2.4 GHz, but the resonant frequency of water which that affects is about 10 GHz. The suboptimal matching means that microwaves penetrate food, rather than flash-boiling the outside layer and leaving the inside raw.