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Using Aluminum Oxide Paint To Secure Wi-Fi

Posted by Soulskill on from the prank-possibilities-abound dept.

eldavojohn writes "The BBC reports on people using aluminum oxide in their paint to block Wi-Fi signals from leaving their home or business. Aluminum oxide resonates at the same frequency as Wi-Fi signals and other radio waves, blocking data from going outside a building. It's not a flawless solution, as it may also block AM/FM signals. You or your neighbors may be unwittingly using this already, as most pre-finished wood flooring uses aluminum oxide as a protective coating."

15 of 271 comments (clear)

  1. Extra protection? by BadAnalogyGuy · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm already using aluminum foil lining in many of my hats and clothes to protect me from the government transmissions. However, I hadn't heard that Al2O3 was any better than straight aluminum foil.

    It seems suspicious that this story would be posted immediately after I began considering papering my walls with foil.

    1. Re:Extra protection? by Abstrackt · · Score: 4, Funny

      You might want to read this article on the effectiveness of foil helmets. ;)

      --
      They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it's not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance. - Terry Pratchett
    2. Re:Extra protection? by AndrewNeo · · Score: 3, Funny

      No, not Supperman! He brings me my dinner!

    3. Re:Extra protection? by PotatoFarmer · · Score: 3, Funny

      Ah yes, the elusive Supperman. I was very unhappy when Marvel finally decided to have him killed off by his arch-nemesis Bulimiax.

      I still cherish my pristine copy of Supperman #103, in which he manages to incapacitate the entire Third Reich by making them fall asleep after a huge turkey dinner.

    4. Re:Extra protection? by Arthur+Grumbine · · Score: 2, Funny

      Ah yes, the elusive Supperman. I was very unhappy when Marvel finally decided to have him killed off by his arch-nemesis Bulimiax.

      Now that was brutal ending for a superhero - he was literally chewed up and spit back out.

      --
      Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure everything I just said is completely wrong.
    5. Re:Extra protection? by Chris+Burke · · Score: 2, Funny

      Now that was brutal ending for a superhero - he was literally chewed up and spit back out.

      But you have to admit it was a fitting end to the story arc that began when Supperman refused to save Bulimiax's adopted daughter, Anna Rexia, after she overused her power trying to starve a whole middle school. Dying, she promised she'd renounce her evil ways if he only gave her a bite of supper! Sure he may have had a point when he said she was lying and would never truly change, but finishing her off with "And you're fat!" was really uncalled for.

      Another victim of the "dark anti-hero" trend of the 80s/90s.

      --

      The enemies of Democracy are
  2. Finally!! by Ludedude · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...a way to stop wearing this itchy tinfoil hat!

    --
    Then != than you morons.
  3. "By coating an entire room..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Wouldn't you have to paint over the windows?

    1. Re:"By coating an entire room..." by M8e · · Score: 2, Funny

      You could use a fine metal mesh instead of paint for the windows.

  4. Hey, it's good enough for the office... by d474 · · Score: 4, Funny

    I dipped my head in this aluminum oxide paint, and it keeps all their signals out. Granted, I look somewhat like a cyborg now, but this stuff should work just fine for an office trying to keep their signals in.

    --
    Authority questions you. Return the favor.
    1. Re:Hey, it's good enough for the office... by Anonymous+Monkey · · Score: 2, Funny

      Oh, I've got that covered. Copper pipes in the walls, outside of my shielding, are used for heat transfer. I can make my home look thermally normal despite the fact that I house a fusion generator. Obviously it is in one of the lower sub basements, and above the sprite cans.

      --
      We are the Borg...
  5. Re:Why not share wi-fi? by RabidMoose · · Score: 4, Funny

    Admit it. You're just bitter that your neighbor finally turned on WPA2, and now you have to go to the library to read Slashdot.

  6. Re:Does not resonate with me by quatin · · Score: 5, Funny

    So you went inside a Faraday Cage with an unprotected ethernet cable and managed to get cell phone reception. I on the other hand, can't get cell phone reception if I stand too close to my filing cabinet. I either need to switch to your provider or you need to come do your WiFi experiments next to my filing cabinet.

  7. Re:Does not resonate with me by Gilmoure · · Score: 2, Funny

    Plug your filing cabinet in to your router?

    --
    I drank what? -- Socrates
  8. Re:What is so hard about using WPA2? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    I use encryption and MAC address lists together because it means that if somebody wants to get in they have to do two things instead of just one.

    I wrap my money in a plastic bag before putting it in a safe because it means that if somebody wants to get in they have to do two things instead of just one.