Anti-WiFi Wallpaper Available Next Year

hypnosec writes with good news for folks who want to live in a Faraday cage. From the article: "A new type of wallpaper, which has been developed by scientists from the Institut Polytechnique Grenoble INP and the Centre Technique du Papier, will go on sale in 2013 after a Finnish firm Ahlstrom acquired the license. What looks like a bog-standard wallpaper roll actually contains silver particles that allows it to filter out up to three different frequencies simultaneously. It is not the first time that such a technology has surfaced. Back in 2004, BAE Systems was tasked by Ofcom to come up with a similar solution based on what was then called a stealth wallpaper. It used copper instead of silver and blocked Wi-Fi signals while letting GSM, 4G and emergency calls through. Back then, though, a square meter cost £500, whereas the Wi-Fi wallpaper devised by the French researchers should be priced reasonably, with costs matching those of a 'classic,' mid-range wallpaper according to M. Lemaître-Auger, from Grenoble INP."

Comments

it probably could be done also with paint

[mapkinase]

Americans do not use wallpaper much.

Re:it probably could be done also with paint

[ColdWetDog]

Americans do not use wallpaper much.

But if they would just use tin foil instead of silver (really, how bourgeois) it would be a major hit.

At least here on Slashdot. Maybe ThinkGeek could sell it.

Re:it probably could be done also with paint

[Goedendag]

Neither will this magic snake oil paper filter only wifi signals. The frequency (actually wavelength) of signals that can penetrate (or exit) a faraday cage are determined by the size of the holes in the cage. Holes will let wavelengts through that are shorter than the hole's size. Or to put it in another way: everthing up from the lowest frequency that can fit through the hole will pass the holes. Wifi happens to use a higher frequency (shorter wavelength) than GSM (and most mobile phone frequencies). If a GSM signal fits the hole, a wifi signal will have enough room left. Oh, and those holes don't know the difference between regular and emergency calls...

Re:it probably could be done also with paint

[lister king of smeg]

what you really need is two layers the outside layer an antenna to pick up the neighbours wifi and this on the inside to keep them from picking up yours.

Re:it probably could be done also with paint

[BasilBrush]

To be fair, the chances of an emergency requiring radio or cellphone on BART are far higher than in a movie theatre. And there are plenty more non-emergency but reasonable needs for communication whilst travelling.

For sure it's not many years since no one had any cellphones anyway, so it's far from disaster if people lose it for a while. But I think it's an over-reaction to take the service down because of a protest. Protests are an intrinsic part of being in a democracy and shouldn't be thought of as something to be suppressed.

The significant difference between the two is that when a movie ticket is bought, there is an implicit contract that you're not going to disturb other patrons by using cellphones. If you're unwilling to forgo them, then you shouldn't be buying a ticket.

But you don't reasonably forgo the expectation to use a cellphone when you travel on BART. Now it's part of the facilities it shouldn't be taken away without good reason. And I don't think a protest in the area is a good reason.

could this decrease interference in high-rises?

[Trepidity]

If I put some of this wallpaper on the walls between me and neighbors in an apartment building (and maybe even something similar on floors/ceilings), could this plausibly increase signal quality by reducing interference from the 50 (!) other access points I currently see within range?

Re:could this decrease interference in high-rises?

[Hatta]

That's kind of the entire point.

Re:could this decrease interference in high-rises?

[pixelpusher220]

ooo Tinfoil curtains! I'll make a killing, or rather my wife will when she sees them.

Re:could this decrease interference in high-rises?

[swanzilla]

Goodbye tin foil hat; hello stylish wallpaper hat.

Re:could this decrease interference in high-rises?

[couchslug]

"Goodbye tin foil hat; hello stylish wallpaper hat."

Hello band-pass filter wallpaper hat!

Now I can SORT the voices in my head.

no greater evil than wallpaper

[alen]

being from europe my mom made my dad put it up on the walls. if you want to change it you have a hellish experience ahead of removing the old wallpaper

i will never use wall paper

Re:no greater evil than wallpaper

[azalin]

If it's properly applied (like using wallpaper glue and primer instead of say paper glue) just put on some remover (or even water) and the whole line pulls right of. A six year old with a ladder could probably do it. If you apply the wrong glue though, have fun.

how about passive cell-phone-blocking tech?

[davidwr]

Churches and theaters would love it, because the FCC can't say "you can't do that" without a serious court challenge.

Warning to PC and smart phone users!!!

[BenJeremy]

I used this wallpaper on my desktop, and now my wifi no longer works.

Took me a while to figure it out, but I've since switched back to my old wallpaper, and everything is fine now.

Already available now.

[Lumpy]

Paint your wall with magnetic paint, wallpaper over it.

http://www.amazon.com/Rustoleum-223081-Rust-Oleum-Magnetic-Primer/dp/B000PU1D3I

Paint your walls with two coats of this primer, and paint into the electrical boxes to where you can ground it. I used under wallpaper speaker wire that is just a stick thin copper foil, I ran a 3" strip out the electrical box connected to the ground, painted over it.

Wifi and cellular coverage in that room is completely lost when the door is closed (which is also painted) and I have aluminum storm windows and aluminum screens on the windows.

Made a huge difference to RF interference to my ham shack. the number of "birdies" from crap in the home went down to nothing so I could pull in signals that were closer to the noise floor a lot easier.