Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Beer Fridge Caught Interfering With Cellular Network

Posted by Unknown on from the upgrade-to-the-faraday-fridge dept.

aesoteric writes "A man's backyard beer fridge in Australia has been busted interfering with the cellular network of major carrier Telstra. Engineers used an internally-developed software 'robot' to crawl log files from the network and sent a field team out to pinpoint the cause of the interference."

7 of 231 comments (clear)

  1. How by Murdoch5 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I know a little about radio networks, not a massive amount but enough to get by. The fridge must have been somehow sending out a noise signature which was in tune with the radio conditions of the network. That is what I don't understand, a properly designed radio cellular network should operate outside of the range of frequencies put off by a simple compressor motor that would be a in fridge. So now I have to wonder either the fridge was designed in a very strange manor, or the fridge malfunctioned in a very strange manor or the network was poorly designed. Does anyone have more details as to the exact details of what happened? I would be interested in seeing the hardened data from the logs, fridge and network. I call BS that the fridge was the issue until someone can produce hard log data showing this.

    1. Re:How by evilviper · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The fridge must have been somehow sending out a noise signature which was in tune with the radio conditions of the network

      No, purpose-built transmitters necessarily have a single frequency, but ACCIDENTAL transmitters can crap all over the radio spectrum.

      http://radiohax.wikispaces.com/Spark+gap+transmitter

      --
      Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
  2. Re:G'DAY MATE by LukeWebber · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Or Little Creatures. Mmmmm.

  3. Why can't we have more interesting stories? by wadeal · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Why can't we have more stories like this? Why does it always have to be something political or an advertisement for a product or the usual MS bashing stories? This title alone is more interesting than any "news" story I've seen on Slashdot in the last year.

  4. Software robot? by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Engineers used an internally-developed software 'robot' to crawl log files from the network.

    Seriously? I know it's actually stated that way in TFA, but are people that stupid that they can't simply say "program"? In all likelihood, it's probably a 10-line Perl script. (Said as Perl fan, myself.)

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  5. Re:G'DAY MATE by Macgrrl · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Vegemite is awesome, lightly spread of hot toasted light rye so that it's salty and chewy at the same time.

    The mistake most foreigners make is slathering it on like peanut butter. It's a strong taste and you don't need much.

    --
    Sara
    Designer, Gamer, Macgrrl in an XP World
  6. Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra! by Macgrrl · · Score: 3, Insightful

    But TFA glossed over a very important part of the story, after the offending fridge was deactivated... How did the owner keep his beer cold?

    Obviously,he drank them all. Problem solved (for now).

    --
    Sara
    Designer, Gamer, Macgrrl in an XP World