Beer Fridge Caught Interfering With Cellular Network

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."

Comments

G'DAY MATE

[Anonymous Coward]

Fosters! Australian for beer.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[Nefarious Wheel]

You're joking, right? We export that crap so we don't have to drink it.

Want a good Australian beer, try something from Malt Shovel, Cascade or Mountain Goat.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[capt_mulch]

Sorry, no-one in Australia drinks Fosters anymore. We're all boutique these days - except for Queenslanders, who only drink Fourex (XXXX) - and the reason it's called XXXX is because they can't spell 'beer'.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[canadiannomad]

Fun, and here in Mexico we sometimes drink dos equis (XX) :D

Re:G'DAY MATE

[LukeWebber]

Or Little Creatures. Mmmmm.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[Namarrgon]

Even better, a Riverside IPA. Aussie beer has come a really long way in the last few years.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[cold fjord]

You're joking, right? We export that crap so we don't have to drink it.

Given that Fosters has something like a 45% share of the Australian market, some combination of this must be true: it still has fans, remains a guilty pleasure that isn't admitted to, or nobody can find enough export victims. At least it has some snappy advertising to help.

Frankly, I have no idea what can be done about vegemite. People have been warned.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[ChunderDownunder]

That's the name of the brewing company that makes cat piss such as Victoria Bitter, Carlton Draught, Crown Lager etc.

Foster's Lager, the beer, was bought out by foreign investment a couple of decades ago and is no longer brewed here.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[batkiwi]

Foster's group has 45% share, not the beer called "Foster's", which is actually quite hard to find inside of Australia.

Given they're owned by SABMiller, you should really argue that "miller" is the bestselling beer in Australia if you're going to say that the owner == the brand (which is obviously incorrect).

Foster's commercials are not shown in Australia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foster's_Group#Beers_and_Breweries

Most important in that list are VB (probably the best selling beer in Australia), Cascade, Matilda Bay, and Carlton.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[ChunderDownunder]

You can find XX and Sol at any licensed mexican restaurant in Australia and, obviously, Corona too.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[cold fjord]

I stand corrected. Thanks for the link.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[cold fjord]

Thank you for the update.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[snspdaarf]

Hell, we can't even get Tooheys around here, much less Mountain Goat.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[Macgrrl]

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.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[stox]

The Fosters we get in the States is brewed by Oil Can Breweries, Fort Worth, TX, which I suspect is a front for recycling refinery waste.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[_4rp4n3t]

Marmite (or 'Our Mate', as it's branded in Australia) FTW!

Re:G'DAY MATE

[realityimpaired]

Dos Equis is named for the blend... it contains the piss from two horses.....

(yes, I'm aware the Latin is spelled slightly differently...)

Re:G'DAY MATE

[BitZtream]

If I wanted a good beer, I certainly wouldn't drink something from Australia would I?

Re:G'DAY MATE

[asmkm22]

Fosters is just the Aussie version of Budweiser. People there drink it, but no one seems to own up to it publicly.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[DeathElk]

G'day Mr Fjord, may I suggest you try a thin scrape of Vegemite on a bbq chicken sandwich. YUMMO

Re:G'DAY MATE

[canadiannomad]

I'm sure you can, but can you find a Corona for under 80cents....
Besides I prefer Victoria, which is harder to find outside of Mexico ;)

Re:G'DAY MATE

[ChunderDownunder]

Well no you'd have trouble finding any beer for 79c.

Australia has one of the highest costs of living in the world even, arguably, higher than your beloved Canada.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[ganjadude]

Thats like saying bud or coors are good american beers because they have some 70% of the american market. They are crap. Look at breweries like stone rogue blue point etc. No share, waves above what is "good" though

Re:G'DAY MATE

[thegarbz]

Only if your head is firmly planted in the sand.

The reality is all countries have their great beers and their crap beers. I still find it amazing that anyone can pass judgement on Australian beer (even crap like Fosters, VB or XXXX) while they drink the abortion known is the American Budweiser.

You want a delight for your senses try one of the smaller craft breweries like the Little Creatures brewery or the slightly more mainstream James Squire range of beers.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[thegarbz]

So it's only half as bad as XXXX?

Re:G'DAY MATE

[cold fjord]

G'day Mr. DeathElk, I welcome your suggestion. And if the Light Horse could scrape up the courage to charge Beersheba under Turkish guns, I think I'll be able to find the courage to try Vegemite as you suggest. Cheers!

Re:G'DAY MATE

[gnoshi]

These days, it is Marmite in Australia too.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[_4rp4n3t]

I currently reside in Australia - there is a Marmite available, but it's not the Marmite!

Re:G'DAY MATE

[Dexter Herbivore]

There's 2 main different types of Marmite, the orignal British and a New Zealand version. There was a major shortage of the NZ variety after the Christchurch earthquake.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[msim]

"Fosters"? Puhleeze. From what I understand (and may well be wrong about), what you call "Fosters" is a product we call "Crown" (and it is still overpriced and not that great). The "Fosters" they offload on us poor convicts would be the fifth keg of the night at a frat party, at BEST. The last bar that honestly served "Fosters" in any seriousness was the one on the set of "Crocodile Dundee".

The others here know of what they speak. Blue Tongue, little creatures, cascade and many many others wipe their boots with Fosters.

Oh and VB is absolutely shit too and is only popular thanks to the assholes in their marketing department.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[msim]

When the taste of a beverage tempts me to drink something else to wash away the taste of the first beverage, no matter what it is, there's got to be something wrong with it.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[msim]

Agreed, unfortunately there are tragic individuals like myself & my missus whom slather it on. We go through one of the 220gram jars every 2-3 months or so.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[msim]

Goddamnit, no mod points today.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[mrvan]

I was there last week, not a Turkish gun in sight. But I would still advice against charging it, it is way too hot at the moment and there are too many Israeli tanks :-)

Re:G'DAY MATE

[nospam007]

We had beer fridges interfere with our work for 20 years and we don't even had internet.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[Dr Damage I]

That hasn't got any worse. Hasn't got any better either, but take what you can get, eh?

Re:G'DAY MATE

[K. S. Kyosuke]

Given that Fosters has something like a 45% share [news.com.au] of the Australian market, some combination of this must be true: it still has fans, remains a guilty pleasure that isn't admitted to

Well, yes, it's a convincing synthetic substitute for sheep urine, which has been in short supply even since the ozone hole started doing problems.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[Fnord666]

...while they drink the abortion known is the American Budweiser.

You know why they call Budweiser "sex in a canoe"? Because it's fscking close to water.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[wildstoo]

An Aussie friend tells me that he and his mates refer to VB as "Vaginal Backwash".

Whether that's better or worse than cat-piss...

Re:G'DAY MATE

[Anonymous Coward]

In Canada we have a Molsen Triple X. Must be a blend of XX and XXXX. The worst of both worlds! lol

Re:G'DAY MATE

[AJH16]

Fosters! Australian for Piss.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[hodet]

Cue the beer snob thread in 3..2..1

Re:G'DAY MATE

[tobiasly]

Given that Fosters has something like a 45% share of the Australian market, some combination of this must be true: it still has fans, remains a guilty pleasure that isn't admitted to, or nobody can find enough export victims.

Okay, but no true Australian drinks it.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[nanoflower]

So it's the beer you drink to get the buzz. Not the beer you drink because you want to enjoy the taste. That makes sense as I've never known anyone to have just one Bud. It's always three or more.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[heson]

Light spread, you are not kidding, graphene is thick compared to the thikness I apreciate.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[tragedy]

I've always slathered Vegemite and Marmite like peanut butter and I like it that way. I've always been a little odd when it comes to foods with strong flavours, though.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[thegarbz]

I've heard that joke but it's simply not true. Unless the water you're talking about comes unfiltered from the Thames.

Re:G'DAY MATE

[Rakarra]

I couldn't decide whether Fosters was the Aussie version of Budweiser or Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR)

Re:G'DAY MATE

[cold fjord]

The Light Horse did good work back in 1917.

Great movie, if you've never seen it: The Lighthorsemen

A brave man might have charged the Turks, back in the day. Only a fool would charge an Israeli tanker defending Israel in a Merkava.

Stay cool. ;)

Re:G'DAY MATE

[Shirley Marquez]

Mostly true if you're in the US; not much of the good Australian beer is being sent over here. Certainly not true if you live in Australia, as there is some excellent beer to be had. Craft brewing has taken hold in most developed nations now.

I'd vote for Fosters being the PBR of Australia rather than the Bud. To my taste, Budweiser is unique among mass market American beers in that it tastes actively bad; perhaps I don't like the flavor note from the beechwood chips. The others are just flavorless and uninteresting.

Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

Incidentally, Australian beer fridges have the honor of being among the first commercially successful applications of refrigeration technology(the principles and some early prototypes were developed elsewhere; but Australia's not-exactly-robust ice-harvesting industry didn't imperil the cost effectiveness of the systems in the way that it did in places that actually have ice). Telstra should turn down whatever RF 'noise' the kids are listening too these days and let Grandpop play what he wants!

Irrelevant history aside, what kind of dodgy does a motor have to be to generate enough RF to degrade a cell system in the course of performing relatively modest compression duties for a small refrigerator?

Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[Anonymous Coward]

A good lawyer could probably claim that this is a clear cut case of the cellular network being a form of hacking the refridgerator technology, since the fridge tech was around first and therefore has claims to do whatever the cell signals should "work around". If this case were in the US, the lawyer could even pull in the DMCA, 'cause the DMCA specifically destroys any technology made to circumvent an older tech. This cell network is definitely attempting to circumvent the fridge owners right to his technology. Therefore, the cell network should pay $1,000,000 for damages and the CEO should spend a year in prison and have a permanent record for all this hacking of fridge's & then trying to blame the fridges for getting in the way. I don't even care if this is a case of hactivism on the part of the cell network(s) involved, this is unacceptable. UNACCEPTABLE!!

Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[Lehk228]

one with a bad connection turning it into an arc gap transmitter.

it could have caught fire too so it's good the fault was found

Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

I'm just surprised because a brushed motor, which I was assuming this was, acts as a feeble arc gap under normal operation; but presumably had to pass regulatory muster when first manufactured, as well as remaining efficient enough to keep the fridge running, within the power budget provided by a domestic breaker while also putting out enough RF noise to escape(usually sealed to keep the refrigerant in) coolant loop and disrupt the cell towers.

I would have expected one perturbed enough to be a regulatory issue to have popped a breaker, caught fire, or just stopped cooling beer before getting to that point.

Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[mjwx]

Irrelevant history aside, what kind of dodgy does a motor have to be to generate enough RF to degrade a cell system in the course of performing relatively modest compression duties for a small refrigerator?

It just has to be dodgy enough to interfere with a very specific set of frequencies. In Hellstra's case this is 824â"849 and 869â"894 MHz.

This is why you are asked to turn off your phone on aircraft, this is what a malfunctioning fridge can do to mobile reception, think about the interference a malfunctioning phone will cause to communications and navigation equipment (which operate on similar frequency ranges to mobile phones).

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?

Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[Anonymous Coward]

Since this is a refrigerator, the motor and compressor come in one hermetically sealed unit. For maintenance reasons, brushed motors are never used; instead, either a permanent magnet or reluctance type synchronous motor or some form of induction motor is used. The break may have occurred in a wire outside of the hermetic seal.

Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[Coren22]

The company should have bought him a new fridge, but unfortunately that isn't how the world works.

Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[girlintraining]

Irrelevant history aside, what kind of dodgy does a motor have to be to generate enough RF to degrade a cell system in the course of performing relatively modest compression duties for a small refrigerator?

It doesn't. Any electrical device can emit RF over a broad range of frequencies. Your computer can radiate anywhere from DC to over 5GHz. Your car, especially if it's an electric hybrid, can radiate large amounts of EMR at lower frequencies (not connect it to anything. They would wait up to a year before actually using it, because invariably every single thing that was already pre-existing in the area would be blamed on it, from poor TV reception to baby monitors fuzzing out, etc. The FCC of course investigates these things, and it's become common practice amongst amateur radio operators to simply lead them around to the back of the house and point out the disconnected (inert) antenna, because it's easier than going through the formal process of discovery, and there's a small chance of a false positive and resulting bankrupcy due to fines if that happens.

It sounds like the problem in Austria is that it's version of 'Part 16' is broken if they're threatening fines over a defective beer fridge. Here in the United States, as long as it's been certified by the FCC, as long as the owner uses it as intended and has not modified it, there is no legal liability that I'm aware of. In this case, such an enforcement action by a mobile phone company would require they prove the owner maliciously is trying to cause interference, or has, through modification or non-intended uses of an otherwise certified device, caused interference, before any fines could be levied. The solution then is for the license holder to work with the owner of the device to come up with a solution.

Or put another way: The mobile phone company would buy this gentleman a new beer fridge, and haul away the old one for disposal. But it sounds like, in Australia at least, even innocent people who bought a device commercially and used it as intended can be caught in a legal snare that could ruin their lives. Stay classy, Australia.

Re: Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[Anonymous Coward]

Great. "I'm sorry, sir, you can't run your beer fridge on the plane, it might interfere with the navigational devices."

Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[Macgrrl]

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).

Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[russotto]

It sounds like the problem in Austria is that it's version of 'Part 16' is broken if they're threatening fines over a defective beer fridge. Here in the United States, as long as it's been certified by the FCC, as long as the owner uses it as intended and has not modified it, there is no legal liability that I'm aware of.

Not so. In the US, if a Part 15 device is causing interference on licensed bands, the owner of said device is required to correct the interference or stop using the device. Seems like it's the same in Australia (except the regulation number is likely different).

Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[bws111]

I think you mean part 15, and you have it wrong. Part 15 means if your device is interfered with you have no legal recourse, and if your device is causing interference you must stop using it. There is no exemption for working correctly or as certified, and there is no need to show malicious intent. If you are causing interference and do not stop, you will be fined.

Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[mirix]

Part 15. I don't think you'd get fines unless you continue to operate once being made aware your device is defective and causing interference, unless it's something blatant (transmitting on licensed/reserved bands, excess power, unregistered device that doesn't meet the regs, etc).

If it's something that is only bothering one HAM operator, FCC is pretty pokey. If it's interfering with big telcos, or the army, or airplane communication, etc, I imagine the response is pretty swift and somewhat more brutal.

TFA says:

Henderson said that in most cases where an external source of interference is located, the owner of that source generally complied and switched it off when made aware of the effect it was having on mobile communications.

Cases where the owner refuses are referred to the ACMA, and large fines can result.

Which sounds pretty similar.

Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[sjwt]

I had logitech 5.1 speakers on my computer that would pick up a FM station in the low end for ranges of about 5-10 seconds every minute, and of course an old P1 that I had to over clock to listen to my fav FM station..

Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[thegarbz]

There's arcs and then there's sparks. Well no scientifically there's not, but my point is the amount of RF generated by an arc depends on it's properties just like any matter in physics. A small brushed motor would generate a tiny amount of RF compared to a lightning bolt, or the 15kV or so used by Spark-gap radio transmitters back in the day.

Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[Anonymous Coward]

This is Telstra we are talking about. They probably stole the beer, threatened to sue the owner and charged him a arm and a leg for the fault finding service.

Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[tlhIngan]

I'm just surprised because a brushed motor, which I was assuming this was, acts as a feeble arc gap under normal operation; but presumably had to pass regulatory muster when first manufactured, as well as remaining efficient enough to keep the fridge running, within the power budget provided by a domestic breaker while also putting out enough RF noise to escape(usually sealed to keep the refrigerant in) coolant loop and disrupt the cell towers.

I would have expected one perturbed enough to be a regulatory issue to have popped a breaker, caught fire, or just stopped cooling beer before getting to that point.

Just a hint at how much RF you need - your cellphone (GSM) typically has a 1W transmitter. Usually, it operates at less than 250mW, and most will probably never ever exceed 500mW. That's all it takes to contact the tower.

Hell, hams have been able to hit their local repeaters with handhelds that rarely go above 5W, and most cell towers are lot closer. It doesn't take a lot of power to flood the receiver of the tower.

Anyhow, a 240V 13A socket provides over 3kW of power. The fridge motor really only needs under 1kW. A bad motor can easily drag in another 1kW and still not pop the breaker.

All one really needs to do is to enclose the motor in some fine mesh which shields the spark gap

And modern day ITU regulations prohibit operation of a spark gap transmitter because they are very wideband and interfere with lots of communications. This actually proved to be a problem when they wanted to resurrect the transmitters similar to the kind used on the Titanic - the required huge faraday cages to minimize interference.

Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[mhotchin]

The motor is likely an AC induction motor, and without brushes,not the problem. I'd check for a dodgy thermostat, myself. With bad / dirty contacts, it could start arcing something fierce before it cut out.

Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[Sardaukar86]

Your Slash-fu must be very strong indeed to post the same thing twice within the same discussion and have 'em both moderated up - I salute you! :)

Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[Teun]

Serves you right for trying to undermine the moderation system!

Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[Teun]

Weird how you seem to know about electricity and power yet fail to realise 240 V supply was standardised to 230 V in the year 2000...

Shielding the faulty motor might not work so well, without additional measures the supply cable will happily function as an antenna :)

Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[SuricouRaven]

You criticised the DMCA. Of course you get a +5. It's automatic.

Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[SuricouRaven]

Passed when manufactured. The fridge could be decades old - it's quite possible the brushes were worn down to next-to-nothing. There's no assurance this was a high-quality fridge designed for long life - it could be just the cheapest junk the factories of China could put out capable of making beer colder.

Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[jamesh]

Weird how you seem to know about electricity and power yet fail to realise 240 V supply was standardised to 230 V in the year 2000...

Shielding the faulty motor might not work so well, without additional measures the supply cable will happily function as an antenna :)

The actual supply voltage still varies quite wildly, with anything from 220V to 250V fairly unsurprising. Also our standard outlets are 10A, with 15A outlets also being fairly common in server rooms and workshops (eg for >2200VA UPS's) but they have a fatter earth so plugs can't be plugged into a regular 10A outlet without liberal use of a file. I've never seen a 13A socket here so maybe the GP was not from Australia?

Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[oobayly]

Years ago I was doing the race results for the yacht club at home and had a private band VHF radio on my desk. I found that whenever I pressed the Tx button the dot matrix printer would go off line - very annoying when I would have someone trying to get hold of me half way through a print run.

Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[MiG82au]

Aren't you clever? Go back and reread wikipedia and look at the tolerance band. And then go and stick multimeter probes into a Melbourne powerpoint, as I have. 240 V is what you'll find.

Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[hjf]

220V is the standard here in Argentina, but at least in my city, in all the outlets i've tested (with APC UPSs), they all have been 230V or more.

Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[cdwiegand]

Even if it's interfering with hams - Part 15 guys are the bottom of the rung. It really depends on what the nature of the interference is. A Florida man was fined because his well pump was interfering with local hams.

Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[PlusFiveTroll]

There is no legal liability if the owner stops using it once made aware. That's what the parent was saying.

Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[Teun]

I think the OP was referring to the very common 13 A. British fused plugs.

It is on that same island where in 2000 the Voltage was 'standardised' to 230V, until a few years before the continent ran 220V and they also adjusted their output to 230 V.

Yes most electrical equipment will happily run on +/- 10 or even 20% of the nominal Voltage.

Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[jamesh]

I think the OP was referring to the very common 13 A. British fused plugs.

It is on that same island where in 2000 the Voltage was 'standardised' to 230V, until a few years before the continent ran 220V and they also adjusted their output to 230 V.

Yes most electrical equipment will happily run on +/- 10 or even 20% of the nominal Voltage.

I just checked and everything within reach is rated 100-240VAC

Re:Respect Your Elders, Telstra!

[Billgatez]

Fridge compressor motors are Induction motor's there are no brushes. And the fans use shaded pole motors again no spark. My guess is it was some new china shit one where the electronics did not pass EMF.

How

[Murdoch5]

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.

Re:How

[jeffclay]

I can just imagine some repair guys walking up to this guys garage and then circling a fridge holding random equipment and then trying their damndest to keep a straight face while telling the guy he had to turn off his fridge or be fined.

Re:How

[iggymanz]

Arcing and sparking can release noise across a huge portion of the spectrum. That's how microwaves from 60 to 120 GHz were first made in the 19th century, with a spark gap and resonate cavities.

Re:How

[blueworm]

Here's another link: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/fridge-fault-causes-telstra-mobile-network-blackouts/story-fni0fit3-1226655474358

Re:How

[Murdoch5]

That true but in a residential piece of equipment those risks should be mitigated before they can happen. That being said it's possible.

Re:How

[Murdoch5]

But that link is also missing all the relevant data to back up the complaint. You can say what ever you want but with out hard numbers and records it means nothing.

Re:How

[Anonymous Coward]

all digital cellular networks use very complex modulation and error correction techniques including QPSK, QAM as well as number of others. They have since the inception of digital cellular networks. In fact they absolutely rely on them for functionality. CDMA systems (which is what 3GPP 3G is based on) are absolutely limited by noise and go to great length to only transmit at the lowest possible power. Having someone blast a whole load of noise - either from a fridge or from an active repeater or whatever stuffs the whole system for everyone and cant be mitigated by design. That is why it operates in licensed (and generally very very expensive) spectrum bands. This is basic cellular theory. Your comment just make no sense.

Re:How

[SteveAyre]

In new-from-the-factory and FCC/equivalent-approved condition, sure. But if it's faulty it might continue to function while internally having developed an internal electrical fault that's causing the noise.

It wouldn't be the first time something like this has happened either:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/beds/bucks/herts/8327549.stm

Re:How

[iggymanz]

eh? where I come from people plug in their fridge and let it go for 30+ years. what are the brushes of an ac motor going to look like then?

    heck the one I grew up with (from the 60s) my dad took it down to my grandmother's in mid 1990s, he gave it a freon charge right before plugging it in and after my grandmother's death my uncle is using it today. Surely that thing puts out some RFI though who'd notice out there in farmland....

Re:How

[mirix]

Fridges use induction motors - no brushes. This provides high reliability and lower noise, at the cost of weight (which is pretty irrelevant in a fridge).

Re:How

[BitZtream]

The brushes will look the same as they did the first day it was used ... non-existent.

Unless you need variable speed, brushes are not required in AC motor designs. A fridge generally doesn't use variable speed.

Re:How

[evilviper]

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

Re:How

[Murdoch5]

I know that but that doesn't mean that this fridge is at fault! I still have yet for anyone to prove this fridge did anything. Well I can admit it's not impossible it is HIGHLY unlikely.

Re:How

[MiG82au]

What the fuck does phase or frequency shift keying have to do with interference avoidance? Are you getting confused with frequency hopping? Read the AC replies below.

Re:How

[X0563511]

In fact the first transmitters used arc as well - spark gap transmitters.

Re:How

[Murdoch5]

Phase Shift Keying is the base for a ton of encoding measures, when you encode the data you can also make it redundant and hence when it's hit by interference you can recover the data in most cases. For instance:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase-shift_keying#Quadrature_phase-shift_keying_.28QPSK.29

You dramatically increase the bits per symbol and hence safe guard the data encoded in the original signal. So I'm not confused or even incorrect. If the signal was encoded at a high enough and a redundant enough level a simple fridge compressor / motor shouldn't cause an issue.

Re:How

[PlusFiveTroll]

I'm assuming they are pretty sure that it is the fridge. It's not very hard to triangulate the position of a transmitter and then check it locally.

Re:How

[Murdoch5]

I'm not saying it can't be, I'm just confused on how a fridge compressor / motor can output that kind of power, enough to jam a celluar system. That is why I want some proof, just saying it happened isn't enough.

Re:How

[ThreeKelvin]

Huh?

PSK doesn't magically increase bits/symbol. Nor does it give you redundancy or anything like it. It's just an encoding scheme like any other.

Re:How

[MiG82au]

Actually increasing the bits per symbol requires a higher signal to noise ratio, which is exactly the opposite of what you're claiming. You need to fall back to smaller constellations when the fridge is running.

Re:How

[Murdoch5]

I'm 99% sure that if you increase the QPSK from say 4 to 64 or 128 then if the fridge was to inject a massive spike of noise into the network your over all outcome would be fine, but yes you do need a higher SNR with a high BSR.

Re:How

[Murdoch5]

It's the basis for a serious of encoding systems that can increase bits / symbol, hence QPSK.

Re:How

[mattventura]

A small device like a cell phone or wifi card might transmit around 1W and receive at orders of magnitude lower than that. Now think about how much power a fridge uses. Hint: It's a lot more than 1W. It's obviously not all going to go into RFI, but a faulty motor with a spark gap could still produce a (relatively) significant amount of radio waves.

Re:How

[evilviper]

I'm not saying it can't be, I'm just confused on how a fridge compressor / motor can output that kind of power, enough to jam a celluar system. That is why I want some proof, just saying it happened isn't enough.

I can't imagine why you're so skeptical. A refrigerator, when running, can draw a couple kilowatts of power... If a non-trivial amount of that is leaking as RF, it could be jamming a huge swath of signals in the area, while running.

It doesn't take much to jam a signal... People regularly run into problems like their WiFi or OTA TV signals dropping out when they (or their neighbors) use their microwave. With weak/remote cellular signals, it would take very, very little local RF interference to cause problems.

This kind of thing happens all the time. A little bit of corrosion on a connection between a power line and a transformer, and you get all kinds of interference in the area.

http://web.archive.org/web/20060429014327/http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2004/10/17/news/top_story/gtsun01.txt

http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/british-digital-tv-box-sends-fake-sos-1007267.php

Re:How

[evilviper]

Specific to international distress signals, but illustrates how often consumer devices malfunction:

âoeOver the years Iâ(TM)ve been here, we have chased signals to a variety of malfunctioning equipment, from garage door openers to one of the most interesting â" the University of Arkansas had a malfunctioning (Sony) Jumbotron (a giant television used at sporting arenas).â A malfunctioning capacitor caused âoevery serious interferenceâ with the international SAR system, Knox said.

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6332030/ns/technology_and_science-space/t/tv-set-sends-satellite-distress-signal/

Re:How

[Murdoch5]

All I'm saying is that we need a little more proof then a small article which doesn't cover any detail. It's possible, but I want to see more.

Re:How

[evilviper]

All I'm saying is that we need a little more proof

No... No we don't. Somebody from the telco tracked down an appliance causing interference, and the incident got reported and published. The story is highly plausible, and I have zero reason to doubt the factual accuracy of it.

You might WANT to hear a little more detail about it, that's fine, but so far I haven't seen you or anyone else express any plausible reason to disbelieve or even just doubt the veracity of the story.

Re:How

[Murdoch5]

For the Nth time, I'm not saying it couldn't of happened, I just want to see more detail instead of some very general articles. You can walk around your entire life blind and clueless but I prefer not to, hence seeing something in the way of actual analysis would help.

tough decision!!!

[johnnybogosity]

You want reliable network performance or ice cold beer? That's a tough question.

Re: tough decision!!!

[Mabhatter]

After 5 pm work can't reach you.... THAT

Re: tough decision!!!

[Mabhatter]

After 5pm work can't reach you... THAT is a feature for a Beer Fridge!

Re: tough decision!!!

[gnoshi]

And because of the time required the beer to cool, you have beer-free time for dinner with your wife and kids.
Beer fridges - keeping the family together.

Re: tough decision!!!

[L4t3r4lu5]

We have a similar feature in the UK. It's called Caller ID :)

Re: tough decision!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

But how does Caller ID keep your beer cold?

Re: tough decision!!!

[CannonballHead]

Caller ID keeps beer cold?! ;)

Why can't we have more interesting stories?

[wadeal]

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.

Re:Why can't we have more interesting stories?

[Anonymous Coward]

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.

Mr. Wadeal, thank you for choosing our technology blog. In today's competitive market place, we appreciate that you have many choices for keeping yourself abreast of the latest developments within IT and in science. We pride ourselves on honoring our readers, and our continued commitment is to provide you with the accurate, insightful, and timely stories you deserve.

- Dice

More pertinent information on beer fridge

[RyoShin]

The linked article is far more about the internal 'robot' and very little about the beer fridge. While perhaps the intent of the /. post, I was far more interested in how the beer fridge could have caused such an issue. Thankfully, TFA has a link to another, far more interesting, FA:

Telstra engineers say any electric spark of a large enough magnitude can generate radio frequency noise that is wide enough to create blackouts on the 850mHz spectrum that carries our mobile voice calls and internet data.

Engineers said the motor in the beer fridge was causing the interference.

It includes an image of said fridge, which looks like something from the 50s/60s (maybe? I don't know, I still have people yelling at me to get off their lawns.) More modern models probably have much better, efficient motors that don't cause this kind of issue.

Mr Halley said Telstra was increasing its black-spot detectors as Australians flocked to smartphones, and the rapid expansion of services revealed some very odd "ghosts in the machine". [...] These included faulty automatic teller machines, lights and illegal phone and TV antenna boosters.

No mention of the resolution, but I assume it involved unplugging the fridge. (I wouldn't be surprised if he paid more in electricity for that thing per year than just buying a new, medium-sized fridge.)

Re:More pertinent information on beer fridge

[R3d M3rcury]

No mention of the resolution, but I assume it involved unplugging the fridge.

You will unplug my beer fridge over my cold and lifeless body. This is why we Uhmerkins have guns.

Hopefully, they bought him a new fridge.

Re:More pertinent information on beer fridge

[asmkm22]

I'm really curious about how they could enforce something like making him remove the device. It's not his fault their network is impacted by a completely unrelated device. Did they offer to buy him a new one?

Re:More pertinent information on beer fridge

[Burdell]

I don't know about Australia, but in the US, you are responsible if you are causing interference in somebody else's licensed band. Even if you didn't mean to, you are transmitting (noise) on a licensed frequency without a license. If it even looks like it might be because you made some modifications to radio gear, you can be liable for a large fine (and depending on the band possibly jail time).

I remember a few years ago a convenience store near Miami's airport was closed by the FCC because they had some dodgy electronics (door opener or bar-code scanner) that was interfering with the air traffic control radio frequency. The FCC forced the store to close (and IIRC shut off the power because they weren't sure of the source device) until they could prove they had non-interfering equipment.

Even the ISM (the so-called "unlicensed") bands, like 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz, are very tightly controlled. Equipment must stay within regulations on channels, power limits, and usage. Your equipment must be able to handle interference from other devices operating within the regulations, but if somebody operates outside the limits, they are liable and must shut down (and face fines, etc.).

Re:More pertinent information on beer fridge

[mysidia]

You will unplug my beer fridge over my cold and lifeless body. This is why we Uhmerkins have guns.

If need be, the Guvernment can order the local electric company to shut off power to his residence, in order to combat the interference. The lights can be switched off at a safe distance from the pole, without unplugging anything or approaching the residence.

Re:More pertinent information on beer fridge

[mysidia]

It's not his fault their network is impacted by a completely unrelated device.

Once he's been informed of the disturbance his device is creating; he becomes liable if he fails to make it stop.

Same as if you have a fridge that makes insanely loud noises and creates a disturbance in the neighborhood, or a fridge that shoots fireballs at the neighbor's property.

The person operating the fridge is liable for the damage, and responsible for the repairs or to cease operation and dispose of their misbehaving equipment.

Re:More pertinent information on beer fridge

[asmkm22]

I see the point, it just seems like the article makes it sound like his fridge isn't really malfunctioning; rather it's just really old and happens to blast out interference. It seems to be similar to older microwaves and cordless phones that can interfere with the 2.4Hrtz frequency.

Re:More pertinent information on beer fridge

[Guillaume le Btard]

Telstra engineers say any electric spark of a large enough magnitude can generate radio frequency noise that is wide enough to create blackouts on the 850mHz spectrum that carries our mobile voice calls and internet data.

milliherz?

Re:More pertinent information on beer fridge

[gargleblast]

Thankfully, TFA has a link to another, far more interesting, FA:

Gotta hand it to the Herald-Sun. They don't get distracted by irrelevant minutiae such as digital forensics. They cut to the chase!

Re:More pertinent information on beer fridge

[mysidia]

It seems to be similar to older microwaves and cordless phones that can interfere with the 2.4Hrtz frequency.

Fortunately 2.4Ghz is a Part15/ unlicensed frequency in the US at least; and some amount of local interference is OK as long as it doesn't emit high powered harmful interference that affects a licensed radio service.

If the status of 2.4Ghz ever changes - for example, if it becomes a frequency requiring a license -- owners of those devices might have to replace, repair, or cease use of those devices. :/

Just because it's legal to operate today; doesn't entirely guarantee that it's legal to operate tomorrow.

Caveat emptor.

When possible it's wise to purchase devices with minimal spurious emissions.

Re:More pertinent information on beer fridge

[Sardaukar86]

or a fridge that shoots fireballs at the neighbor's property

I've no problem with my neighbours, but.. oh man, that sounds awesome!! Looks like I've found my new project! :)

Software robot?

[fahrbot-bot]

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.)

Baby monitor interference

[LaughingRadish]

Slightly related, here are a few threads about radio-based baby monitors causing trouble in the ham bands:

http://www.eham.net/ehamforum/smf/index.php?topic=76680.0
http://forums.qrz.com/showthread.php?310670-Bad-Baby-Monitors-on-50-125-FM
http://www.techzonez.com/forums/showthread.php/23722-HAM-Radio-and-Eavesdropping!!!!-LONG-ONE!

The first and second one are about hams tracking down the problems. The second goes into great detail on how the user of the monitor was busted by the FCC. The third is from a user of a baby monitor going full-retard.

That explains it

[frovingslosh]

Now I understand why, after I have 20 or 30 beers, why I have such a hard time finding my way home.

Re:That explains it

[snspdaarf]

Oh, come on. I have known for years that beer jams my inertial navigation system. And, it encrypts my communications, too!

Re:That explains it

[c0lo]

Oh, come on. I have known for years that beer jams my inertial navigation system. And, it encrypts my communications, too!

Yeap, mine too.
'owever, most o' t'time, I'm not as think as you drunk I am.

Re:That explains it

[Anonymous Coward]

It's more of a hash function, in my experience.

Re:Years from now

[AK Marc]

We've already linked much of it back to pollutants. leaded gas links to violence better than any other theory to date, and carcinogens are widespread. A little non-ionizing radiation is better for you than sunlight. I don't think it'll ever be linked to anything.

Grammar check

[jabberw0k]

used an internally-developed software

That should be, used an internally-developed piece of software. The word "software," like "hardware" or "clothing" is plural. You have a piece of hardware, a piece of clothing, a piece of software -- not "a hardware" or "a clothing" or (ugh) "a software."

Re:Grammar check

[Cut]

used an internally-developed software

That should be, used an internally-developed piece of software

Read it again. "Software" is an adjective modifying "robot" in that sentence. While the sentence is a bit awkward, it's correct.

Re:Grammar check

[cyborg_zx]

Personally, I found the nouning of "compute" to be more irksome, and that's fucking ubiquitous now. If I ever find the guy who started that trend, I would break his goddamn face.

Invent time travel first.

computer
noun
1.
Also called processor. an electronic device designed to accept data, perform prescribed mathematical and logical operations at high speed, and display the results of these operations. Compare analog computer, digital computer.
2.
a person who computes; computist
Origin:
1640–50; compute + -er1; compare Middle French computeur

If you're going to try and be a grammar Nazi you've got to try and at least know something about languages first.

Re:Grammar check

[SleazyRidr]

That is using computer as a noun, and compute as a verb. The AC was complaining about using compute as a noun ("let's have a compute about this").

Re:Grammar check

[cyborg_zx]

"How much compute will this big data task require? Maybe we should leverage the synergy of the cloud!" and "How much compute does your new host mainframe have?" are both considered cromulent at this point.

Not this side of the Atlantic. Sweet Jesus how is that supposed to make any sense?

Robot?!

[Kahn_au]

Since when does a log parser (Splunk much?) get such a lofty title of "Robot". I think perhaps they are mistaking it with their call centre staff!!!

Re:Software robot?

[ChunderDownunder]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_robot

Could have been worse

[abelb]

At least it wasn't the cellular network interfering with the beer fridge. Could have been a disaster.

Re:The Cell Phone industry - evil in all countries

[YukariHirai]

Isee. So if one is getting shitty service (what else) from their cell phone company and decides to improve the service on their own at their own cast, it's illegal. And you're stuck with the shitty service.

To play devil's advocate on this one, if doing so can actually further fuck the mobile phone network, then it being illegal isn't such a bad thing.

Re:Software robot?

[fahrbot-bot]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_robot

Sure, but from TFA:

The "robot" is effectively an algorithm that crawls a database of performance stats collected from equipment across the NextG mobile network.

So, it searches *a* database of stats collected from remote equipment. How that information is collected isn't mentioned, but "syslog" would be one way. Even if it was collected directly from remote equipment, that could be done by a simple Perl script and a few modules. Certainly nothing even remotely (no pun intended) special about any of that. I did stuff like that before the "Web" was even invented (yes, I'm old). Still, ultimately, it's just a program. Thanks for the link anyway...

the fridge?

[countach]

What I really want to know is what happened to the man's beer. Did Telstra buy him a new fridge or what?

Re:Software robot?

[ChunderDownunder]

Agreed, a 'bot' might be nothing special in terms of coding, if you know how, but it *is* established terminology.

Almost

[thegarbz]

The Fosters Group brewery (formerly CUB) in Queensland still brews it. However on my last trip there they said it's one of their smallest production runs of any product passing through the brewery. It's outdone by all other beers brewed there even by import licence like Guinness, and even Smirnoff Vodka beats it by production volume.

Re:Almost

[ChunderDownunder]

I stand corrected. I haven't seen it in a pub in Victoria nor bottleshop since the early 90s.

Re:Almost

[MiG82au]

It's in almost every bottleshop; I was actually drinking it frequently in 1999 before I moved on to other beers.

Re:Almost

[thegarbz]

I stand corrected. I haven't seen it in a pub in Victoria nor bottleshop since the early 90s.

This bit is correct. The only place I know where I can reliably buy Fosters is the bars of major hotels.

Re:Software Robot?

[BitZtream]

'bots' ... you know, software robots have been around as long as I've been doing computer related crap ... so what, 30 years?

God, you shouldn't be allowed anywhere near slashdot without knowing what at least freaking eggdrop is.

Re:Software robot?

[fahrbot-bot]

Agreed, a 'bot' might be nothing special in terms of coding, if you know how, but it *is* established terminology.

Sure, but given the description in TFA, I'm not sure it really applies. Scanning a local database for data *somehow* inserted from remote sources isn't anything bot-like... I think the interviewees were just trying to up the cool factor. My systems generate reports all the time - yawn. Sometimes my scripts even page/email me - automatically! Wow, I must be some sort of guru! :-)

Re:The Robot...

[mysidia]

The robot, apparently code-named 'Bender' was apparently not concerned initially until it determined that the fridge contained beer, at which point it flagged this as a priority.

I heard this robot codenamed Bender had an antenna connected to a faulty transceiver that might be responsible for cell phone network interference (as well as satellite TV interference)

Re:Frankly, you're clueless

[iamagloworm]

I wish I had mod points today. This is hilarious!

Perl? Oblig. XKCD

[sabt-pestnu]

http://xkcd.com/1171/

Re:So what did they do about it?

[serber]

ACMA (the the FCC in the US too, I imagine) has rules about you causing interference in various spectrum (especially the licensed stuff that the telcos pay a lot to use), so it is his problem.

Re:Howaus

[Dexter Herbivore]

Or maybe because he was breaking the law. Not intentionally, but once notified if he'd continued then he becomes a criminal. According to your logic if he had a weapon, he'd be an armed criminal.

Re:Perl? Oblig. XKCD

[SleazyRidr]

No, somebody mentioning a word which has previously been mentioned in an xkcd does not warrant the includion of the "obligatory" xkcd.

I want Cellular

[TheSkepticalOptimist]

Beer?

Cellular?

Beer?

c...e...l...l...

b...e...e...r

Re:Software Robot?

[X0563511]

Either way it seems like a silly way to go about it. I'm sure a dozen ham enthusiasts would have jumped all over a chance to practice their RDF skills on something useful.

Re:Software Robot?

[FloydTheDroid]

I shouldn't be allowed near slashdot? All you do is troll this site.

Good post, but slightly off.

[pablo_max]

Good post, but slightly off.
The US part is actually part 15b. AC conducted emissions. This is measured conducted via the power cable and also in a semi anechoic chamber. Normally up to 1GHz.
In Australia, you can apply the measurements used for R&TTE, (Europe) This uses the EN 55022 standard. This measures the same like 15b except at 50 Hz at 220v up to 3GHz.
In non digital devices and devices without radios, there is no grant needed. You need only to perform the verification testing and keep that in your compliance folder in case something like in the article happens.
On the other hand, if the fridge had a built in display that can connect to a computer via cable, you would need to have part 15b grant. This would be "certification".
If you see a FCC logo on your device, that means it has either used a DoC (declaration of conformance) or the manufacturer performed the verification testing.
If you see "FCC ID:XXX-YYYYYY", this means that the device has undergone Certification at a FCC approved lab.

With All You Do...

[magusxxx]

...This Baud's For You!

Sensationalize much?

[John Napkintosh]

What exactly is a rogue beer fridge? To me that kinda implies malicious behavior, which seems to indicate that we're personifying an inanimate object. I get that it's cool that they made a robot to detect sources of interference on their network, but it's not a freaking crime fighter exacting justice upon an unscrupulous sentient refrigeration device.