4 ms·

I always put my phone on airplane mode before going to bed. I just don't want the extra radiation while I sleep.

by tmaly 6y ago

tombert 6y ago
Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the radiation from the WiFi and Cell towers in your bedroom regardless of whether your phone is on?
- RealStickman_ 6y ago
  His phone doesn't answer, so I'd think there would at least be less radiation.
  - Aachen 6y ago
    Indeed, the thing trying to reach a 2km distant tower 50cm from your head is a bit more powerful than the signal coming from 2km away trying to reach your phone.
    - tanatocenose 6y ago
      Your comment seems intuitively entirely backwards. You think the tiny battery powered device in your bedroom is producing more EMF than the hundred foot tower hardwired to the grid actively sending the same exact type of data to thousands of devices in every direction beyond every wall that surrounds you?
      - Aachen 6y ago
        Absolutely. If you're asking about ability then yes: a grid-connected tower will both be able to produce stronger radio waves and last much longer (indefinitely versus some battery), but that's not legal, not what they do in practice, and wouldn't make sense: if the tower is so much stronger, then only your phone would be able to receive the tower. The tower wouldn't hear your phone's reply if the phone were significantly weaker. Since both generally want the maximum possible range, they'll transmit as much as regulations allow. A tower might have bigger and more sensitive antennae, but not so much that the transmissions are significantly different in power output. Both are safe to be nearby, but in case of long phone calls with the cell phone at your literal ear, your brain does heat up a measurable amount (if you have the right equipment), or so I've heard. To confirm this "both sides need to be roughly equally strong to hear each other" story, do a 30 seconds search online, or for a practical example you could look at the dBm (decibel-milliwatt) values your WiFi devices' output (the access point versus the stations; it's not the same as cellular but in the case of WiFi both are under your control so you might be able to observe both values).
- jlokier 6y ago
  Between your handset and the base station, when your handset is active the vast majority of RF power going through you is from your own handset. I'm not sure if it's still the majority on average when your handset is idling, but I suspect it still is on the whole. I also suspect when walking around a dense urban centre that the handsets of other people nearby (in combination) also provide more RF than the base station. In locations where there is a poorer signal, personal RF exposure is likely to be higher, as the handset transmits at a higher power level to be "heard" by the base station far away. Counter-intuitively, this means where people successfully campaign to remove a mobile mast in order to reduce RF exposure, people's RF exposure can actually increase in a halo region around where the mast was, though decrease closer to where the mast was. For people who really want to reduce ambient mobile RF exposure, they need to campaign for all people in their neighbourhood to turn off their handsets (and for the remaining people who don't to not use all the freed up bandwidth). That's a tough thing to achieve though.
- tmaly 6y ago
  If your phone is transmitting, it is emitting radiation. If I am wrong, please explain.
caymanjim 6y ago
Me too. I also wear a tinfoil hat and bubble wrap pajamas.
- fignews 6y ago
  Well that’s sorta uncalled for. When at home I always have airplane mode on. Battery use and radiation reduced. WiFi calling works perfectly on T-Mobile/Mint Mobile
  - caymanjim 6y ago
    I'm not sure there's any science to back up the vague "radiation" concern. Unless you live in the middle of nowhere, you are awash in EM radiation. I don't think there's any reason to believe that turning off the cellular antenna on your phone while being bathed in all manner of other RF signals is likely to have any heath effects whatsoever.
    - JabavuAdams 6y ago
      It would really depend on the specifics. I was somewhat surprised to learn that my girlfriend sleeps with her phone under her pillow. That's pretty close to your head, for a fairly large portion of each day. That said, I was more concerned about battery malfunctions / fires. EDIT> Inverse square law. Presumably those other emitters aren't right by your head.

I always put my phone on airplane mode before going to bed. I just don't want the extra radiation while I sleep.

by tmaly 6y ago

I always put my phone on airplane mode before going to bed. I just don't want the extra radiation while I sleep.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the radiation from the WiFi and Cell towers in your bedroom regardless of whether your phone is on?

RealStickman_ 6y ago
His phone doesn't answer, so I'd think there would at least be less radiation.
- Aachen 6y ago
  Indeed, the thing trying to reach a 2km distant tower 50cm from your head is a bit more powerful than the signal coming from 2km away trying to reach your phone.
  - tanatocenose 6y ago
    Your comment seems intuitively entirely backwards. You think the tiny battery powered device in your bedroom is producing more EMF than the hundred foot tower hardwired to the grid actively sending the same exact type of data to thousands of devices in every direction beyond every wall that surrounds you?
    - Aachen 6y ago
      Absolutely. If you're asking about ability then yes: a grid-connected tower will both be able to produce stronger radio waves and last much longer (indefinitely versus some battery), but that's not legal, not what they do in practice, and wouldn't make sense: if the tower is so much stronger, then only your phone would be able to receive the tower. The tower wouldn't hear your phone's reply if the phone were significantly weaker. Since both generally want the maximum possible range, they'll transmit as much as regulations allow. A tower might have bigger and more sensitive antennae, but not so much that the transmissions are significantly different in power output. Both are safe to be nearby, but in case of long phone calls with the cell phone at your literal ear, your brain does heat up a measurable amount (if you have the right equipment), or so I've heard. To confirm this "both sides need to be roughly equally strong to hear each other" story, do a 30 seconds search online, or for a practical example you could look at the dBm (decibel-milliwatt) values your WiFi devices' output (the access point versus the stations; it's not the same as cellular but in the case of WiFi both are under your control so you might be able to observe both values).
jlokier 6y ago
Between your handset and the base station, when your handset is active the vast majority of RF power going through you is from your own handset. I'm not sure if it's still the majority on average when your handset is idling, but I suspect it still is on the whole. I also suspect when walking around a dense urban centre that the handsets of other people nearby (in combination) also provide more RF than the base station. In locations where there is a poorer signal, personal RF exposure is likely to be higher, as the handset transmits at a higher power level to be "heard" by the base station far away. Counter-intuitively, this means where people successfully campaign to remove a mobile mast in order to reduce RF exposure, people's RF exposure can actually increase in a halo region around where the mast was, though decrease closer to where the mast was. For people who really want to reduce ambient mobile RF exposure, they need to campaign for all people in their neighbourhood to turn off their handsets (and for the remaining people who don't to not use all the freed up bandwidth). That's a tough thing to achieve though.
tmaly 6y ago
If your phone is transmitting, it is emitting radiation. If I am wrong, please explain.

caymanjim 6y ago

Me too. I also wear a tinfoil hat and bubble wrap pajamas.

fignews 6y ago
Well that’s sorta uncalled for. When at home I always have airplane mode on. Battery use and radiation reduced. WiFi calling works perfectly on T-Mobile/Mint Mobile
- caymanjim 6y ago
  I'm not sure there's any science to back up the vague "radiation" concern. Unless you live in the middle of nowhere, you are awash in EM radiation. I don't think there's any reason to believe that turning off the cellular antenna on your phone while being bathed in all manner of other RF signals is likely to have any heath effects whatsoever.
  - JabavuAdams 6y ago
    It would really depend on the specifics. I was somewhat surprised to learn that my girlfriend sleeps with her phone under her pillow. That's pretty close to your head, for a fairly large portion of each day. That said, I was more concerned about battery malfunctions / fires. EDIT> Inverse square law. Presumably those other emitters aren't right by your head.