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Ever sat in a microwave while it was running? That is exactly what is happening to your body if you are between this charging router and a device that draws a l

by Kenji 12y ago

Ever sat in a microwave while it was running? That is exactly what is happening to your body if you are between this charging router and a device that draws a lot of energy. Ever put a lightbulb in a microwave? That is exactly what will happen in your apartment between this charging router and the charging device. It's a safety and health hazard and it provides little to no benefits. And please, that high powered electromagnetic waves are a health hazard does not need a citation.

Matumio 12y ago
But I'd like to know if the power density of this device can get anywhere close to the "health hazard" limit. We need citation or numbers about that. I'm sure you can already harvest some microwatts from wifi, and most people agree that nobody dies because of that.
- Kenji 12y ago
  Of course nobody dies of WiFi. I'm not claiming that WiFi kills you. What we are talking about here is transmitting multiple Watts (or else your phone takes forever to charge), or even more, through the air. That's a lot of orders of magnitude more than microwatts.
  - minikites 12y ago
    And microwave ovens are orders of magnitude more than the claimed 1-4 watts, so stop using that as a scare tactic.
    - icebraining 12y ago
      Microwave ovens are isolated. They certainly don't output watts to the outside. "A Federal standard limits the amount of microwaves that can leak from an oven throughout its lifetime to 5 milliwatts (mW) of microwave radiation per square centimeter at approximately 2 inches from the oven surface." http://www.fda.gov/radiation-emittingproducts/resourcesforyouradiationemittingproducts/ucm252762.htm http://www.fda.gov/radiation-emittingproducts/resourcesforyo...
      - minikites 12y ago
        I bet new and well-maintained ones don't, but I've seen lots of crummy old microwaves in offices that absolutely pummel the wifi when they're in use.
      - deleted 12y ago
        [deleted]
        icebraining 12y ago
        What's so weird about that? Microwaves have fans to exhaust heat.
        deleted 12y ago
        [deleted]
      - jrockway 12y ago
        Microwave ovens are very leaky. A coworker and I walked around our office with a spectrum analyzer* and turned on microwaves. Much leakage into the upper 2.4GHz wifi band on every one we tested, no matter old or brand new. * Actually, we were using a Wi-Spy. No need for sensitive lab equipment to detect this much radiation.
minikites 12y ago
Ever been around a microwave that seems to clobber your wireless networking performance when it runs? Lots of microwaves leak and nobody is keeling over because of it.
ac29 12y ago
> Ever sat in a microwave while it was running? That is exactly what is happening to your body Microwaves in the US are 1000-1500W or so. This tech apparently has a max of 16W. Conflating the two is like saying that because boiling water will burn you, it is dangerous to take a bath in lukewarm water.
mbell 12y ago
> And please, that high powered electromagnetic waves are a health hazard does not need a citation. We've had AM/FM transmission towers spread around the global transmitting at 100,000 Watts for decades, many in residential areas. Yet we have no conclusive evidence that there are negative health effects on those living next to them.
jrockway 12y ago
Put a glass of water in the microwave in the water. Turn the microwave on for a minute. Measure the change in temperature. Tell me if it's 20 watts worth. Oh, it was 2000 watts? Yes. Orders of magnitude matter.

by Kenji 12y ago

Matumio 12y ago

But I'd like to know if the power density of this device can get anywhere close to the "health hazard" limit. We need citation or numbers about that. I'm sure you can already harvest some microwatts from wifi, and most people agree that nobody dies because of that.

Kenji 12y ago
Of course nobody dies of WiFi. I'm not claiming that WiFi kills you. What we are talking about here is transmitting multiple Watts (or else your phone takes forever to charge), or even more, through the air. That's a lot of orders of magnitude more than microwatts.
- minikites 12y ago
  And microwave ovens are orders of magnitude more than the claimed 1-4 watts, so stop using that as a scare tactic.
  - icebraining 12y ago
    Microwave ovens are isolated. They certainly don't output watts to the outside. "A Federal standard limits the amount of microwaves that can leak from an oven throughout its lifetime to 5 milliwatts (mW) of microwave radiation per square centimeter at approximately 2 inches from the oven surface." http://www.fda.gov/radiation-emittingproducts/resourcesforyouradiationemittingproducts/ucm252762.htm http://www.fda.gov/radiation-emittingproducts/resourcesforyo...
    - minikites 12y ago
      I bet new and well-maintained ones don't, but I've seen lots of crummy old microwaves in offices that absolutely pummel the wifi when they're in use.
    - deleted 12y ago
      [deleted]
      - icebraining 12y ago
        What's so weird about that? Microwaves have fans to exhaust heat.
        deleted 12y ago
        [deleted]
    - jrockway 12y ago
      Microwave ovens are very leaky. A coworker and I walked around our office with a spectrum analyzer* and turned on microwaves. Much leakage into the upper 2.4GHz wifi band on every one we tested, no matter old or brand new. * Actually, we were using a Wi-Spy. No need for sensitive lab equipment to detect this much radiation.

minikites 12y ago

Ever been around a microwave that seems to clobber your wireless networking performance when it runs? Lots of microwaves leak and nobody is keeling over because of it.

ac29 12y ago

> Ever sat in a microwave while it was running? That is exactly what is happening to your body Microwaves in the US are 1000-1500W or so. This tech apparently has a max of 16W. Conflating the two is like saying that because boiling water will burn you, it is dangerous to take a bath in lukewarm water.

mbell 12y ago

> And please, that high powered electromagnetic waves are a health hazard does not need a citation. We've had AM/FM transmission towers spread around the global transmitting at 100,000 Watts for decades, many in residential areas. Yet we have no conclusive evidence that there are negative health effects on those living next to them.

jrockway 12y ago

Put a glass of water in the microwave in the water. Turn the microwave on for a minute. Measure the change in temperature. Tell me if it's 20 watts worth. Oh, it was 2000 watts? Yes. Orders of magnitude matter.