You’re out on an adventure and an alert is received that atmospheric conditions are about to fry your electronics. So, unless you have paid for the U.S. Government TEMPEST edition of your electronics, it’s a good thing you have your EDC EMP hank to shield your devices. Whether the alerts are from solar radiation, nuclear detonation or static discharges, you’ll need something to protect your electronics. The EMP hank is made of your choice of various colors and designs and has a Nickle/Copper backing that is patterned as a Faraday cage. In 1836, Michael Faraday observed that excess charge on a conductor resided only on the exterior and didn’t influence anything on the inside. He then built a room coated with metal foil and hit it with high-voltage discharges and used an electroscope to show no charges inside the room. This hank provides that similar design.
The testing was done using household appliances and multiple other electronics to test the viability of blocking signals when enclosed in the hank. Superesse Straps doesn’t specifically state the actual percentage, width, or makeup of the metals used in the Faraday cage backing, but the Nickle/Copper blend has good properties of each, that depending on the type of copper blends it can restrict radio waves from the mid-kHz up into the GHz frequency ranges.
The first steps were to test the wireless connection using common WiFi. The 802.11 b/g/n standard uses 2.4 GHz ISM band and the 802.11 a/n/ac standards use 5 GHz. Additionally, the IEEE 802.15.1 Bluetooth standard is an ultra-high frequency (UHF) radio that also operates within the 2.4 to 2.485 GHz frequency range. I mention these frequencies as the material used in the EMP hank was unable to stop the common WiFi and Bluetooth radio waves from escaping allowing a full connection between another mobile device and a laptop computer. I connected via the Bluetooth as a personal area network (PAN) and used the mobile device to connect to the Internet without any issues.
The next testing used (after a few Internet searches) was to wrap a mobile device in the EMP Hank and place it in the microwave. Microwaves have the ability to generate static discharges, and small amounts of radiation, which is why your Microwave oven is built with a Faraday cage. You can tell simply by observing the window and noticing the grid patterns. Without these, you would fry your eyes out watching your food cook. All microwave ovens have a magnetron and operate at least in the United States at 2.4 GHz. So, we essentially put a Faraday cage in a Faraday cage and after about 10 seconds, the contact points of metal on the cage initiated a spark and canceled the effectiveness of the cage, and testing was stopped. The device was unharmed and worked instantly. It was efficient in stopping microwave radiation and preventing static to destroy the internal workings.
The Near-field Communication (NFC) and RFID which operate in the 13 MHz frequency range appeared to be effective as the blending of metals in the hank are better at blocking lower frequencies, but further testing needs to occur on active NFC and RFID connections.
The cost of protecting your electronic devices from communications high-jacking, radiation, or an electromagnetic pulse should be a priority and the cost minimal compared to the hard-earned dollars spent. The Superesse Straps EMP Hank can provide you with that last-minute protection and is easily carried. Data theft will always be a means for bad actors to make a quick buck and any amount of frequency blocking is better than none.
*Featured picture courtesy of Superesse Straps
