WLAN radiation / mobile phone radiation

Hi

Is the radiation from my WLAN router as strong as, stronger or weaker than
the radiation from my mobile phone?
How much does the radiation exposure drop with regards to the distance from
the router? Is it a linear drop of or what?
When the router is "idle", ie no one is connected wirelessly, does it
radiate less than when transmitting data?

I'm just curious to know. I try to minimize mobilephone usage, and would
like to know how WLAN's compare to phones when it comes to radiation.

TF

I don't see anyone else attempting to respond to your queries, so I'll make
some
general comments.

There's some info on cell phone power output levels at:
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6602_7-...tml?tag=subnav

I think the transmit power is typically about 300 - 600 mW for most current
cell phones. I believe some of the older 'brick' or 'bag' models could put
out 1W - 3W. Cell phones use the 820 - 895 MHz frequency range.

Most wireless 802.11 network gear uses 2.4 GHz. and puts out less than 100
mW.

Also see: Cell Phone Facts at: http://www.fda.gov/cellphones/qa.html
and the RF Safety Calculator at: http://n5xu.ae.utexas.edu/rfsafety/

If I had to choose which device to hold next to my head for an extended
time, I think I'd choose an 802.11 wireless product instead of a cell phone.

"Torgeir" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:ei4sc.548$rc2.19@amstwist00...
> Hi
>
> Is the radiation from my WLAN router as strong as, stronger or weaker than
> the radiation from my mobile phone?
> How much does the radiation exposure drop with regards to the distance
from
> the router? Is it a linear drop of or what?
> When the router is "idle", ie no one is connected wirelessly, does it
> radiate less than when transmitting data?
>
> I'm just curious to know. I try to minimize mobilephone usage, and would
> like to know how WLAN's compare to phones when it comes to radiation.
>
> TF
>
>

"Torgeir" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:ei4sc.548$rc2.19@amstwist00...
> Hi
>
> Is the radiation from my WLAN router as strong as, stronger or weaker than
> the radiation from my mobile phone?
> How much does the radiation exposure drop with regards to the distance
> from the router? Is it a linear drop of or what?
> When the router is "idle", ie no one is connected wirelessly, does it
> radiate less than when transmitting data?
>
> I'm just curious to know. I try to minimize mobilephone usage, and would
> like to know how WLAN's compare to phones when it comes to radiation.
>
> TF

Power decrease under the square law, basically double the distance the power
level is reduced by X4. that said the rule does not apply in the 'near
field' which is considered to be within a few centimeters at cell phone and
WiFi frequencies. This means, basically, don't put the lap top up against
your head.

If the RF level is a concern use the ALAR principle, (As Low as Reasonably
Attainable) i.e., find a way to use an external antenna and move it further
away from your body. Not likely to do much more than improve your sense of
well being but that's a personal observation base in part on years of direct
involvement in the RF industry and the research. YMMV

Thanks for the input. Basically, WLANs are less of a potential danger than
cellphone usage? WLANs are popping up everywhere now. Many people spend
their entire day in a WLAN zone. I certainly hope the effects of this is
minimal. My partner is pregnant now and we have at least three WLANs
covering our apartment. Children and pregnant women are usually told to be
more careful with these things.

TF


"Not Me" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> "Torgeir" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:ei4sc.548$rc2.19@amstwist00...
> > Hi
> >
> > Is the radiation from my WLAN router as strong as, stronger or weaker
than
> > the radiation from my mobile phone?
> > How much does the radiation exposure drop with regards to the distance
> > from the router? Is it a linear drop of or what?
> > When the router is "idle", ie no one is connected wirelessly, does it
> > radiate less than when transmitting data?
> >
> > I'm just curious to know. I try to minimize mobilephone usage, and would
> > like to know how WLAN's compare to phones when it comes to radiation.
> >
> > TF
>
> Power decrease under the square law, basically double the distance the
power
> level is reduced by X4. that said the rule does not apply in the 'near
> field' which is considered to be within a few centimeters at cell phone
and
> WiFi frequencies. This means, basically, don't put the lap top up against
> your head.
>
> If the RF level is a concern use the ALAR principle, (As Low as Reasonably
> Attainable) i.e., find a way to use an external antenna and move it
further
> away from your body. Not likely to do much more than improve your sense
of
> well being but that's a personal observation base in part on years of
direct
> involvement in the RF industry and the research. YMMV
>
>
>

I think radiation is very important but overlooked topic. I would never use
a cell phone. I think there is a lot of research and there will be much more
with time to prove the dangers of cell phones.
Wi-Fi also radiates, but only when the signal is transmitted. FCC warns
that you should keep your laptop at minimum 8" (20cm) away from your body.
I believe that by reducing transmission speed you reduce its power. I use it
only for the internet and my US Robotics 100Mb router and card are set to
only 5.5Mb (the minimum, I still get full DSL speed. Its also good for
security. If you are using regular PC you should get LCD screen or use only
TCO certified CRT screens. TCO label is clearly marked on the screen and
packaging.
Radiation problem is new because the technology is new, but over time it
will prove to be major epidemic when people will have birth defects and
brain cancer.


"Torgeir" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:Jtitc.365$9n5.188@amstwist00...
> Thanks for the input. Basically, WLANs are less of a potential danger than
> cellphone usage? WLANs are popping up everywhere now. Many people spend
> their entire day in a WLAN zone. I certainly hope the effects of this is
> minimal. My partner is pregnant now and we have at least three WLANs
> covering our apartment. Children and pregnant women are usually told to be
> more careful with these things.
>
> TF
>
>
> "Not Me" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> > "Torgeir" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> > news:ei4sc.548$rc2.19@amstwist00...
> > > Hi
> > >
> > > Is the radiation from my WLAN router as strong as, stronger or weaker
> than
> > > the radiation from my mobile phone?
> > > How much does the radiation exposure drop with regards to the distance
> > > from the router? Is it a linear drop of or what?
> > > When the router is "idle", ie no one is connected wirelessly, does it
> > > radiate less than when transmitting data?
> > >
> > > I'm just curious to know. I try to minimize mobilephone usage, and
would
> > > like to know how WLAN's compare to phones when it comes to radiation.
> > >
> > > TF
> >
> > Power decrease under the square law, basically double the distance the
> power
> > level is reduced by X4. that said the rule does not apply in the 'near
> > field' which is considered to be within a few centimeters at cell phone
> and
> > WiFi frequencies. This means, basically, don't put the lap top up
against
> > your head.
> >
> > If the RF level is a concern use the ALAR principle, (As Low as
Reasonably
> > Attainable) i.e., find a way to use an external antenna and move it
> further
> > away from your body. Not likely to do much more than improve your sense
> of
> > well being but that's a personal observation base in part on years of
> direct
> > involvement in the RF industry and the research. YMMV
> >
> >
> >
>
>

On Sat, 5 Jun 2004 06:13:48 -0700, Adam wrote
(in article <hzjwc.138342$(E-Mail Removed)> ):

> I believe that by reducing transmission speed you reduce its power.

This is not so. If, for some reason, the distance between the computer and
the AP (base station) is great, the signal strength (a.k.a. "power") received
is less (per the "law of square" noted in another post), and therefore your
bitrate (a.k.a. "speed") drops off. But the inverse isn't true. If you choose
a slower bitrate in the driver settings for your wireless card, this will not
reduce the power it transmits.

Some cards' drivers do provide control over power output, but it's rare, in
my experience.
--
DaveC
(E-Mail Removed)
This is an invalid return address
Please reply in the news group