Faraday bags for cellphones

[Sam1]

Figured I'd share since some around here are very particular on being monitored (and with recent news stories - although the technology is not new).  In forensics, we use Faraday bags to put electronics in to keep them from communicating with any other device once they are in our possession.  Anyways, you can get these things on ebay for just a few bucks, drop your phone in, close up and it instantly kills all signals to the phone.

 

Can't be tracked while it is inside, however if you plan on leaving it in there for long periods of time, turn it on airplane mode or it will run your battery down trying to search for a signal.

 

Why I would use this over turning off the radios?  Putting your phone in airplane mode doesn't stop all monitoring functions & turning off most phones, don't actually turn them off.  The only way to know for certain your phone is out of commission is to put them in a Faraday container or remove the battery.

 

Here's a link to a few - they all mostly do the same thing, just in different colors and shapes.  There's a bit more to these than the static bags most preppers use, the material to block the signal is usually very specific to the bands you want to block.  A static bag protects from electricity only

 

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=signal+block&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR1.TRC0.A0.Xsignal+blocker.TRS0&_nkw=signal+blocker&_sacat=0

 

 

[vontar]

you know before I clicked the link, I half way expected it to be similar to an anti static bag hard drives come in.  Some of those don't look to bad.

 

But no, not going to buy one today.

[Sam1]

All of mine look similar to this one:

 

 

Some are vertical, some horizontal, some you can connect together to make in custom shapes etc... But I'm expecting that since the NSA story broke that there are going to be a lot of "designer" bags released in the near future.

Edited July 6, 2013 by Sam1

[crashgordan]

Hmm. Interesting. Thanks for posting

[Dolomite_supafly]

I undterstand it stops the signal but I wonder if it is EMP safe? It isn't that hard to stop or disrupt a cellphone signal but stopping a pulse is a whole different ball game. I can see this being used for privacy.

[enfield]

Never mind - defective reading on my part.

Edited July 6, 2013 by enfield

[Sam1]

I undterstand it stops the signal but I wonder if it is EMP safe? It isn't that hard to stop or disrupt a cellphone signal but stopping a pulse is a whole different ball game. I can see this being used for privacy.

 

Yes they should work the same.  The bags I use have an internal metal filament (specifically copper), and dual magnet seals on the openings so there's no way anything is getting inside of them...  Wouldn't mind to test one out with the microwave, but I hate to ruin a perfectly good bag.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

It won't really matter much for an EMP, unless you have the companion bag for the cell tower. :D

[Worriedman]

It won't really matter much for an EMP, unless you have the companion bag for the cell tower. :D

And maybe for the power generation station...

[Dolomite_supafly]

My cellphones aren't for making calls after any sort of collapse although it would be nice. What I do use it for is all my ballistics apps as well as a metric ton of survival documentation. On one of my Iphones I have a library of well over 150 books related to various things a person would need to reference if we were suddenly put into the stone age. Anyone would be hard pressed to carry that kind of documentation in their pocket or even a backpack.

 

Everyone likes ot have all their documentaion stored on their PC but how many have the ability to access it long term? I do as long as the sun shines once a week. It is a lot easier for me to charge my cell phone than it is for me to generate enough energy to run my computer. As a matter of fact I am already setup to charge my various phones if we loose power long term. I have duplicate phones with the same material on them as well.

 

So my cellphone is not so much for making calls. It is for storing information necessary for survival if I ever need it.

[xjsnake]

The idea with the cell phone being protected from and EMP isn't that you'll use it as a cell phone but as an information resource. Load it up with a bunch of pdf's of 'survival manuals, field medicine, edible plant identification etc...' Then you have a portable resource.

[1gewehr]

Latest research on EMP shows that 80-95% of consumer electronics and vehicles will continue to work post-EMP.  Items connected to the power grid system without a surge protector are most at risk.  Hybrid and electric cars probably not due to the more complex electronics and battery systems.

 

Faraday bags are nothing new.  We have used them for years to transport delicate electronics.

[Dustbuster]

If i needed to thwart damage caused by emf i would triple up on the bags or build a box.lined w lead or copper to store gizmos.always yank the battery out of a stored communication device. good post Sam thanks!!!

[Sam1]

Latest research on EMP shows that 80-95% of consumer electronics and vehicles will continue to work post-EMP. Items connected to the power grid system without a surge protector are most at risk. Hybrid and electric cars probably not due to the more complex electronics and battery systems.

Faraday bags are nothing new. We have used them for years to transport delicate electronics.

These are more than the metal film esd farady bags we use for electronics; those won't block signals

[mikegideon]

Latest research on EMP shows that 80-95% of consumer electronics and vehicles will continue to work post-EMP.  Items connected to the power grid system without a surge protector are most at risk.  Hybrid and electric cars probably not due to the more complex electronics and battery systems.

 

Faraday bags are nothing new.  We have used them for years to transport delicate electronics.

 

It's about time somebody came out with that.

[leroy]

I undterstand it stops the signal but I wonder if it is EMP safe? It isn't that hard to stop or disrupt a cellphone signal but stopping a pulse is a whole different ball game. I can see this being used for privacy.

Ya aint expectin trouble are ya brother??!   The EMP thing sounds pretty bad to me.  Keep us posted with any news.

 

leroy

[Dolomite_supafly]

Ya aint expectin trouble are ya brother??!   The EMP thing sounds pretty bad to me.  Keep us posted with any news.

 

leroy

 

Not expecting anything but you MUST cover all possibilities. My phones have way too much information on them for me to loose it because I didn't do something simple.

[mikegideon]

Not expecting anything but you MUST cover all possibilities. My phones have way too much information on them for me to loose it because I didn't do something simple.

 

Stick 'em in an ammo can and call it a day

[leroy]

Guys.  Aint a "faraday cage" simply a conducting box like Mike is sayin?  It seems ive seen that before.  Went up to A. B. Chance one time and watched their lightning generator in action (...flashover tests on high voltage insulator strings and fiberglass crossarms, i think...).  It seems we watched it all in a control cage that wuz called a "faraday cage".  Am i dreamin this up?  It's been a long time ago.

 

leroy

[mikegideon]

I deal with EMPs all the time. Lightening striking a 1400 ft tower makes a real good 'un.

[Dustbuster]

The faraday principle of the bag or box in this case is to create a RF (radio frequency) and induction proof environment. Nothing enters nothing leaves. It's used in forensic work to preserve the integrity of data that's stored in a device that can change that data when sending or receiving a signal, typically GPS or cell phone.

[mikegideon]

There is no such thing as RF proof. Any shielding, whether it's one of these bags, or a steel enclosure attenuates an RF field of X frequency by X amount. I have no doubt that these bags are pretty effective, but the math is always there. When it comes to EMP's, the fields are much stonger.

[TMF]

There is no such thing as RF proof. Any shielding, whether it's one of these bags, or a steel enclosure attenuates an RF field of X frequency by X amount. I have no doubt that these bags are pretty effective, but the math is always there. When it comes to EMP's, the fields are much stonger.

So what you're saying is my faraday hat will not prevent the gov from controlling my thoughts? Damn.

[mikegideon]

So what you're saying is my faraday hat will not prevent the gov from controlling my thoughts? Damn.

 

I'm saying it depends. It will reduce the signal, not eliminate it. Also depends on the brain. Some can be controlled thru a lead lined bunker. :)

[Sam1]

So what you're saying is my faraday hat will not prevent the gov from controlling my thoughts? Damn.

 

 

Only if it is made out of copper.  Tin foil hats have been proven to be effective