smart meters & radiation. Question.

D

DB731

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Feb 10, 2013
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I have read this about smart meters:

"The low levels of energy that smart meters give off at their source are further diluted by the distance they typically need to travel to reach people (unlike cell phones, for instance) and by any walls they have to pass through."

Source: http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/athome/smart-meters



Question: how much attenuation should I expect from a typical wall in a house that was built in the mid 1990s? I sleep maybe 1-2 feet from my head to the smart meter, so that's why I ask.

Thanks


PS. found point #2 useful: http://smartgridcc.org/separating-t...smart-meters?gclid=CKHOwZ7jsLoCFclDMgodoQoAuQ
 
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If you sleep next to a wifi router or cordless phone, expect similar issues, as I recall they transmit near 2.4ghz. Effects of the radiation as far as I know are nonexistent.
 
DB731 said:
I have read this about smart meters:

"The low levels of energy that smart meters give off at their source are further diluted by the distance they typically need to travel to reach people (unlike cell phones, for instance) and by any walls they have to pass through."

Source: http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/athome/smart-meters



Question: how much attenuation should I expect from a typical wall in a house that was built in the mid 1990s? I sleep maybe 1-2 feet from my head to the smart meter, so that's why I ask.

Thanks


PS. found point #2 useful: http://smartgridcc.org/separating-t...smart-meters?gclid=CKHOwZ7jsLoCFclDMgodoQoAuQ
Click to expand...


Luddites Unite!

Electricity is just a passing fad. It wasn't that long ago that some people believed that microwave ovens would cause cancer. I have read posts from people who claim
to have all sorts of ailments caused by their smart meter. The funny thing is that these alleged ailments are exactly what other people have said MIGHT happen. What
a coincidence. :rolleyes:

If you are really concerned, this should solve the problem.

tin_foil_hat.jpg
 
I have been working on Smart Grid for about 4 years now. I remember a conference I went to where they showed statistics about the amount of radiation for smart meters showing that smart meters emit 1/20th the permissible amount of radiation that Italy allows, and Italy apparently has the strictest laws.

They work at 900 Mhz, and they do not constantly communicate. They only update at intervals, and for a few seconds at a time. Some do it every 15 minutes, some only once a day.
 
I'm sure if there was any problem with the meters, the manufacturer would be rushing to the media with the information. :D
 
UffDa said:
Luddites Unite!

Electricity is just a passing fad. It wasn't that long ago that some people believed that microwave ovens would cause cancer. I have read posts from people who claim
to have all sorts of ailments caused by their smart meter. The funny thing is that these alleged ailments are exactly what other people have said MIGHT happen. What
a coincidence. :rolleyes:

If you are really concerned, this should solve the problem.

tin_foil_hat.jpg
Click to expand...


...that's why I chose credible sources, instead of the conspiracy and other loons. Asbestos, lead, PCBs, cigarettes, etc were once considered harmless too, so I try to keep an open mind.
 
I wouldn't worry, people have had cell phones glued to their ear since their invention and unfortunately it has'nt killed any of the annoying people using them. Our homes are filled with cordless devices that work in the same manner at smart meters, and there has not been any epidemics of radiation damage.
 
What is your general view on RF equipment? Do you use a cell phone? a WiFi laptop? do you have a wireless router or access point in your house?

Do you sleep with a cell phone by your bed? if so that will be periodically transmitting on similar frequencies throughout the night

If you are concerned about being so close to it at night then can you move your bed? even if you just turn it around so your head is at the other end you will reduce your exposure - RF energy levels work on an inverse square law so if you double the distance from the transmitter you reduce the energy level by 1/4.

You will get a small amount of attenuation through an external wall but the signal will still penetrate most domestic buildings, 900 Mhz is similar to the frequency used by some cellular networks around the world and cell phones generally work OK indoors. Chances are the smart meter is piggy backing on the cellular network anyway
 
DB731 said:
Question: how much attenuation should I expect from a typical wall in a house that was built in the mid 1990s? I sleep maybe 1-2 feet from my head to the smart meter, so that's why I ask.
Click to expand...

So the smart meter is on the outside of the house, and you sleep inside the house against the same wall?

Seems to me that if the home is typical wood frame with insulation, drywall, and wood clapboard that it will block very little high frequency RF signal. Brick and plaster tend to block more. I suspect aluminum siding blocks more than plastic siding, but I don't know that for a fact. Cinder block, concrete, and stucco probably block more signal than clapboard.

The aspect I'm curious about, how strong is a typical smart meter signal? It doesn't broadcast back to the utility company after all, the utility staff still have to walk or drive fairly close to the meter to collect the data.
Additionally, the smart meter antenna may be directional. Even if not, the signal is somewhat blocked by the socket that is between the antenna and the home:

The metal meter socket reflects almost all of the RF out of the front of the meter. The only path for RF to get into a building is by first bouncing off the ground or an adjacent house and then back into the building. The distances required for this to happen dramatically reduce the power signal by the time it has traveled a minimum of 4-5 feet to the ground and into the living space.
Click to expand...

From a paper online, pdf file titled, "A Discussion of Smart Meter and RF Exposure Issues."

So it seems that Smart Meters rf signals are very similar, if not identical, to bluetooth wireless signals - the same frequency band and very low power. So take a bluetooth mouse or keyboard outside, with the computer placed where your bed is. What distance does the mouse/keyboard lose communication with the computer when the signal must go through the wall? At what distance does the bluetooth lose communication signal when not transmitting through the wall? Now you can compare the signal losses and calculate the attenuation rate of the wall.

At the least, you'll know what distance you need to move your bed from the wall to escape the smart meter's rf signal.
 
555 said:
When you start down this road you can drive yourself crazy. It wasn't that long ago there were reports of the dangers of having a clock radio by your bed.

Someday some group will put together a report on fly ash in concrete and radiation in homes.

"Coal Ash Is More Radioactive than Nuclear Waste"
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=coal-ash-is-more-radioactive-than-nuclear-waste

http://www.cement.org/tech/cct_durability_fly_ash.asp
Click to expand...

I heard a while back that coffee is quite radioactive
 
I really wouldn't worry about it, but to actually answer the question you need to know the walls composition.

And on a side note to block brain wave frequencies a tin foil helmet needs to be at least several inches thick.
 
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