I picked up a Microsoft wireless networking kit for the desktop (the one with the USB adapter), but after I set it up in our house, my wife complained of vague discomfort--like an almost inaudible buzzing in her head. So, now that I've got it packed back in the box & headed to sell it on eBay <grrr...> , has anyone else experienced a similar phenomenon?
Wireless networking: literally a headache?
- Thread starter rhacquer
- Start date
LMAO, if this were true she should also get headaches from 2.4GHz wireless phones and just about every microwave oven out there. I dont think this was the source of the headaches....
Who knows, some people can tell when earthquakes are going to occur, so I don't think it's totally outrageous, however these are extremely low power devices. It's hard to imagine an AP causing a problem but it's not out of the realm of possibility either. Can she predict tectonic plate shifts? 
Do a blind test if possible -- hook it up on the sly and see if she still has headaches. The placebo effect can be powerful here, that is, if someone knows they're there, that might cause them to feel the effect.
Does the effect vary depending on where the equipment is placed? RF power fades on the square of the (radial) distance from the antenna. So the difference between standing next to the antenna and having it on the other side of the house should be significant.
Does the effect vary depending on what RF channel you've configured? Resonance effects can cause even very small amounts of power to reinforce themselves and become more interesting amounts of power, and one way to break resonance is to change the frequency.
Does your wife have problems with your microwave oven? Check the inside of the door and the back, there's often a sticker telling you what frequency it runs on. Mine runs on 2450 MHz. I would venture to guess that even with very good shielding, a 1100W transmitter at 2450MHz would end up leaking milliwatts of power... on the same scale as 802.11b's signals, especially considering the r^2 rule.
Do you or your wife have a 1900MHz cell phone? Is there cell coverage in your location? While not the same frequency, 1900MHz has similar properties in many ways to 2400MHz.
I am skeptical that the RF is the cause of your wife's problems, but it is not outside possibility. Treat it as a science problem, though, and see if you can understand better what causes problems and what doesn't. Our understanding of the health effects of RF is still immature and the political nature of the issue doesn't help.
If you really want wireless and don't want to make your wife unhappy, another approach is to shell out for 802.11a gear, which works on the 5200(?) MHz band and should have substantially different RF properties for this purpose.
Does the effect vary depending on where the equipment is placed? RF power fades on the square of the (radial) distance from the antenna. So the difference between standing next to the antenna and having it on the other side of the house should be significant.
Does the effect vary depending on what RF channel you've configured? Resonance effects can cause even very small amounts of power to reinforce themselves and become more interesting amounts of power, and one way to break resonance is to change the frequency.
Does your wife have problems with your microwave oven? Check the inside of the door and the back, there's often a sticker telling you what frequency it runs on. Mine runs on 2450 MHz. I would venture to guess that even with very good shielding, a 1100W transmitter at 2450MHz would end up leaking milliwatts of power... on the same scale as 802.11b's signals, especially considering the r^2 rule.
Do you or your wife have a 1900MHz cell phone? Is there cell coverage in your location? While not the same frequency, 1900MHz has similar properties in many ways to 2400MHz.
I am skeptical that the RF is the cause of your wife's problems, but it is not outside possibility. Treat it as a science problem, though, and see if you can understand better what causes problems and what doesn't. Our understanding of the health effects of RF is still immature and the political nature of the issue doesn't help.
If you really want wireless and don't want to make your wife unhappy, another approach is to shell out for 802.11a gear, which works on the 5200(?) MHz band and should have substantially different RF properties for this purpose.
- Oct 25, 1999
- 29,563
- 432
- 126
Some time electrical units can emit a variety of buzzing noises that has to do with loose components, faulty power supply, over heating etc. Some people are sensitive to it some not.
I assume that you have an Access Point and a USB Client card.
Install the Access Point without the USB card and leave it on Idling.
If there is no complains take off the Access point, install and leave for a while the USB Client On.
That will help to decide whether one of the Units emits faulty vibrations.
If none of the Unit by it self elicits complains try the combo again if the combination of the two does elicit uncomfortable reaction, return the units.
I assume that you have an Access Point and a USB Client card.
Install the Access Point without the USB card and leave it on Idling.
If there is no complains take off the Access point, install and leave for a while the USB Client On.
That will help to decide whether one of the Units emits faulty vibrations.
If none of the Unit by it self elicits complains try the combo again if the combination of the two does elicit uncomfortable reaction, return the units.
heh "my wireless done and scrambled my brains!"
Seriously though if its not making an audible noise I think its just in her head. The microwave, her cell phone, 2.4 gig phones at the neighbors house, etc are all going to crank out far more in that general area then the access point. Not to mention any public access points would give her a headache out and about, etc. Not to say its a good idea, but if you hooked it up and hid it for a few days I'll bet she wouldn't complain of a headache
If she doesn't complain tell her its a new one on a different frequency or something You all have made it abundantly clear that the AnandTech nation has an ironclad grip on the scientific method.
Garion
Platinum Member
- Apr 23, 2001
- 2,331
- 7
- 81
I blame it on her dental work, especially if she has a number of metal-based fillings in her head. I've seen cases where the fillings in people's teeth happen to be set in at exactly the wrong angle and reflect the radio waves back into the head. In some rare cases (2.4 Ghz happens to be a prime example), they can bounce off the back of the skull and setup a kind of feedback loop. The waves hit the back of the skull, which acts like a satellite dish and focuses the signals in on the inner ear, causing the odd headaches, buzzing sound and occasional dizzyness. Cisco and Microsoft seem to be very prone to this, likely due to lack of corrective shielding but Linksys appears to have propriety dental-avoidance technologies built into their gear. Very impressive stuff!
On this note, another serious topic is my current e-bay auction - If you're looking for a good bridge, let me know. *grin*
- G
On this note, another serious topic is my current e-bay auction - If you're looking for a good bridge, let me know. *grin*
- G
thread successfully de-railed.
I'm with everybody else - it could be possible to cause her headaches, but highly unlikely.
I'm with everybody else - it could be possible to cause her headaches, but highly unlikely.
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