Wi-Fi Blocking Paint

Mon Mar 26, 2007 11:39PM EDT

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My wireless network is very protected, thanks to my husband who takes plenty of preventive measures that keep intruders out of our network. The Gadget Hound also taught us a thing or two about the subject in this post, in which a reader's concern prompted him to ask more about Wi-Fi scamming. If you haven't changed the default name and password on your network, you're contributing to your network's susceptibility to malicious attacks, so don't be surprised when intruders—either neighbors or strangers parked outside your home—bog down your network with spam, or illegal downloads. Like Tom said, the best way to keep those intruders out is by enabling WEP or WPA encryption on your network by changing the password on your router. Chris has a step-by-step guide on how to do this too.

SEC Technologies has another option: wireless blocking paint. One coat of this paint "creates an electromagnetic fortress by preventing airborne hackers from intercepting signals." Sounds a little too much like something the government would be interested in, and less like a technology that would benefit the average Wi-Fi user who has already ditched the landline over a cell phone. The Register thinks the RF-proof paint would be put to good use in movie theaters, or similar places where cell phones interruption is frowned upon. EM-SEC currently sells laptop inserts and phone holsters with an electromagnetic shield that restricts the detection of Wi-Fi signals, which is another option that might deter laptop thieves. What a great idea.

 

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  • 47 Posted by gameshoes3003 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:05PM EDT Report Abuse

    Would this disrupt cell phone reception? Also, would it still work from basement to the top floors?

  • 48 Posted by jsbenami on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:42PM EDT Report Abuse

    This is quite useless. Use encryption with enough bits and you are golden. Anyone who works in IT would laugh at this sort of stunt. Windows also exsist in most rooms, so your signal will leak regardless.

  • 49 Posted by donaldyoe on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:46PM EDT Report Abuse

    paint the whole house??? why not just put on lan cable!

  • 51 Posted by tjg3100 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:12PM EDT Report Abuse

    To: #5. FYI: It is NOT illegal anywhere in the U.S. to block radio waves. Providing they are NOT in pubilc facilities, e.g. as libraries, schools, etc. There are exceptions blocking is perfectly legal in certain government facilites that are protected by the Patriot Act and various federal government departments & agaencies, e.g., Homeland Security, FBI, Secret Service, CIA, The Penagon and others. Also, any privately owned company has a legal right to block radio signals from entering +/or exiting their properties, e.g. movie theaters, themeparks and other facitilites. Before offeriong your opinion, do some "homework" and research your data. The abopve is a proven fact...not an opinion!

  • 52 Posted by osmrcmp on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:46PM EDT Report Abuse

    I would not pay too much for the paint. If it worked like they said, how could you use your wifi in your home? Besides are you going to paint your windows and your doors? The paint would have to have a lot of metal to block RF signals. Of be extremely dense. Now to clarify the statement by archvillan.rm, blocking radio waves is not illegal if you block them on your own property. It would be illegal to block any one elses property, or to disrupt the signal. When you enter a business or home, those people have the right to block any RF signals from coming onto the property. Thus a theater yes can block cell phone usage as can homeowners LEGALLY.

  • 54 Posted by mysuperdude4u on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:32PM EDT Report Abuse

    You can block any Radio signals going into your house or going trough it, as well as any signal that you produce from ever coming out, and it would be perfectly legal

  • 55 Posted by chevelleman7 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:23PM EDT Report Abuse

    you know there are actually people out there that probably will fall for this balogna.(rolling in the floor laughing till it hurts)

  • 56 Posted by galentillman on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:05PM EDT Report Abuse

    Im sorry but I was all for this topic up till the part about the boob, ahahahah you said boob, just kidding Im serious, that would be great at my place, man but Im 21 and barly have enough to eat so I doubt the paint idea is my style...But very interesting anyways. G

  • 57 Posted by mej1960 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:15PM EDT Report Abuse

    It is NOT illegal to block radio waves in the US! Where do people get this misinformation? On the contrary: it is very common to block it with the so-called "chicken-wire" construction, which provides quite a block to waves of 70cm and shorter. As for how well this paint would work, I think most users would be disappointed. Others have already pointed out that you don't put this on your windows. All it takes is a couple of windows, and the waves will bounce around as well as they would have been transmitted through the painted walls. For that matter, if the paint blocks the transmitted waves, how well does it reflect? The article says nothing about that. Yet substances that are good absorbers of the transmitted wave, tend to be good reflectors, too. Again, it is no shield if it offers as good a reflected path as the unpainted wall did a transmitted path.

  • 58 Posted by rockford33usa on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:47PM EDT Report Abuse

    How does she type her column with one finger in her cheek? I guess we should count ourselves lucky nobody told her to wear a metal colander on her head.

  • 59 Posted by alex.pestov@rogers.com on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:50PM EDT Report Abuse

    Where can I buy a tin of this paint? Also, does it do port routing or should I wait for a later release?

  • 60 Posted by maskimummu on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:10PM EDT Report Abuse

    More money, more time, less security than WPA. http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/?p=454&tag=nl.e539

  • 61 Posted by jimlans on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:35PM EDT Report Abuse

    archvillan.rm is incorrect - it is NOT illegal to put an RF "Faraday Cage" around your house or theatre or any property you own. Most RF test labs have such a "screen room" where they test devices without getting interference from outside. You can also construct RF "anechoic chambers" that not only block outside RF energy, but also kill RF reflections inside the room. As for the Wi-Fi paint, it needs to be highly absorbtive at 2.4GHz, and spread on think...oh, and if there are openings (including windows) that are more than a few inches wide, the waves will spill out anyway. The wavelength of 2.4GHz Wi-Fi is about 12.5cm. Nice gimmick - but pretty useless.

  • 62 Posted by fifteenfifty on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:59PM EDT Report Abuse

    WEP is _trivial_ to break. http://sourceforge.net/projects/wepcrack/ Many freeloaders doubtless love those of you who feel so safe. As for the "paint", conductive polymers have existed for some time: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conductive_polymers

  • 63 Posted by ke4szt on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:48PM EDT Report Abuse

    It's actually been around for a while for government use (along with a LOT of other stuff) and no it's not illegal to block radio signals using such an item as this. There even use to be a cell phone jamming transmitter that was popular for a while with restaurants. There are a lot of laws about illegal jamming, interfearing, and intercepting but this paint isn't one of them. If you have a wireless network with so much sensitive information on it, throw it out and go wired! On a side note---- I wish the auto makers would start painting the insides of cars with this stuff! I've had way too many close calls the past few weeks with people on cell phones driving crazy and let's not even mention the rudeness of people in public. I think cell phones are a wonderful thing but hey -- use them with some manners!!!

  • 64 Posted by stroker769 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:45PM EDT Report Abuse

    So, people really get paid for writing this banal crap?

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