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« Latest Affordable SMB Security Offerings | Main | Cable Operators Have Terrible Wi-Fi Plans »

April 1, 2005

Seattle Bans Wi-Fi for Public Safety Reasons

A report in TidBITS dated April 1 explains Seattle's recent coffeehouse ban: As we all know, Wi-Fi commonly operates in the 2.4 GHz band, the same band used by microwave ovens to heat food through the bipolar effect in which rapid switching causes friction in water molecules. (Not resonance as is often mistakenly stated.)

This can apparently lead to dangerous results not previously seen as the density of Wi-Fi usage increases. At a local coffeeshop, an ill-advised gateway placement and too many Wi-Fi users resulted in the espresso machine's boiler exploding from too much pressure. Several were injured, only one seriously; all were bloggers.

Seattle has formed the WTF (Wi-Fi Testing Foundation) to better understand this incident, but has proactively banned Wi-Fi until the results come in.

7 Comments

May be a dumb question, but 802.11a shouldn't be affected, right?

[Editor's note: Correct! But the 5 GHz band could apparently overheat fruit juices (pasteurized and unpasteurized).--gf]

Actually, 802.11a might even work a little better. Each photon packs more energy (remember Plank's constant and h=fe?). Besides, it's much closer to the water resonance frequency of 22 GHz.

But on the other hand, boiling water with an access point is like trying to warm french fries with an LED. Access points don't have that much power. What do you think?

I enjoy April 1st. But "fools" and "frights" are altogether different entities.

Mmm. LED French fries. Garhrhrhgghghghg.

This is at the fee based locations, right? Not the free ones.

Very interesting.

Hey, maybe this would also explain the increased cases of internal human combustion... Yeah, yeah, now it makes sense. When people are stressed, their blood preasure goes up causing rapid movement of blood cells. With so many wireless devices out there, the RF naturally creates the microwave effect in our bodies or increased heat caused by the friction of rapidly moving blood cells and before you know it, people just start exploding all over the place.

I heard that another city is banning public WiFi from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM which is about the time when people are stressed the most.


or maybe we should remember todays date :-)

This just in on April 1, 2005.

Following the crusading lead of the the City of Seattle, the City of Los Alamos, NM has banned all WiFi withi its borders, out of concerns that stray waves could cause a thermonulear explosion at Los Alamos Labs.

The Albuquerque Sunport, the ABQ airport, is also considering shutting down its free 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi service out of concern that the signals from the access points could cook off the over 2,000 nuclear warheads stored at nearby Kirtland Air Force Base.

ABQ Mayor Hector Chavez is considering asking the Transportation Security Agency to confiscate all Wi-FI cards and laptops with embedded Wi-FI at the airport.

And, maybe everyone should pay attention to the date of the Tidbits article.