Cornet ED88T EMF Meter – My Review

The Cornet ED88T EMF meter is the most recent addition to the Cornet range.

If you’re new to the world of EMFs then it can be difficult to know what to look for. There is a tendency to look solely at price when comparing different meters.

Price is important. But what’s most important is understanding what you’re getting for your money. Because otherwise, no matter what the price, there’s a real possibility you’re going to end up wasting your money on the wrong EMF meter.

What I’ve set out to do here is review this meter in a simple, no nonsense way, so that you can decide if the Cornet ED88T is the right EMF meter for you. But the first question I want to address is even more fundamental.

Do You Need An EMF Meter?

There are now thousands of independent studies which link electromagnetic field exposures from supposedly harmless devices, which we all use in our homes and work places, to a long list of serious diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, suicide, epilepsy, to name just a few.

The only way to understand what you’re exposing yourself to is by using a device like the Cornet ED88T EMF meter. If you need more convincing just spend a few moments reading the articles and readers comments on this website – the reason I started this website was because I got very sick from these supposedly harmless EMF exposures.

Okay. Now let’s get the technical part out of the way.

Cornet ED88T EMF Meter – Technical Specifications

The technical specs might not mean much to you at this stage but just bear with me all will become clear.

Radio Frequency Meter 

Frequency range: 100MHz – 8GHz
Peak power density measurement: 0.5uw/m2 to 1.8w/m2.
Signal Strength Sensitivity: gives measurements in the range 0.5uw/m2 to 1.8w/m2 or 14mv/m to 26.2v/m
Frequency display function: 100MHz – 2.7GHz range.
Error rate: +/- 3.5dBm
Max and Hold function. Audio Sound ON/OFF control, programmable Alarm, triggering level.

 

Gauss Meter Mode

LF600: Frequency range 50Hz – 10KHz (0.1uT to 60uT)/(1mG to 600mG).
LF30: 50Hz to 1KHz (0.01uT to 1uT)/(0.1mG to 10mG).
Error rate: 20%,
Max and Hold function

 

Electric-Field Mode

Frequency range: 50Hz – 50KHz
Sensitivity: 10v/m to 1000v/m.
Error rate: 25%.

 

General Characteristics

LCD Backlight: 15 seconds auto-off and manual on/off control.
LCD Histogram and bar display to display power density level.
Sampling rate: 10,000/sec. Display update rate: 2/sec.
Small, compact handheld design. 69mmX110mm.
Single axis meter.
Battery operated (9V DC)

I also made a video to give an overview of the meter:

 

What Can You Measure with the Cornet ED88T EMF meter?

This EMF meter measures 3 types of EMFs. When you switch it on the first thing it measures is radio frequency radiation.

Radio Frequency Meter

Most RF radiation these days comes in the form of digital bursts. Whether it be GSM, TDMA, CDMA, WiFi, WiMax, ZigBee or UWB, the Cornet ED88T EMF meter can measure all these technologies.

In terms of devices, it can measure EMFs from devices such as:

• Cell phones and smart phones
• Smart meters and smart appliances in the home
• Bluetooth devices
• Cell phone towers (mobile base stations)
• Microwave ovens
• Wireless routers and modems
• Cordless (DECT) phones
• WiMax
• Spy cameras
• Digital baby monitors
• Digital TV
• A/V Sender Receivers
• Wireless burglar alarms
• Wireless video games (Playsation, Xbox and the like)

Magnetic And Electric Field Meter

The Cornet ED88T can also measure two other types of EMFs, low frequency AC magnetic fields and electric fields. It can measure EMFs from things like:

• electrical devices in your home: electric hair dryer, clock radio, ovens, dishwasher etc
• electrical powerlines
• your house wiring
• electrical substation EMFs

What Are The Most Important Features of The Cornet ED88T?

There are 3 important features I need to draw your attention to:

• The single most important feature is it’s tri-mode function. Some meters measure only RF radiation. Others only measure magnetic fields, typically called gauss meters. This meter measures RF radiation, magnetic fields and electric fields. But more than that, it’s how it performs these functions.
• What sets this EMF meter apart is that first and foremost it offers very good RF radiation functionality, that’s to say a broad frequency range with good sensitivity. The RF meter mode will be what interests most people that buy this meter. The frequency range is broad (100MHz – 8GHz) and by virtue of its improved sampling rate, 10,000 samples/sec, it offers very good sensitivity.
• The third important feature is its frequency display function. That’s to say this meter goes beyond just telling you that there are RF exposures and the signal strength of those exposures. It also tells you the frequency of those exposures, in the range 100 Mhz to 2.7 Ghz.

 

Cornet ED88T Or Cornet ED78S?

The Cornet ED78S stands in good stead against the ED88T. You can read my review of the ED78S here. These 2 meters are very similar but ED88T offers the following additional features:

• Electric field meter mode. The ED78S only measures RF radiation and magnetic fields.
• Frequency display function. The ED78S only gives you signal strength information, it does not tell you the frequency of the signals you are measuring.
• Ability to personalize the colored LED lights. The default setting for the LEDs on the other Cornet meters are the thermal exposure limits, which are misleading, to say the least. By going into the system setup menu (I explain in the video how to do this) you can change the settings so that green for instance corresponds with non-thermal levels as recommended by the the BioInitiative Report. Not every one will be interested in this feature but for regular users it is a definite plus.
• The price. The Cornet ED88T is quite a bit more expensive. I believe the extra cost is will justified but if your budget is tight, the ED78S might be the better choice for you.

Cornet ED88T Or Cornet ED85EX?

The Cornet ED85EX is a dedicated RF meter. It only measures RF radiation. The advantage of the ED85EX is that you can add different antennas to give the meter improved performance, for instance to extend the frequency range or obtain more precise readings in the near field range.

Most people will be seduced by the tri-mode functionality of the ED88T. But if you already have a meter for measuring magnetic and electric fields and you are looking for the flexibility of being able to change antennas then the ED85EX may be a better choice for you.

You can read my review of the Cornet ED85EX here.

By way of a summary let’s look at the pros and cons.

The Pros

Why I like the Cornet ED88T EMF meter:

1. Again, the biggest advantage of this meter is it’s tri-mode functionality, which means its like having 3 meters in one.
2. It offers solid RF meter functionality. Its sensitivity. In RF mode it’s got this very good sample rate, a better sample rate than the ED78S and it also has good sensitivity for MF readings because it has two magnetic field settings.
3. The sound function for RF mode. I’m a big fan of being able to hear the EMFs because it conveys so much information. While I was testing I noticed I was picking up RF radiation readings on the audio which was not shown on the display. Getting information on extremely low levels of EMFs is important. The more sensitive your EMF meter is, the better. Having this sound function definitely improves this aspect.
4. The histogram function. Its the little box on the right of the LCD display. It shows the last 30 readings since you switched the meter on. This is ideal for measuring smart meter radiation which comes in short bursts. having the histogram and maximum signal level makes it easy to observe these bursts.
5. Its price. At the moment to my knowledge there is no other EMF meter on the market which offers such broad functionality for such a low price.

The Cons

1. I’m not a big fan of only having 3 buttons to explore all the functionalities of the meter. It is a sophisticated piece of kit, the user manual is not particularly user friendly so anyone buying this meter will have a learning curve to be able to use it properly. Which is one of the main reasons I did this video. What I suggest you do is with a permanent marker pen write an M next to the mode button and an H next to the hold button.
2. The choice of measurement units. For magnetic field mode it gives you the main reading in Tesla. You have to look underneath at the small figures to get the milligauss reading (most of the international standards refer to mG). For RF mode the default setting is on mW/m2 (milliwatts per square meter). I prefer V/m (volts per meter) which you can select by going into the settings. To be fair there is alack of concensus on what measurement units are used, so this is a fairly minor point.

Cornet ED88TPlus

This section updated March 2019: the new version of the Cornet ED88T is the Cornet ED88TPlus. Is the new version any better? Yes, it has this additional functionality:

1. an improved user interface (more buttons)
2. a USB socket allows so you can connect it to your computer for data logging

These are all welcome improvements but essentially it’s the same meter as the Cornet ED88T, it has the same sensitivity, the same frequency ranges and the same tri-mode function.

The new user interface is an improvement that all users will benefit from. The data logging function is good to have. Most people won’t go to the trouble of connecting it to a PC but those that want to do that can.

Is It Suitable For Measuring 5G Radiation?

Update September 2019: 5G is the latest generation of cellular technology which is being introduced across the globe. Currently it’s understood that the frequencies that will be used for 5G for the next few years will be sub 6 GHz—that’s say below 6 GHz which falls within the frequency range of the Cornet ED88Tplus. So yes currently the Cornet ED88Tplus meter is suitable for measuring 5G.

Want to learn more about 5G? I have published an extensive article to address the question — is 5G dangerous?

Where Can You Buy This Meter?

You can buy the Cornet ED88TPlus EMF meter here.*

If you do buy the meter I highly recommend you watch the video again, particularly from the 8 minute mark, where I show you how to access the different functions of the meter. If you’ve any questions on the Cornet ED88TPlus EMF meter, put your question in the comment box below and I’ll do my best to answer.