WiFi Radiation - New Device Makes WiFi Visible At Last

Luis Hernan has produced a series of photographs that show the strength of wireless signals according to color.

He's also produced an app that can be downloaded to a smart phone which can act as a very basic EMF detector. The app is free.

I spoke to Luis yesterday about his device and how he produced these photos. Here is the color code Luis used so you can understand his photos:

Blue – denotes the weakest signal
Violet – slightly stronger
Green – slightly stronger
Yellow – slightly stronger
Red – strongest signal

Here are Luis's photos and underneath are my comments:

wifi photo personal hotspot dispersion — Cell phone in WiFi mode – the red swirls above the phone show that the strongest signal is found nearest the phone.

wifi radiation image personal hotspot dispersion — Cell phone in WiFi mode – the signal close to the phone appears weaker on this image than the previous one, probably because of the variable nature of the WiFi signal.

wifi radiation personal hotspot dispersion — Cell phone in WiFi mode – although the majority of weak signals are found furthest away from the phone there are some weak signals quite close

Wifi radiation building entrance electricsense.com — Wifi radiation at building entrance – interesting to see about halfway up the steps there is less WiFi radiation than further away from the building and then the radiation gets stronger as you go nearer to the entrance.

wifi radiation domestic staircase electricsense — WiFi radiation on a domestic staircase – not surprisingly the WiFi router is in the cupboard on the left under the telephone.

wifi radiation image staircase electricsense — WiFi radiation on an office staircase – the distribution of the colors suggest the WiFi router is situated on the next level.

wireless radiation around a ladder electricsense — Cell phone in wireless mode under a metal step ladder – interesting to see how the metal step ladder impacts the distribution of the WiFi signal.

wifi radiation image in a lounge electricsense — Wifi radiation in a lounge environment – the distribution of the colors suggest there are multiple sources of WiFi radiation.

Wifi radiation image in coffee bar electricsense — WiFi radiation signals in a coffee bar – the router is situated near the window.

smart phone app for wifi radiation electricsense — Smart phones with Luis's Kirlian app activated – the phones are suspended showing that the WiFi radiation strength varies in different parts of the room.

How These Images Were Created

Luis used a DSLR camera mounted on a tripod. He took these pictures using long exposure photography. So he left the aperture open for about 5 minutes. Then he used what he calls an “Arduino based Kirlian device”. This is essentially a WiFi sensor connected to a simple processor connected to an LED strip. It's the LED strip that makes the colors.

These pictures were created by Luis moving his device through the whilst taking the photo. Luis wore dark clothes to avoid being included in the photo.

What These Photos Don't Mean

These images don't show all the wireless signals in a given area. There are several things to understand here:

They only show the radiation where Luis moves his device around. So there is possibly/probably radiation present in the other areas on these photos which we cannot see.
These images don't indicate how WiFi moves. The swirls we can see are caused by Luis moving his device through the air.
These images don't show cell phone radiation. For the purpose of these pictures the device was calibrated to 2.4 Ghz. The only radiation shown is that in the 2.4 GHz

What These Photos Show

These photos show:

That wireless is all around us.
That this radiation reacts in a very unpredictable manner, its affected both by the furniture in the environment and by people.
WiFi does not respect 100% the “proximity to the source” rule.

As Luis says, even just walking around the house will interfere with the propagation and strength of the field. Closing a wrong door, and a room can become a hotspot or a dead spot for wireless.

Free App

Luis has also created a free app for Android devices called the Kirlian Device Android app , which allows people to see the Wi-Fi on their smart phone. The app also emits sound, the more radiation present the higher the pitch.

The app can be downloaded here.

Can This App Replace An EMF Meter?

At the moment this app can only detect radiation in the 2.4 GHz range. Luis intends to create a future version which will detect cellular networks also. But even then this remains a crude way of measuring radiation. This app doesn't replace using a radio frequency meter but if you've already got a smart phone it does allow you to detect radiation for free. If you've got kids with smart phones it can be a good way to make them aware of their exposures.

Luis is a student at Newcastle University in the UK. These images are part of his Digital Ethereal project which aims to make the invisible visible.

Hat's off to Luis for undertaking this project and sharing these images. But as pretty as these images are let's not forget that these swirling colors let us see pulsed digital radiation (a.k.a electromagnetic fields) which thousands of studies link to adverse biological effects and a myriad of diseases and illnesses including cancer, brain tumors, infertility, DNA damage, suppression of the immune system and much more.

Get smart about EMFs. Sign up to my Free EMF Protection Report.

Add A Comment

Comments

Elin said,

This is great information thank you! I have an iPhone…is there a link to download this app for mac? This link seems to only take us to an android download. Thanks.
Simon Paul Randon said,

seeing is believing – and this is a very helpful bit of information- I will be recommending the app.
Dorothy Shostak said,

Wow! I’ve been hoping for years for photos that show the chaotic radiation of our devices…these are a great start! Thanks so much for posting them!
Warmly, Dorothy
Linda Roe said,

Take it out of schools
Helen Eisenmann said,

Hi. This is very interesting research. For better understanding, would you please clarify for us what is meant about the device being calibrated to 2.4 GHz. From what Device would we typically see a radiation emission of 2.4 GHz?
Barb Payne said,

Please understand that I’m not discouraging nor disparaging art or an artform. In my opinion, it is huge folly to widely distribute these images. The majority of uninformed people viewing these images will like WiFi even MORE — “Look at the beautiful pictures!”, “It’s like being bathed in rainbows!”, “This is great, it’s like WiFi has chakras!”, “Wow, look at this beautiful energy all around us!”, and so on. Lloyd, your explanation is of course excellent, however, the majority of uninformed people will not be reading that explanation nor any other explanation … they’ll be merely looking at the pretty images and liking them, and this ENHANCES their love of WiFi. Best, Barb
Sharon Ingram said,

Interesting what Barbara says – certainly, there is a risk that the general public will just think that the pictures are pretty. Of course, if we could juxtapose them with similar pictures taken from the inside of a microwave oven, that might help the general public put them in perspective.
One thing which I find strange is that these images are made available on smartphones – the very devil of a technology – the very stuff which makes people sick because it is responsible for many of the man-made radiation around us. If we are to have these pictures at all, could they be made accessible on some device other than a smartphone??
Sharon Ingram said,

I meant of course – ”much of the man-made radiation”! Sorry, there just happens to be alot of the stuff right where I am sitting and that does affect concentration somewhat.
Rosemarie said,

Barb Payne,
I agree! The question is will it inform and illustrate or be a toy to play with. Like any art form it is the beholder who interprets its meaning.
Jean-Louis said,

Excellent comment from Barb. Of course, Some people will be stupid or just show off or be in a low brain functioning state some of the time…. and they ‘simply’ won’t get it ! However, and, or, also….can Lloyd just add Barb’s comment in a short statement to the section above: “What These Photos Show “. These photos may be a turn on, or light your fire but you live with the effects and just get weaker and sicker,in my opinion!
View All Comments