You may soon be able stop your packet sniffing, WEP cracking neighbors from stealing your precious internet with Wi-Fi blocking paint. Researchers from the University of Tokyo have developed an aluminum-iron oxide that resonates around the frequencies used by Wi-Fi. This means that it will absorb electromagnetic waves in that frequency.
So you ask, “why hasn’t this been developed already?” Well, until now most wave absorbing materials have only been able to block frequencies up to 50Ghz, while modern wireless communication uses frequencies above 100GHz. The structure of this new material distorts the bonds between oxygen and iron, allowing for absorption for frequencies up to four times higher than before.
Sounds like some fantastic stuff. So save the trouble of turning your house into a bunker equipped with Faraday cages and just paint your walls with a fresh coat of paint.
Can I meet the person who would repaint their walls to keep their Wi-Fi signal from being pirated? This person probably doesn’t have an actual life, so at least I know they’d be easy to find.
I would hope they painted your face with this paint so it would keep the filthy gibberish from flowing from your brain.
You cunt rag.
Its not like he said he was gonna smack your mom, unless you invented this paint I dont think its that serious.
Isn’t implementing better security on your wireless router an easier and cheaper option?
If we did things logically, Monster Cables wouldn’t be sold.
So does this paint block any other signals or just wifi?
Implementing better security would be cheaper BUT that can be circumvented easier than paint.
They say it’s gonna cover a range that covers the actual anti-wifi paints which is up to 50Ghz and also up to 4 times that range which adds up to 200Ghz. So all equipment that fits that range will have its signal absorbed by the paint. Check my blog for the article on perfectcube.wordpress.com.
Now I don’t have to use so much tinfoil for my helmets, I can just dunk my skull in a bucket of this stuff. …And I’ll save on hair gel!
Thanks UofT, you’re a life saver!
Is’nt aluminum-iron oxide highly combustable?
No. Combustion is the oxidation of a material in the presence of oxygen at a rapid rate. Since these are already oxides, they can’t oxidize and can’t burn.
SC – Wrong answer.
Fe2O3 + 2Al -> 2Fe + Al2O3 + heat (LOTS of heat…boiling molten iron!)
The reaction is highly energetic but the mixture is (fortunately) difficult to ignite.
As for the paint being a hazard due to the thermite reaction…maybe if you somehow extracted the Al and iron oxides from all of the other goo. Otherwise I’d say no hazard.
blocking wifi out is all well and good how will i be able to sniff the nieghbor if my paint is preventing it and how will this affect my cellphone reception?
I’m not sure why this is news, this stuff has been around for years. I personally saw it used in 2005.
Maybe it’s just at a price that regular people can afford?
The amount of BS in the article is impressive. Or possibly, there are several key facts that are outright WRONG. First, 802.11b/g (WiFi) runs in the 2.4GHz frequency range, which is significantly less than 50GHz. Cell phones also work in the less-than-50GHz range (yes, that includes gsm, edge, and 3G), and so would be blocked. Second, this is about what the Hindenburg was painted with. Why would you paint your house with THERMITE? They aren’t clear on exactly what the mixture/compound is. Third, where did you people place your brains while reading the majority of this article?
Yeah guys paint your houses with thermite…
and check the name …
funny … ?
nope , okay … *gives up *