Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

I objected to this statement at first, as frequency plays a big part in what electromagnetic radiation does, but then I discovered many microwave ovens do operate at 2.45GHz

Though, before you freak out that you are cooking your family, consider that a microwave oven outputs 600-1200 watts, while a WiFi antenna is typically 0.5-1 watt.



The reason microwaves use 2.4 GHz is that water and fat molecules begin to resonate at that frequency, absorbing energy from the waves.

It's also one reason why 2.4GHz systems can have problems outdoors.

During rainstorms, the range drops to nothing as the water grabs all the energy.

Also any foliage (leaves w/ moisture inside) blocks the signals more than at other frequencies.


The "resonating" explanation is wrong. Please stop propagating this mistake.

From Wikipedia: "Sometimes, microwave heating is explained as a resonance of water molecules, but this is incorrect; such resonances occur only at above 1 terahertz (THz)."


Is there something special about this frequency, or would it have similar effect on 5Ghz?





Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: