Every time I travel anywhere I bring an EMF Meter with me.  And as the entire planet becomes more connected with wireless energy, it's likely something more of us will want to pack in our suitcases. I use it to find spots with the lowest levels of wireless EMF in a hotel room, an airport, a park, anywhere I'll be hanging out for any length of time.

Honestly, it's really difficult to find low EMF public places. WiFi is as standard as water throughout the world and those WiFi's emit constant streams of invisible electromagnetic fields(EMF) as they connect to the each and every smartphone nearby.

I've noticed in many parts of Europe, that my meters don't pick up the extreme levels that I notice in big cities in America. I never expect being in a busy coffee shop surrounded by people on laptops, to be a pleasant EMF environment for me. But that was the case at Starbucks in Barcelona earlier this month. I took out my meter and sure enough, the levels just weren't as high as I've found in similar environments in Dallas or Newport Beach or Miami or NYC.

Why would that be?

I know most people don't do this kind of thing on vacation, but that is how much I love my community! :-). 

Transmit Power

This time after visiting that coffee shop with meters in hand and seeing the levels were so much less that what I often find in the same brand coffee shop in the US, I did some digging to find that Transmit Power was likely the key.

Transmit Power. That is the amount of energy that a WiFi router uses to push out a signal via it's antennas. That is the amount of out power or Radio Frequency given out by a wireless transmitter. The higher the transmit power a Wifi has, the further the signal can travel

I was really surprised to find that when you buy a WiFi in the US, it will be set to a different "maximum power level" than it would be if it was sold in a European Country-- or even China. In fact, different countries have different standards.  Guess who lets that power pump out the most?  The U.S. of course.  Thanks FCC. Because MORE is ALWAYS MORE, right?

There's no doubt that wireless EMF, the invisible energy that powers our cellphones, WiFi's, laptops and anything with a wireless antenna does indeed have a biological effect. From changing our brain barrier permability to changing our DNA, I've included links to 100's of studies of EMF effects here and I invite you to take a deep dive and learn more about what science tells us about exposure.

And for many people the biological effect can be felt in the form of a sensitivity to EMF or electromagnetic fields. It's called EHS or Electromagnetic Sensitivity Syndrome or ES. Those of you who know me, know I realized I was sensitive to EMF the first time I held a cellphone(yes- it's documented on a video from the 90's- that you can find here on my YouTube Channel) and having Electromagnetic Sensitivity Syndrome makes it easier for me to tell when the energy is present.

I've noticed feeling less pain when I'm abroad so the last few times I've visited the EU I've spent time detecting levels with my RF(radio frequency) meters. At first I thought that the lower readings were simply because many places I visit are still on 3G.

Transmit Power is measured in Dbm or milliwatts or Watts.And for those who need a refresher, there are1,000 milliwatts(mW) in a Watt(W). Now the way that Transmit Power is regulated is very complicated. The regulations vary by sections of the Radio Frequency spectrum, like 2.4Ghz or 5Ghz and the channels within those bands and then also if a device utilizes Frequency-hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) - which according to Wikipedia is a method of transmitting radio signals by rapidly changing the carrier frequency among many frequencies occupying a large spectral band. So far, wireless access points are not equipped with this technology mainly used by BlueTooth, but it is included in transmit power regulations.

I'm not an electrical engineer or a radio frequency spectrum expert- but from what I've been able to gather from looking into this, Transmit Power regulations allow higher levels if a device uses Adaptive Frequency Hopping-AFH, but only if it's bouncing around more than 15 channels. Not kidding here. These regulations are detailed and intricate and manufacturers need to follow them.

It seems the main reason for controlling transmit power isn't about how too much power makes us feel as humans, it's about controlling interference from one device to another. Remember, FCC stands for Federal Communications Commission- it's not the federal health commission.

But if the amount of radio frequency power a device transmitter puts out, could interfere with another device, that power can also effect our bodies.

My Body Notices The Lower Transmit Power In Other Countries

For sure, the overall energy in Spain was different because most, if not all of the trip, I experienced 3G and 4G , even though some Spanish Telecom's say there's 5G, that wasn't what my phone was reporting in the connectivity settings.

My Radio Frequency EMF Meter Tells The Story 

As my Starbucks video shows, the same WiFi in Barcelona, registered lower than the same WiFi in Dallas. The EMF levels on my meter were lower in hotel rooms, restaurants and public places- even at the airport.

Almost everywhere you go, you'll find WiFi, but on the 2.4 Ghz band, the WiFi's in many other countries aren't made to push as much invisible EMF energy as those in the US.

WiFi Transmit Power Regulations

Here are the regulations from the FCC and ETSI which stands for the European Telecommunications Standards Institute. ETSI is the regulating body for the European Union and sets power limits for WiFi access points, boosters, Routers etc. like the FCC does here in the US.

In the 2.4 GHz band: US Maximum Transmit Power: 1Watt or 1,000 Milliwatts

EU Maximum Transmit Power 10 milliwatts

The FCC Allows A Transmit Power that's 90% higher than ETSI Allows!

For 5Ghz bands INDOOR WiFi or access point or boosters.

US UNDER 5.725 GHz: 500 milliwatts EU Under 5350: 200 milliwatts

US 5.850-5.895 GHz: 1,000 milliwatts EU 5470-5710: 1,000 milliwatts

  EU 5735-5895 GHz: 25 milliwatts

Overall, WiFi Transmit Power And The EMF That Comes With Is HIGHER in the USA

The US utilizes slightly different bands on the spectrum,  Perhaps a spectrum specialist could tell us why the US requires only one segment of the 5GHz band to have a lower transmit power than the others, but even then, it's still over double the amount allowed in the UK.  No wonder it feels better to an electrosensitive person like me to be in a typical wireless environment there vs home. I'll tell you I've noticed it in Spain, Greece, Portugal, Italy, France and England in just the past 18 months.

  Jacob Fredriksson a Networking Pro, put together a nice chart that shows how the 5GHz band limits vary by channel in Sweden, where he lives. They do go up to as high as the US, but many of the frequencies in the 5Ghz range do have lower limits. Take a look at the photos he has as well-they visualize how the WiFi signal travels and how much more signal(and EMF) goes out when transmit power is higher.

WiFi Signals: 2.4GHz vs 5GHz

Many people think that when they use that 5Ghz channel that they're using 5G.

Actually, 5G is more about wireless transmitters everywhere- more boosters, more small cells, more antenna's. 5G also incorporated a new very high bandwidth on the Radio Frequency EMF spectrum: the millimeter wave. But none of this has anything to do with the 5Ghz option on a WiFi.

The 2.4 Band vs the 5 Band on your WiFi

• The length of the wave is shorter the higher the bandwidth, so the 5GHz option can transmit more data at faster speeds
• The shorter wavelengths, the 5GHz need more power to get the same performance
• The longer wavelengths go farther, so the 2.4GHz option has better long range coverage

• The longer wavelength doesn't scatter as much, so 2.4 goes through walls better.

Why Do We Need More WiFi Power?

I for one don't think we do. In fact may IT networking professionals think its best to use the lowest power available. Mainly, because it reduces the chances of interference within your own networks and to your neighbors.

Take a close look at the power limits and you'll see various standards for different frequency ranges. And depending on the country, there are even specific channel limits Manufacturers have to limit the power to the highest level, but the IT folks who set up networks are supposed take into account the total power of the all the devices and access points within a network.

Chances Are Your WiFi is Way Too Powerful!

I've written about Transmit Power here and I have found legal levels to compare with the US. It would be nice for many reasons if the FCC would change the legal limits, but the point is- the newer the WiFi and the more expensive, the likely it is to be sending more transmit power than you really need.

What can you do?

• Read the manual, call the WiFi manufacturer and lower the power.
• Buy a Low Power WiFi: https://techwellness.com/products/emf-protection-wifi
• Put your powerful WiFi in A Faraday Cage:
• Use our Hard Wired Kit and install Hard Wired Shielded Cable Connections:
• Turn your WiFi off when it's not in use And always, always be as far from any WiFi as possible for EMF protection

You and your family can thrive with tech. Even in the crazy world we're living in today. Our Mission at Tech Wellness is to empower you to live a more healthy, safe, secure and balanced relationship with digital technology.

References: ETSI EN 300 328 V2.2.2 https://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_en/300300_300399/300328/02.02.02_60/en_300328v020202p.pdf

ETSI EN 301 893 V1.7.0 https://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_en/302500_302599/302502/01.02.01_60/en_302502v010201p.pdf

ETSI EN 302 502 V1.2.1https://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_en/302500_302599/302502/01.02.01_60/en_302502v010201p.pdf

FCC Guidelines https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-15

April 2024 Ambient Internet Of Things, Update to Zero Power Communication https://www.oppo.com/content/dam/oppo/common/mkt/footer/Ambient-Power-enabled-IoT-White-Paper.pdf

Ambient Power IOT https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10507628

Benefits of Turning Down Output Power: https://www.excentis.com/blog/wi-fi-network-tweak-minimize-power-to-maximize-performance/