Faraday Cages

I hate being spied upon and it annoys me that my government has become creepy about it. They turned phones into snitch machines. Luckily phones are just radio based devices. (Let’s not get into wavelengths… I’m painting with a broad brush). Anything that’s radio based can be thwarted (I like to think “managed”) by the ultra simple device called a Faraday cage.

Six years ago I made a Faraday cage out of tinfoil and duct tape. It worked:

Anyone who wants to spy on me has to do me the honor of personally lurking in the bushes and peering through drapes like the little perverts they are. I’m old school like that.

Alas, the tinfoil approach has drawbacks. For one thing it looks like you’re carrying a baked potato in your pocket. Also, people are trained like seals to laugh at anything that involves tinfoil. I have no idea why.

(Note: I did sell a Faraday Cage cell phone case to someone who wanted a laugh. I think I hammed it up and sent a cardboard mock up iPhone with the case. It was all in good fun. If that’s you, I’m glad you’re still reading my blog!)

Back in reality, the goal is to to block a signal without working too hard and/or looking like a complete nut. It’s really easy. Nor is it expensive. Thus, it’s worth it to buy a Faraday bag for your phone and other stuff. Here are my recommendations:

Option 1: Vaguely high tech looking, fully nerd recognizable, Faraday bag set.

I recommend a Faraday Defense 15pc kit. Get the assortment and then you’re set for every size and multiple instances. One of the envelopes will fit whatever you’re thinking about. It’s about $40 or $50 for a set of 10 or 15 bags. The bags aren’t for multiple gadgets. Plan on one “gadget” per bag. You know how your old or spare laptop works OK but it’s not your “daily driver”? That’s a good use for these bags. You can put stuff in the bag, forget about it, and rule the world when the EMP pulse reduces the society to the stone age.

I have personal experience with Faraday Defense bags. I’ve been using mine about 5 years and there’s almost no sign of wear. They look like overpriced sandwich bags but they’re tough.

I mostly use them for “excess” or “too important to leave connected” computer shit at home. The big ones hold full laptops. The small and medium ones hold external hard drives (and whatever else I can think of).

I’ve used them on the road too. For example, I have a highway tool booth transponder. That little demon goes in an envelope and in the glove box when I’m not on the toll road. This is a heck of a testing environment! Anything that goes in my glove box takes a beating… yet the envelope still works great. How awesome is that? (Yes, they’ll do fine with a cell phone too.)

For when you want to look tactical and/or have zero fucks to give about appearance you can’t go wrong. I do recommend getting an assortment. You’ll find more junk to EMP-proof with time.

One more note. The price I paid 5 years ago and the price on Amazon now is almost the same. Yeah! No inflation on this. Ten thumbs up from the Curmudgeon!

Option 2: Super cool, expensive but sexy, James Bond level tactical bag:

This is a lot more high-end than my usual recommendation so be aware I’m expanding my (and your) horizons. Sometimes it’s nice to have nice things and this is a very nice thing. If you want to protect your laptop or whatever and also be a super stud, I highly recommend the EDEC Faraday Duffel Bag.

This is a huge step up from cheap-ass tinfoil or Mylar (or whatever they’re made of) bags. It’s just plain nice to use. It’s much better than the usual shit I’d buy for myself.

It came to me as a gift from Mrs. Curmudgeon (she’s a keeper!) and I love it. I’ve been using it for 5 years.

OK, now sit down because this is scary. It costs like $250. That’s way over my usual level. It’s damn near “sneakers in the ‘hood” price! But it’s so nice I recommend it anyway. I really enjoy mine. Also, it’s so nice it’ll outlast several cheap laptop backpacks. Mine is 5 years old and looks great. I’ll beat a normal laptop case to death in a year or two. For me, it’s worth it. Also, kudos to Mrs. Curmudgeon for thinking of such a sweet gift!

Did I mention it’s tough? Even after being tossed in a truck’s back seat and hauled all over creation, it looks as good as new. Actually, it looks better in person than in the photo.

It’s a bit larger than the usual laptop bag, so you can cram extra shit in there. It’s roomy so everything fits without being careful how you stack things. Just toss it in and go.

How big? It’ll easily carry a big laptop (or two!), a mouse, and everything else you might want. I carry a huge keyboard because that’s how I roll. There’s room for extra hard drives and also stuff that doesn’t need a Faraday cage, like clipboards and papers and textbooks and spare glasses and… you get the picture. On a few notable trips I stuffed some clothes and a pair of socks with my computer and called it “overnight bag”. (That’s not my normal use but it did work.)

The only limitation I’ve found is that it’s a soft case. If you stampede a rhino over it… you deserve what happens. That’s my recommendation: “perfect for anything short of stampeding wild animals over your laptop”.

I know I’m just gushing about this neat thing I own but I can’t help myself: The cool part is it looks normal and even good. You can carry it around a college campus or among uptight vegans at the coffee shop and they won’t notice a thing. Business presentation, job interview, banking, it’s all good. You can be Bert Gummer paranoid about things and still look good.

It just looks a bit larger than usual. That’s all anyone will notice until you open it up. I actually think it looks rather stylin’ but that’s me. There’s only so many “cool points” a bag can add to a bearded redneck blogger and I’m hardly up to date. What I’m saying is it’s awesome, well built, and looks good but maybe you shouldn’t take fashion advice from me.

Also, this item seems to be immune to inflation. (I have no idea why.) It costs the same now as it did 5 years ago. (Try that with a can of tuna!)

Option 3: Completely generic, utterly unremarkable, cheap, phone wallet:

There are a billion people selling Faraday bags for phones. As far as I can tell, they’re all more or less the same. I’d like to recommend one I’ve tested but mine is a brand that I don’t see on Amazon. Don’t worry, they all probably come from the same factory in China. Don’t overthink it.

What I use looks virtually identical to the 2 Pack Faraday Bag for Phones, RFID Signal Blocking Bag, Faraday Key Fob Protector, Anti-Tracking, Anti-Spying and Privacy Protection. I can’t honestly say I’ve tested that exact model but it sure looks similar. Also the cost is $10 for a two pack. You ‘aint risking the world if you buy it and the stitching pattern or whatever is not up to your standards.

Just get it, stuff your phone in it, dial the phone and observe it not ringing, and then you’re set. It cost less than a six pack of beer to isolate a phone. I can’t believe that these aren’t more popular.

Also, the comments are a hoot! Faraday cages aren’t rocket science but occasionally someone will ask if it’ll block the space rays that affect his sperm count on Wednesdays. Some folks could use a little more basis in how radio waves work.

Final note, if you click on a link from this post and buy something (anything!) on Amazon, I get a kickback. I appreciate the extra cheddar but that’s not why I wrote this. I’m just recommending stuff I’ve used. I assume many people are like me in that they don’t enjoy sorting through eleventy options to find the thing they need. (Someone write a dozen blog posts about entry level HAM base stations… please!)

Also, every time someone puts a cell phone in a case, a creepy stalker working for the NSA loses his wings.

Happy shopping.

A.C.

P.S. This is basic stuff for law abiding people. An extreme case might need to take better precautions. If you’re a super spy or Mafia hitman, don’t take advice from me.