# Does anyone know if this anti 5G usb stick works? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 3, 2020, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-this-anti-5g-usb-stick-works/855011 "2020-06-03T22:07:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2021, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-this-anti-5g-usb-stick-works/855011/41 "2021-12-19T16:36:11Z")
đŸ’Șdamn you đŸ’Ș DAMN YOU HOLLYWOOD ALL TO HELL đŸ’Ș đŸ˜Ÿ Actually, I’ve seen such a device as Sunspace described, in fact almost word for word the same, I don’t remember the dimensions of the space enclosed, 1 meter? 1.5 meters square? It was a while ago. That was the “no-go cubicle” for out janitorial company. We weren’t to touch it. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2021, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-this-anti-5g-usb-stick-works/855011/42 "2021-12-20T07:33:20Z")
Re: chainlink Faraday cages
 roughly speaking, the cage shields against electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths greater than the width of the holes in the cage. So the screened cage I worked in, with openings a couple of millimetres wide, would block radio waves with a wavelength greater than a couple of millimetres (a frequency less than about 150 GHz). This is one reason why visible light could get though the cage; its wavelength is much less, between 380 nm for violet, and 750 nm for red (frequencies of roughly 680 THz to 480 THz). Your chainlink Faraday cage would have openings say 3 cm wide, which would block radio waves of less than about 10 GHz. So depending on the frequencies the Evil Conspiracist Satellites are using, a chainlink faraday cage might actually work. ETA: link to frequency/wavelength calculator: [https://www.everythingrf.com/rf-calculators/wavelength-to-frequency](https://www.everythingrf.com/rf-calculators/wavelength-to-frequency) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2021, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-this-anti-5g-usb-stick-works/855011/43 "2021-12-20T13:59:14Z")
I think that, for a chainlink Faraday cage to work, even for long-wavelength waves, you’d need good electrical contact between the the wires. Without that, you’d just have a (probably not very efficient) polarizer, not a barrier. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2021, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-this-anti-5g-usb-stick-works/855011/44 "2021-12-20T15:44:20Z")
Yes, there would need to be good contact. And I’m trying to remember whether it needed to be grounded. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2021, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-this-anti-5g-usb-stick-works/855011/45 "2021-12-20T16:20:57Z")
What is the main expense for building a good Faraday cage? Is it the copper? ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2021, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-this-anti-5g-usb-stick-works/855011/46 "2021-12-20T16:22:39Z")
Would a microwave be considered to be a Faraday cage? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2021, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-this-anti-5g-usb-stick-works/855011/47 "2021-12-20T16:33:15Z")
Easy enough to test; put your cell phone in the closed, off microwave and then try to call it. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2021, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-this-anti-5g-usb-stick-works/855011/48 "2021-12-20T17:30:18Z")
That only tells me if it weakens the signal enough that it can’t pick it up, which it probably will. I was curious as to whether it was an _actual_ Faraday cage, by the standards of those in this thread that have built or used them. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2021, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-this-anti-5g-usb-stick-works/855011/49 "2021-12-20T17:46:39Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > And I’m trying to remember whether it needed to be grounded. While Faraday cages often are grounded, they do not need to be grounded. > [@k9bfriender](#): > > Would a microwave be considered to be a Faraday cage? Meh, kinda. They do work as a Faraday cage but they are often a bit leaky. If you put a cell phone inside one (DO NOT TURN THE MICROWAVE ON OR YOU WILL DESTROY THE PHONE!!!) and call the phone it will usually ring, which proves that while a microwave will greatly diminish cell phone radio frequencies, enough RF leaks through that the phone can still work. Some of the bigger commercial microwave ovens make decent Faraday cages but most el-cheapo home microwaves don’t seal well enough. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2021, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-this-anti-5g-usb-stick-works/855011/50 "2021-12-20T17:48:17Z")
On the one hand, when you run the microwave, you don’t cook anything (or anyone) outside of it. On the other hand, it DOES usually mess up wifi. So it’s blocking some waves, but not all. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2021, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-this-anti-5g-usb-stick-works/855011/51 "2021-12-20T19:44:23Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > While Faraday cages often are grounded, they do not need to be grounded. A bit OT, but I am amazed by the number of people (even EEs who should know better) that believe something must be “grounded” in order to work. Almost nothing needs to be grounded in order to work. The only thing I can think of off the top of my head is a Marconi antenna that uses the earth as a ground plane. Of course, we _do_ connect things to earth ground all the time. But that’s for electrical safety reasons, not in order to make a device “work.” Was just working with an engineer who had a RF noise problem on a circuit. He said, “The problem will probably go away if we connect the circuit’s ground plane to earth ground.” I knew it wouldn’t work, but told him to try it anyway. Didn’t work. He didn’t realize or understand that, even _if_ a connection to earth ground would fix the problem, a wire between the ground plane and the earth would have so much inductance that it would be an open circuit at the noise frequency. > [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > 
while a microwave will greatly diminish cell phone radio frequencies, enough RF leaks through that the phone can still work. I am not an RF expert, but I _think_ the reason is due to the skin effect: I believe the effectiveness of a Faraday cage diminishes at wavelengths that are much longer than the thickness of the metal enclosure. “Skin depth” and all that stuff. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2021, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-this-anti-5g-usb-stick-works/855011/52 "2021-12-20T19:47:26Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Easy enough to test; put your cell phone in the closed, off microwave and then try to call it. - What does that prove? I only have the one phone. :flees: ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2021, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-this-anti-5g-usb-stick-works/855011/53 "2021-12-20T20:55:49Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > “quantum oscillation” > “quantum biological shielding technology” Do you guys just put the word “quantum” in front of everything? ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2021, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-this-anti-5g-usb-stick-works/855011/54 "2021-12-20T21:34:54Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Do you guys just put the word “quantum” in front of everything? yes, and we take great solace at it. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2021, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-this-anti-5g-usb-stick-works/855011/55 "2021-12-20T21:43:07Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Almost nothing needs to be grounded in order to work. Lightning rods? ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2021, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-this-anti-5g-usb-stick-works/855011/56 "2021-12-21T00:39:54Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Lightning rods? Well, yes. 🙂 OTOH, a building still “works” without lightning rods, and the rods are simply there for protection. I addressed this in my earlier comment. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2021, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-this-anti-5g-usb-stick-works/855011/57 "2021-12-21T01:39:31Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Do you guys just put the word “quantum” in front of everything? Yes and no. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2021, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-this-anti-5g-usb-stick-works/855011/58 "2021-12-21T04:24:32Z")
At the same job, they bought some commercial microwave ovens and ripped the guts out of them to simply use the enclosures as test chambers. I never found out what happened to the guts; I was pondering making a microwave pistol out of the magnetron, if I could work out the impedance matching. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2021, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-this-anti-5g-usb-stick-works/855011/59 "2021-12-22T06:33:43Z")
> [@simster](#): > > yes, and we take great solace at it. 00simster - licensed to ~~kill~~ make dad jokes. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2021, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-this-anti-5g-usb-stick-works/855011/60 "2021-12-22T07:21:44Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I think that, for a chainlink Faraday cage to work, even for long-wavelength waves, you’d need good electrical contact between the the wires. And you need very well-constructed gates. Referring back to the anti-5G USB stick, and all the technobabble pertaining thereto: > [@pulykamell](#): > > “wearable holographic nano-layer catalyser” > “quantum oscillation” > “coherence of atoms” > “cardiac coherence via plasmic support and interactivity” > “life force frequencies” > “quantum biological shielding technology” This all seems like so much over-kill. All I wanted was your basic generic turbo-encabulator. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-this-anti-5g-usb-stick-works/855011.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-if-this-anti-5g-usb-stick-works/855011.md?page=4)