Sharyl Atkisson Article on 5G and Wireless
Sharyl Atkisson recently aired a story on Full Measure that discusses 5G and wireless devices and potential health risks with overexposure to 5G and wireless devices.
It was an interesting segment, and I hope we see more discussion along these lines. It did not veer into the extreme of “5G gives you COVID” (that spread across social media during 2020/2021), but there were some legitimate health concerns raised concerning 5G and wireless devices in general, and I also followed up by reading through the “Disconnect” book that was referenced in the segment.
Some of the suggestions made in the segment (and in the book) would be impractical or impossible for me to do to eliminate wireless technologies from my home. I cannot completely eliminate wireless devices from my home, nor can I even disable my Wi-Fi router when I’m personally not using it since I have equipment that needs to connect to Wi-Fi 24/7. Our electric company has also forced us to use a new smart meter (whether we like it or not), but it is on a side of the house we do not frequent, and we have a brick house.
There are some simple and practical steps I have taken though to at least reduce my overall wireless exposure so that I am at least making some efforts to absorb less wireless radiation around the house:
There were some superfluous pieces of technology I didn’t need, so I gave them away.
I’ve moved some of my wireless devices (primarily my indoor weather equipment and a Ting sensor, a NOAA weather radio, and a Wi-Fi printer, the rest of the weather equipment is outside) to low-traffic areas of my home, and in clusters so the wireless devices are confined to a particular location.
I’ve disabled Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on my computers when I am at my desk and near an Ethernet switch. I also moved from Bluetooth to USB mice and keyboards for my desktop. In addition to reducing wireless exposure, I don’t have to deal with charging or replacing batteries and have a more reliable connection in general.
I also moved my security cameras to wired connections (my home security system is still currently wireless since there isn’t a good wired option, but the base station is in a low-traffic area of my home).
I have a couple of HAM radios and some flight-tracking equipment, but the antennas to those are far enough away, plus the HAM radios are only powered on when they’re transmitting.
My Wi-Fi access point is installed in the ceiling of the center of my home in a low-traffic area. I also took a moment to reduce the power on it so it is outputting enough to provide coverage throughout my home without being overkill (my neighbors should also thank me for reducing interference with their Wi-Fi).
I have a couple of wireless weather station consoles on some tables, but they are still far enough away from me and operate on a low-power frequency.
I also have a OBDII sensor in my car that operates over Bluetooth, but it only communicates when I launch the app once a month.
I still need to use a cell phone, but I keep it in another room when I’m not using it, and in a clip on case on my belt loop when I’m around town so it’s as far away from me as possible. I’ve also disabled 5G on it except if I specifically need to use a high-bandwidth connection (which around town, most of our 5G connections are on lower bands compared to the higher frequencies anyway). I’ve found that it improves battery life and uses less data (since I’m on a limited data plan). When I’m around town, I’m mainly using my iPhone for low-data tasks anyway, so I don’t always need a 5G connection. I don’t use a Bluetooth headset, but I don’t use a wired one either. I found headsets cause wax to build up in my ears and cause impacted blockages, so I just hold my phone up to my ear, but far enough away from my ear, or I use speakerphone or my Apple Watch. I’m also looking at setting up a VTECH Connect to Cell that also offers speakerphone since it uses a lower-power radio than having a cell phone on my desk.
I still occasionally wear an Apple watch, but I keep Wi-Fi turned off and just connect it via Bluetooth. I mainly wear it when sitting at my desk (to remind me to stand up), when around town if I need notifications on my wrist, or when walking.
I still use an iPad, but infrequently for particular tasks, and I keep any excess wireless radios off on it when I’m not actively using them.
Since my living room is already wired for Ethernet, my Apple TV and any other connected devices are connected over Ethernet instead of Wi-Fi. I’ve found it provides a high-quality and more stable connection.
I’ve reduced my dependence on “smart home” items. What few have smart connections I keep them offline, and I’ve been buying more non-smart vs smart items. I’ve found overall, it simplifies my life, since my Internet is unreliable enough where a “smart home” is more complicated than a non-smart home for me.
I also try to step away from tech in general. I’ll still read some books in print, use a point-and-shoot camera or DSLR instead of a smartphone camera, and just take breaks from technology.
I cannot 100% eliminate my exposure to wireless devices, but I’ve made a few key targeted changes that allow me to at least reduce my exposure, and in places where it makes since to not use wireless devices.