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Apple Airpods - EMF radiation levels? Can anyone here do a quick measurement?

Music1969

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Hi all

I've seen a few YouTube videos measuring the Airpods EMF levels.

One video says they are like putting your head on a kitchen microwave while heating something:

Another says it's like putting your head on a WiFi router:

Of course I don't believe everything I read/watch on the internet, so: I'm here to ask if anyone here has Apple Airpods and something to measure radiation levels?

Just to see if there's even a hint of truth to these other measurements that exist?

Or are the numbers WAY off? Orders of magnitude off?
 

soundwave76

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I would be veeeeeeeery surprised if a company like Apple would fail with things like these
 
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Music1969

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I would be veeeeeeeery surprised if a company like Apple would fail with things like these

I don't think these vids are saying they are failing.

The microwave measurement shows the Airpods are within FCC limits - for a microwave.

The videos were just a prompt to me looking for more info. Asking if someone here could actually measure.

Maybe the numbers in the videos are not in the ballpark, maybe they have an agenda.

Or maybe there are in the ballpark.
 
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pozz

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Music1969

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but at a much lower wattage.

Noted but these videos are saying they are working at similar power transmissions.

So I was just wondering if anyone here could measure, to add another datapoint.
 
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Music1969

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Would they be any different to all blutooth ear buds and maybe earphones too, and if so, why?

Somebody showed the Airpods (Bluetooth Class 1) measurements compared to another BT Class 1 and they had quite different EMF measurements. Airpods being double.

I'll try to find that one if I can.

And there are of course Class 2 BT earbuds, with even lower power transmission (10m range).

But would be great if someone here were able to do a measurement of the Airpods, for another datapoint.
 

Sancus

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Why would you care about the radiation being similar to the OUTSIDE of a microwave? The outside of a microwave is not dangerous... that's the whole point of the enclosure. A few hundred milliwatts of RF radiation is orders of magnitudes below any real danger.

I mean, all you really need to do is see that it's a clickbait video from a trashy YouTuber with 10k subs, and you know there's a 99.99% chance that he's done no real research, has no idea what he's talking about, and is just trying to farm views from idiots. Then 30 seconds of Googling would teach you some basic facts about airpods and RF radiation.
 
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Music1969

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Joachim Herbert

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Sure you understand what is measured and what it means?

Are you aware a microwave oven has hundreds of watts of power vs. 30 mw for pods?

Just asking.
 
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Music1969

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Sure you understand what is measured and what it means?

Are you aware a microwave oven has hundreds of watts of power vs. 30 mw for pods?

Just asking.

Fair question.

This is what is being measured and compared in the video, in mW/m^2 right?



1577881073708.png



1577881285804.png


When he brings the Airpods closer, it goes to over 1000 mW/m^2 (in his video)

1577881468498.png
 
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Music1969

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Again I'm not interested in what is safe and not safe, in this thread.

I'm just interested in the measurement and if anyone can replicate/verify.
 

Arpiben

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First of all, for not getting lost with all EMC field value units I suggest to use converters like this one:
https://www.compeng.com.au/field-strength-calculator/
It will allow you to better compare among different regulation/measurement values.

At 5 cm from a microwave oven the EM fields should not exceed 50 W per square meter.
I didn't catch the field units in the videos you linked.
,
 
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Music1969

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I didn't catch the field units in the videos you linked.

In screenshots I shared 2 posts above it shows (and he discusses) mW per square meter units, for RF field strength measurements.

Up to 500 mW per square meter for the Airpds Pro, approx 5cm away it looks. Similar to his microwave measurement.

Does WiFi antenna power regulations vary from 100mW to 200 mW per square meter (depending on country)? I'm not sure of the distance.
 
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Frank Dernie

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I would also think the strength depends on how far away the linked phone is and whether it is searching or locked on and whether it is on a phone call or just used for listening.
If they had just taken them out of the case and the linked phone wasn't near (or even linked) the signal would be very different to when they are picking up music from their device in a pocket.
Hopefully this isn't just more internet dross from people ignorant yet confident, there is a lot of it about.
 

Arpiben

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In screenshots I shared 2 posts above it shows (and he discusses) mW per square meter units, for RF field strength measurements.

Up to 500 mW per square meter for the Airpds Pro, approx 5cm away it looks. Similar to his microwave measurement.

Does WiFi antenna power regulations vary from 100mW to 200 mW per square meter (depending on country)? I'm not sure of the distance.

In principle, depending on countries, the limit should be roughly around 10 W per square meter or 61.4 V/m for frequencies up to 300 GHz. (full body exposure base station cases ).

Dealing with devices such mobile phones metrics like Specific Absorption Rate in W/kg are used. In Europe the limit is around 2 W/Kg for head and torse. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specific_absorption_rate

WiFi have also limitations depending on usage;i.e: base station (61V/m) or close to head/body (no idea). Values may differ a lot among countries.

Back to your videos the testers used do not allow accurate measurements. For comparison,they should have measured a 2G routed cell phone with & without WiFi on. ;). I do not have such devices but one may replicate it adding cellphones...
 
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Music1969

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Back to your videos the testers used do not allow accurate measurements. For comparison,they should have measured a 2G routed cell phone with & without WiFi on. ;)

The guy that did the second video did this. 2G has been formally shutdown where I am and maybe where these guys are too, so he tested 3G.

And the Airpods measure higher than the iPhone receiving a phone call.

He measures the Airpods at 4x to 10x more than his iPhone (iPhone = 100 to 1000 mV per meter, Airpods = 4500 mV per meter)


 

Soniclife

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I would be veeeeeeeery surprised if a company like Apple would fail with things like these
I agree, they will have tested them extensively, probably using a state of the art chamber (if required) and test kit.
 

beefkabob

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I would not trust those meters. Somebody would need a professional solution to get measurements worth paying attention to, not some Amazon.com special sold by alarmists.
 
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Music1969

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I would not trust those meters. Somebody would need a professional solution to get measurements worth paying attention to, not some Amazon.com special sold by alarmists.

Agreed, hence my comment and request in my opening post, maybe someone here has better gear.

"Of course I don't believe everything I read/watch on the internet, so: I'm here to ask if anyone here has Apple Airpods and something to measure radiation levels?

Just to see if there's even a hint of truth to these other measurements that exist?

Or are the numbers WAY off? Orders of magnitude off?"
 
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