EMF Exposure Assessment

Phone & Personal Device Use

very_high

• Phone carried on-body while radios are on
• Phone kept within arm’s reach at night with radios on
• Phone use in weak-signal areas that can increase transmit power
• Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth enabled most of the day
• Regular Bluetooth earbuds/headphones use
• Daily active phone use around 1–3 hours

• Make the bedroom a “phone-off zone” at night by using Airplane Mode (and confirm Wi‑Fi/Bluetooth are off) and placing the phone 6–10+ feet from the bed; this cuts long-duration, close-range exposure during sleep.
• Stop carrying the phone directly on-body when radios are on by moving it to a bag, purse, or desk; if it must be in a pocket/waistband briefly, use Airplane Mode to prevent periodic transmissions.
• Default to speakerphone or your air-tube headset for all calls and voice notes; increasing distance from the head is one of the highest-impact changes for phone exposure.
• Reduce weak-signal calling by delaying non-urgent calls until you have stronger signal, using Wi‑Fi calling on a strong home network, or making calls from outdoors/near a window; weak signal can drive the phone to transmit harder.
• Limit Bluetooth audio time by switching to wired earbuds/headphones for longer listening sessions; this reduces a near-head transmitter operating for extended periods.
• Turn off radios you’re not actively using (Bluetooth, Wi‑Fi, and personal hotspot) via quick settings; fewer active radios means fewer background connections and transmissions.
• When using hotspot/mobile router features, keep the device several feet away (not on lap/torso) and tether via USB when possible; hotspots can transmit continuously and distance reduces exposure quickly.
• Create “low-RF habits” during high-use periods (work/scrolling) by keeping the phone on a stand, using a keyboard/voice input, and avoiding resting it on the body; this reduces cumulative close-contact time without reducing functionality.

• Use your phone’s field test mode (or a reputable signal app) to note signal strength where you commonly call; document locations with consistently weak signal and avoid long calls there.
• If you have (or can borrow) an RF meter, compare readings at pillow height with the phone (a) on/near the bed vs (b) 6–10 feet away in Airplane Mode; this helps verify your nighttime setup is actually quiet.
• Check your phone’s battery/connection logs (or router logs for Wi‑Fi calling) to see whether it’s repeatedly reconnecting at night; frequent reconnects can indicate unnecessary background transmissions.
• Do a simple hotspot check: measure or observe heat/battery drain and connection activity when hotspot is on-body vs placed several feet away; sustained activity suggests it should be kept at distance or replaced with wired tethering.

Home Wi‑Fi & Smart Devices

very_high

• Wi‑Fi router/mesh node located very close to the main living area (~10 ft)
• Wi‑Fi left on during sleeping hours
• DECT cordless phone base positioned near the bedroom
• Multiple smart/IoT devices creating continuous indoor RF traffic
• Wireless baby monitor or always-on camera operating indoors

• Move the router/mesh node farther from where you sit and away from bedrooms (aim for a different room and as much distance as practical) to reduce constant near-field exposure from the strongest indoor source.
• Schedule Wi‑Fi off overnight (router timer/scheduler or a simple outlet timer) to cut exposure during the longest continuous period (sleep) and reduce overall daily dose.
• Hardwire high-use devices (TV/streaming box, desktop, game console) with Ethernet and then disable Wi‑Fi on those devices to reduce airtime and keep the router from working as hard.
• Replace the DECT cordless phone with a corded landline or move the DECT base far from bedrooms (and not on a nightstand) because DECT bases can transmit frequently even when you’re not on a call.
• Re-evaluate the baby monitor/camera: switch to a wired camera, an audio-only monitor with the lowest-power mode, or place the transmitter as far from sleeping areas as possible to reduce a continuous indoor transmitter near rest areas.
• Reduce IoT chatter by turning off unused smart features, disabling Wi‑Fi/Bluetooth on devices that don’t need it, and consolidating to fewer access points because many small always-on radios can create constant background transmissions.
• If you use mesh, reduce node count and avoid placing nodes in bedrooms; use wired backhaul between nodes where possible to reduce wireless backhaul traffic and overall RF output.

• Use an RF meter capable of covering common Wi‑Fi/DECT bands to compare readings at the bed, couch, and desk before and after changes; document distance and router settings for each test.
• Do a simple overnight check: measure at the pillow location with Wi‑Fi on vs scheduled off to confirm the nighttime reduction.
• Map hotspots by walking slowly around the home (especially bedrooms) and noting peaks near mesh nodes, the DECT base, and the baby monitor/camera; relocate and re-check.
• Log router settings (2.4 GHz vs 5 GHz, transmit power, mesh backhaul type) so you can correlate configuration changes with measured levels.

Work / School Exposures

very_high

• 4+ hours/day spent in a Wi‑Fi-dense work/school environment
• Hotspot/mobile router used daily and often kept close to the body
• Laptop used directly on the lap for extended periods
• Likely proximity to access points/mesh nodes in shared spaces during the day
• Multiple radios active at once on devices during work (Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth, cellular)

• Stop using the laptop directly on your lap; place it on a desk or table and use an external keyboard/mouse to increase distance from your body.
• Keep the hotspot/mobile router off-body; place it on a desk/shelf or in a bag away from your torso and avoid clipping it to clothing to reduce continuous close-range exposure.
• Prefer wired connections when possible (Ethernet to laptop, or a wired dock/adapter); this can reduce the need for strong Wi‑Fi activity during long work sessions.
• Choose seating that maximizes distance from access points (avoid sitting directly under/next to ceiling APs, wall-mounted routers, or mesh nodes); distance is often the simplest high-impact change in shared spaces.
• Reduce unnecessary radios on your devices during focused work (turn off Bluetooth if not needed; avoid running hotspot + Wi‑Fi + cellular simultaneously); fewer active transmitters generally means less near-field exposure.
• When using a hotspot is necessary, improve the link quality so devices transmit less (place hotspot higher/clear of obstructions, near a window if cellular-based, and keep it stationary rather than in a pocket).
• Build low-exposure work blocks: take brief breaks from close-range devices (step away from laptop/hotspot for a few minutes each hour) to reduce cumulative duration without changing productivity.

• Map your workspace: note where access points/mesh nodes are located (ceiling tiles, wall boxes, routers on shelves) and compare how you feel/perform when seated farther away.
• If you have access to an RF meter, do a simple “distance test” at your desk: measure at your seated position vs. 3–6 feet farther from the hotspot/router to see how quickly levels drop.
• Document hotspot behavior: note whether you’re often in weak-signal areas at work/school (basements, elevators, interior rooms); if so, test moving the hotspot/phone to a window or higher location and compare connectivity and meter readings.
• If you can’t measure, use device indicators as proxies: frequent low bars, high battery drain, or warm hotspot/phone during data use can suggest higher transmit activity—prompting you to increase distance and improve placement.

Nearby Towers & Outdoor Sources

very_high

• Direct line-of-sight to a tower/antenna from the home
• Smart meter located near bedroom/living area with periodic RF bursts
• Very close proximity to major power lines/transformer with potential elevated ELF magnetic fields
• Unknown distance to nearest macro/small-cell site creating uncertainty about baseline outdoor RF
• Indoor exposure likely influenced by window-facing and upper-floor locations with clearer line-of-sight

• Reposition sleeping areas away from the line-of-sight side of the home and away from the smart meter wall to reduce nighttime exposure during the most sensitive recovery period.
• Create a low-exposure bedroom layout by placing the bed on an interior wall (or the wall farthest from the meter/power lines) and avoiding headboard placement on the meter-facing exterior wall to increase distance and add building material between you and sources.
• Add RF attenuation strategically on the tower-facing side (e.g., metallized window film or RF curtains on the specific windows with line-of-sight) to reduce incoming RF while avoiding whole-home overuse that can worsen indoor phone transmit power if signal becomes too weak.
• Reduce smart meter impact by increasing distance (move bed/desk away from the meter location) and, if available in your utility area, request an analog meter or a non-transmitting/low-duty-cycle option to reduce intermittent bursts near living spaces.
• Address potential ELF from power lines/transformer by maximizing distance inside the home (sleep and spend long periods in rooms farthest from the lines/transformer) and avoiding prolonged time near the service panel or transformer-facing walls where fields can be higher.
• If you must keep tower-facing windows open for ventilation, prioritize relocating the bed rather than relying only on shielding, because distance and wall placement are often the most reliable first steps.
• Document the external environment: identify the exact tower(s) and approximate distance using a cell-tower map and note whether your home is above/below the antenna height; this helps interpret whether line-of-sight is likely to be a major contributor and guides targeted mitigation.

• Do a room-by-room survey with an RF meter, comparing tower-facing windows vs interior rooms, and record readings at pillow height and typical sitting height to find the lowest-exposure sleep/work locations.
• Measure at different times (day vs late night) because tower loading and smart meter transmissions can vary; log time-stamped peaks to distinguish continuous sources from bursts.
• Use an ELF magnetic field meter to check sleeping areas and walls facing the power lines/transformer; prioritize relocating the bed if readings are consistently higher near certain walls or near the electrical panel.
• If you add any shielding (curtains/film), re-measure afterward and also check phone performance; overly reducing indoor signal can cause phones to transmit at higher power during calls/data.

Symptoms & Priorities

very_high

• Phone kept within arm’s reach at night with radios on
• Wi‑Fi stays on during sleeping hours
• DECT cordless phone base located near the bedroom
• Phone carried on-body while radios are on
• Frequent phone use in weak-signal areas increasing transmit power
• Daily hotspot/mobile router use often close to the body

• Make the bedroom a “low-RF zone” for 2 weeks by keeping the phone out of the bed area or using airplane mode at night and placing it several feet away; this targets the longest continuous exposure window and supports your sleep goal.
• Turn off Wi‑Fi overnight (router/mesh schedule or a simple timer) and keep Wi‑Fi equipment out of bedrooms; reducing nighttime RF can be a high-impact change because it cuts hours of continuous background transmission.
• Move the DECT cordless phone base away from the bedroom (or replace with a corded phone); DECT bases can transmit frequently even when you’re not on a call, so distance and substitution matter.
• Stop carrying the phone on-body when radios are on (use a bag, desk, or set the phone to airplane mode when it must be in a pocket); this reduces near-field exposure to the torso/head over many hours.
• Avoid calls in weak-signal areas when possible (wait for better signal, use Wi‑Fi calling with the phone not against your head, or use speakerphone/wired earbuds); weak signal often drives the phone to transmit at higher power.
• Change hotspot/mobile router habits by keeping it off your body and as far away as practical (e.g., on a table, not in a pocket) and turning it off when not actively needed; hotspots can be strong close-range sources.
• Create a simple symptom/exposure log (sleep quality, headache/fatigue timing, where the phone/router were, and whether Wi‑Fi/DECT were on); this helps identify patterns and evaluate whether changes are worth keeping.

• Do a basic “night A/B test” for 7 nights each: (A) normal setup vs (B) phone in airplane mode + Wi‑Fi off + DECT moved; compare sleep disruption and next-day fatigue using the same bedtime/wake time.
• If you have (or can borrow) an RF meter, take readings at pillow height with Wi‑Fi on vs off, and with the DECT base in its current location vs moved; document distance and settings so results are repeatable.
• Use your phone’s field-test/signal indicator to note when you’re in weak-signal locations; correlate those times with longer calls or symptom spikes to guide behavior changes.
• Map device placement: sketch the bedroom and mark router/mesh, DECT base, and where the phone sits at night; aim to maximize distance from the bed and re-check after changes.