How to Measure 5G Radiation

Lately, the discussion over 5G radiation is highly intense. Some people concern the health effect of this radiation on the body. While some others, due to not enough evidence, consider that this radiation is harmless.

Fortunately, the government and other related authorities have set together to conclude the exposure limit of this radiation both for the public and workers. It gives us a clear idea of the danger level that we have to stay away from.

But the question that arises is how to measure the 5G radiation so that we know our circumstance is under a safe level? In other words, what device to use? What specification the device has to feature? In this post, we are going to discuss them all.

What is 5G?

5G is the fifth (5th) generation of wireless mobile phone networks. It gives us a chance to download at a higher speed due to its greater bandwidth.

IoT (Internet of Things) and autonomous vehicles are some of the examples that will benefit from 5G.

Unlike the previous mobile phone networks (2G, 3G, and 4G), the scope of the range of 5G is getting smaller. This is due to the 5G uses a higher frequency wave.

Keep in mind that the higher the frequency, the shorter it reaches (the range). As a result, it’s not weird that you’ll find a lot of towers when it comes to the 5G network in the urban area. It’s aimed for data transmission to reach as many devices as possible.

But some of them are actually like 4G in terms of range. This 5G is designed to extend a wider area due to using a lower frequency.

What Frequency Does 5G Use?

The 5G radiation is part of EMF radiation. It is a typical RF (radiofrequency) radiation below 300 GHz frequency.

Verizon for example, their 5G recently uses a frequency range from 700 MHz up to 39 GHz. In this case, we are trying to give a real example as Verizon is one of the companies in the United States that provides wireless products. Other companies may use more.

Actually, this 5G spectrum (700 MHz – 39 GHz) has some frequency band divisions. It’s meant to cover several different needs. They are low-band, mid-band, and high-band 5G spectrum.

Low-Band 5G

The frequency lower than 1 GHz is called low-band 5G. Verizon uses 700 MHz frequency for the lowest band. To give a clear spectrum, a low-band 5G operates at about 600 MHz – 700 MHz frequency.

This band is able to cover data transmission to a greater area. However, the transmission is at less speed than the mid-band 5G.

Mid-Band 5G

The middle band operates at about 2.5 GHz – 3.7 GHz frequency. Keep in mind that each company operates at a fixed frequency. You could visit the official webpage of the network provider serving in your area to gain information on what frequency they use. Verizon uses a 2.5 GHz frequency.

This band allows greater speed but less area coverage than low-band 5G.

High-Band 5G

So far, the high band 5G operates at about 24 GHz – 39 GHz. This number may change in the future, maybe up to 300 GHz. More than 300 GHz, it becomes infrared.

The highest band will cover smaller areas but able to be buzzy handling more devices without interrupting the speed. Even better, it serves with greater speed than the mid-band 5G. The urban area is the best place to apply this technology.

Keep in mind that the higher the frequency, the shorter the wave travels. Therefore, the high-band 5G cannot reach a greater area. However, it can serve a greater huge number of devices. The most possible 5G band that reaches the farthest area is the lowest band.

Devices to Measure 5G Radiation

In the case of measuring 5G radiation, experts develop methods in order to get the measurement result as accurate as possible. This measurement involves a calculation that is hard to follow by the public. Those who are not backgrounded with enough expertise in Physics and Mathematic equation and calculation may not find this as a suitable way to measure 5G radiation.

Fortunately, the development of the measuring device industry makes 5G radiation measurement is possible for the public to do. The bad news is, so far, there are no good options to choose from in the market. We mean the price is expensive.

The most relatively affordable way to measure the 5G radiation is by using an EMF meter that you can find on the market. However, these EMF meters don’t cover all the 5G band frequencies. Even, the best one that we found on the market just provides a frequency response range of up to 10 GHz. Nonetheless, this is the most affordable option to pick when you are going to measure the 5G radiation. Although this definitely doesn’t fulfill the entire range of the 5G spectrum, it’s better than nothing at all.

If you have a great budget, you could purchase right from the official webpage of companies that provide this kind of device. The following list is a selection of EMF meter designed for all band 5G radiation measurement that we’ve successfully found:

1. Narda RadMan 2XT

Narda Radman 2XT doesn’t measure and display the reading. It’s actually a safety device that will alarm you when a certain level of exposure is detected. There are 6 LEDs that indicate the percentage of power density from the standard limit.

The great thing about this device is it’s suitable to use for 5G radiation that operates at up to 60 GHz. The downside is no information we found of the standard limit they are using. You have to look it up further or contact the company.

2. Narda NBM-520 + EF9091 Probe (for up to 90 GHz)

This device is designed to measure and display the reading of the 5G radiation. Depending on the probe it’s used, it can pick 5G radiation that uses a high band spectrum up to 90 GHz. So, you have to select the right probe to perform the measurement properly.

According to the datasheet, you could install the EF9091 probe to use for general public safety. In other words, for the public like us who want to measure 5G radiation in our house, this is a great choice to choose from since it covers all 5G band spectrum. There are also available other probes for the lower spectrum.

On the screen, you could see the measurement result, reading unit, type of field, battery level, etc. Nicely, you could change the reading units in V/m (electric field), A/m (magnetic field), mW/cm² (power density), W/m² (power density), and % (percentage of the limit exposure).

The percentage will allow you to know quickly how dangerous is your house. But this unit reading is available only when the shaped probes installed.

Check this measuring device on this page.

3. Narda NBM-550 + EF9091 Probe (for up to 90 GHz)

More advanced than NMB-520, Narda NBM-550 is another great choice to choose from. Surely, it provides more features and functionality. The screen is wider and able to display more. For professionals, this is an ideal pick.

Check this device on this page.

4. Wavecontrol SMP2 + WPF60 Probe (for up to 60 GHz)

Another 5G radiation measuring device comes from the Wavecontrol brand. This model SMP2 is actually designed for high-level professional jobs. Better than Narda 550, the screen is colored. Even further, it provides three functionalities: spectrum analysis, broadband (from DC to 60 GHz), and static field measurement.

On the screen, several data is displayed such as measurement result, peak reading, graphic, etc. It looks like a computer screen.

Select the right probe to measure the 5G radiation. There are two probes in this case: WPF40 and WPF60. The WPF40 probe has a maximum frequency response up to 40 GHz. While the WPF60 is able to process 5G radiation that operates at up to 60 GHz frequency.

To check this device, you could visit this page.

5. WaveMon RF-60 / RF-40

Like Narda RadMan 2XT, these two devices are both alarming devices. It doesn’t display reading, but will immediately alarm you when it detects a certain level of exposure. Up to 60 GHz, this device is the next great choice for you over the Narda RadMan 2XT.

If you’re looking for the lower spec, you can pick the RF-40 which is manufactured to detect 5G radiation at the spectrum band lower than 40 GHz.

WaveMon RF-60 can be visited here. While RF-40 is here.

Summary

To measure 5G radiation, it requires an EMF meter that provides a certain frequency response. Since one of the wireless network companies in the United States currently uses 40 GHz frequency for the highest band 5G, your EMF meter device should be able to receive up to 40 GHz frequency response.

Currently, there are no inexpensive options to choose from that we saw on the market. Most of the meters are only available for sale on the official websites.

If you ask us to pick for you, we will recommend Wavecontrol SMP2 along with its probe WPF60. With the help of this device, you will be able to measure all 5G radiation from the lowest band to the highest band. Even, you could analyze the frequency right on the screen of the device.