By Ron Coates, 18 June 2004 17:50
NEWS UK defence contractor BAE Systems has developed a stealth wallpaper to beat electronic eavesdropping on company Wi-Fi networks.
The company has produced panels using the technology to produce a screen that will prevent outsiders from listening in on companies' Wi-Fi traffic but let other radio and mobile phone traffic get through.
The FSS (Frequency Selective Surface) panels are made in the same way as printed circuit boards - layers of copper on Kapton polymer - and used on stealth bombers and fighter jets. They come in two varieties: passive, which is effectively permanent, and active, where various areas can be switched on and off to enlarge or limit the area of the network.
The panels are 50 to100 microns thick and can be applied to most surfaces including glass. A company spokesman claimed that they also helped reduce "noise" in buildings where a number of companies operate their own separate LANs.
BAE Systems developed the new material with £145,000 of funding from the Radiocommunications Agency, which is now part of Ofcom. BAE says the material is cheap and it will be developing it commercially through BAE's corporate venture subsidiary.
There is no timescale for its commercial availability.
Comments
There are 9 comments. Join the discussion
1. Me
Kewl, now make clothes out of it and we can forget about RFID in our underwear...
2. anonymous
Hey 'Me' if it works for RFID we could make bags out of it for shoplifters.
3. Dean Mitchener
awesome, now to find out how much per square metre and overcome some aesthetics and I think this can be huge!
4. Flasher
If I covered my car with it would I be safe from Speed camera and radar guns? If so I want to have sole marketing rights.
5. FuckTard
I put it on my PC. Was that bad?
6. Martyn Witt
Nothing like reinventing the wheel to create sales - I recall something rather similar being installed at the larger NATO HQs in the 1970s (coded TEMPEST), to prevent the pesky Soviets tapping into our computerised ration returns. Those were the days!
7. anonymous
This isn't the same as Tempest shielding. Tempest has to do with restricting emissions from normal electronic equipment (not those purposefully broadcasting). The most useful part of this technology is the ability to turn it on and off to suit needs of the user. An application could be limiting Wi-Fi to a single conference room or having limited Wi-Fi areas.
8. anonymous
what about the windows.
9. Mohd
The FSS panels developed by BAE Systems defeat the main objective of WLAN, ie, mobility. As another military agency, Harris produced a secured WLAN, SecNet II, doesnt this approach protects against eavesdrop while maintaining mobility ?