Faraday glossary
Short definitions for the terms used on Faraday Zone. Each entry links to the hub that uses it.
- Faraday cage
- A conductive enclosure that blocks electromagnetic fields when it is closed. Bags, rooms, and tents are all cages if the material and seams complete the circuit. How Faraday cages work.
- Faraday clothing
- Conductive apparel sold as EMF-blocking wear: caps, base layers, blankets. It is not a closed cage around a phone. Wellness brands and bag brands should not share one product score. Wellness Faraday clothing.
- Attenuation
- How much a signal is reduced, measured in decibels (dB). Higher dB means stronger blocking. Claims without a frequency range are incomplete. Lab method.
- Shielding effectiveness
- The lab name for how well an enclosure attenuates a field, usually plotted against frequency. Faraday Zone will only publish this when we have a dated test on a named SKU. How to test a Faraday bag.
- EMP
- Electromagnetic pulse. Some Faraday bags are sold to survive EMP or solar events. That is a different job than hiding a phone from a cell tower. EMP vs privacy.
- RFID / NFC
- Short-range radio used in cards, passports, and some fobs. A Faraday pouch can stop skimming if it fully surrounds the chip. Key fob pouches.
- Relay attack
- A theft method that extends a keyless car fob’s signal. A Faraday pouch for the fob is the usual countermeasure. Relay attacks.
- Window bag
- A Faraday bag with a transparent panel so you can see a device without opening the cage. Useful in forensics and a different leak path than a solid wall. Forensic Faraday bags.
- IEEE 299
- A standard method for measuring shielding effectiveness of enclosures. Faraday Zone will cite it on lab pages when a test uses it. Lab method.
- MIL-STD-188-125
- A US military standard for high-altitude EMP shielding. Often cited on Faraday dry bags. Ask for the test report, not the phrase “military grade.” EMP kits.