# RF room survey

> How to measure radiofrequency exposure in a room so the result is reproducible: peak and average, at body positions, with the dominant direction identified.

- Canonical URL: https://emfbase.com/protocols/rf-room-survey
- Collection: Measurement protocols
- Record id: `protocols:rf-room-survey`
- Status: verified
- Last verified: 2026-08-12
- JSON: https://emfbase.com/api/protocols/rf-room-survey
- Also known as: how to measure wifi radiation, RF survey

## Key values

- **Quantity measured:** power density

## Goal

Establish the peak and time-averaged RF power density at the positions people actually occupy, and identify the dominant source.

## Equipment

- Broadband RF power-density meter
- Directional antenna (log-periodic or horn)
- RF spectrum analyser

## Procedure

1. Record the meter make, model, frequency range and last calibration date; every reading is meaningless without them.
2. Note which transmitters are in the room and leave them in their normal state — do not switch things off yet.
3. Set the meter to peak-hold and walk the room slowly, holding the antenna away from your body at head height.
4. Record the maximum found, then take fixed readings at the pillow, the desk chair and the sofa position, 30 seconds each in peak-hold.
5. Repeat those fixed readings in average mode; report both numbers, since limits are averaged and consumer discussion quotes peaks.
6. Rotate slowly at the highest reading to find the direction of arrival, using a directional antenna if available, and note the bearing.
7. Switch off internal transmitters one at a time (router, DECT base, cameras) and re-read to separate internal from external contributions.
8. Record date, time of day, and weather; outdoor levels vary with network load and propagation.

## Pitfalls

- Reporting a peak-hold number as if it were an exposure level comparable to a regulatory limit — limits are time-averaged
- Holding the meter against the body, which blocks and reflects the field
- Using a meter whose lower frequency limit excludes the band you care about, and concluding there is nothing there
- Surveying once, at one time of day, and treating it as the household's exposure
- Not identifying whether the dominant source is inside the building, which determines whether shielding can help at all

## Interpret results against

- FCC general population MPE, 1.5–100 GHz
- ICNIRP 2020 general public reference level, 2–300 GHz
- Building Biology SBM-2024 RF band: no anomaly
- Swiss installation limit value for mobile phone antennas

## Related records

- [Wi-Fi router (2.4 / 5 / 6 GHz)](https://emfbase.com/emitters/wifi-router): A consumer access point radiating roughly 100 mW EIRP per band, giving about 8,000 µW/m² at 1 m and 80 µW/m² at 10 m in free space.
- [Broadband RF power-density meter](https://emfbase.com/meters/broadband-rf-meter): The general-purpose instrument for Wi-Fi, cellular, 5G, smart meters and cordless phones: reports total power density across a wide band in µW/m² or mW/m², with peak-hold and average modes.

## Sources

- `sbm-2024` Institut für Baubiologie + Nachhaltigkeit (IBN) (2024). *Building Biology Evaluation Guidelines for Sleeping Areas (SBM-2024)*. https://buildingbiology.com/site/downloads/SBM-2024_EVALUATION_GUIDELINES_EN.pdf — ngo, link checked 2026-08-12
- `fcc-oet65` Federal Communications Commission, Office of Engineering and Technology (1997). *OET Bulletin 65: Evaluating Compliance with FCC Guidelines for Human Exposure to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields*. https://www.fcc.gov/general/oet-bulletins-line — government, link checked 2026-08-12
- `arpansa-base-stations` Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency. *Mobile phone base stations and health*. https://www.arpansa.gov.au/understanding-radiation/radiation-sources/more-radiation-sources/mobile-phone-base-stations — government, link checked 2026-08-12

Data licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Dataset version 2026.08.1. Retrieved from EMFBase, https://emfbase.com.

This record is reference data, not medical or legal advice. Regulatory limits, scientific guidelines and precautionary values are labelled separately and answer different questions.