Which EMF meter should I buy?

Question

What kind of EMF meter do I actually need?

Answer

It depends entirely on what you are looking for, because no single instrument covers the range: an RF power-density meter for wireless sources, a three-axis gaussmeter for wiring and power lines, an electric-field meter or body-voltage kit for bedroom wiring, and an intermediate-frequency meter for induction hobs, inverters and EVs. Whatever the class, insist on a stated frequency range, a readout in real units rather than a colour scale, peak-hold as well as average mode for RF, and a calibration statement. A cheap meter used outside its band produces confident readings that are simply wrong — the most common failure mode in consumer EMF measurement.

Related records

• Broadband RF power-density 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.

  Instruments

• ELF gaussmeter (power-frequency magnetic field)

  Measures 50/60 Hz magnetic flux density in milligauss or microtesla — the instrument for wiring faults, service panels, transformers and power lines.

  Instruments

• Intermediate-frequency magnetic field meter

  Covers the kilohertz gap between an ELF gaussmeter and an RF meter — the band occupied by induction hobs, EV inverters, solar optimisers and switch-mode supplies.

  Instruments

• TriField EMF Meter TF2

  Three-mode meter with a three-axis AC magnetic mode over 40 Hz – 100 kHz to 100 mG, a single-axis AC electric mode to 1,000 V/m, an RF mode over 20 MHz – 6 GHz to 19.999 mW/m², and a frequency-weighted setting that scales the LF readings by frequency.

  Meter models

• Safe and Sound Pro II

  Single-axis broadband RF meter with a stated ±6 dB response from 400 MHz to 7.2 GHz, linear display from 0.1 to 1,000,000 µW/m², sub-5 µs pulse response and peak, max and average readings.

  Meter models

• Gigahertz Solutions ME3830B

  Low-frequency analyser for AC electric and magnetic fields from 16 Hz to 100 kHz with a switchable 16 Hz – 2 kHz band, aligned to the TCO recommendations and building-biology practice, with an audio output for tracing a source.

  Meter models

Sources

1. sbm-2024 Building Biology Evaluation Guidelines for Sleeping Areas (SBM-2024) — Institut für Baubiologie + Nachhaltigkeit (IBN), 2024. ngo, link checked 2026-08-12.