Glossary
EMF & RF Glossary
Plain-English, technically accurate definitions of the terms that show up in EMF research, regulations, and product spec sheets. Each entry links to a fuller article with sources, related terms, and common questions.
5G Frequency Bands
5G operates across three frequency ranges: low-band (sub-1 GHz), mid-band (1 to 6 GHz), and high-band millimeter-wave (24 to 71 GHz), each with different coverage and capacity characteristics.
Read full definition →Attenuation (Shielding Effectiveness)
Attenuation is the reduction in signal strength as a wave passes through a medium or barrier, expressed in decibels (dB).
Read full definition →Copper-Nickel Faraday Fabric
Copper-nickel Faraday fabric is a flexible conductive textile that can attenuate RF energy along a covered path.
Read full definition →dBm — Decibels Relative to One Milliwatt
dBm is a logarithmic unit of absolute power referenced to one milliwatt. 0 dBm equals 1 mW; every 10 dBm increase represents a tenfold increase in power.
Read full definition →Electromagnetic Field (EMF)
An electromagnetic field is a physical field produced by moving electric charges, consisting of coupled electric and magnetic components that propagate as waves through space.
Read full definition →Faraday Cage
A Faraday cage is an enclosure made of conductive material that blocks external static and non-static electric fields by redistributing charge across its surface.
Read full definition →ICNIRP Guidelines
ICNIRP — the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection — publishes the exposure guidelines for non-ionizing radiation that most countries adopt as the basis for national regulations.
Read full definition →Inverse Square Law
The inverse square law states that the power density of radiation from a point source falls off in proportion to 1 / r², where r is distance from the source.
Read full definition →Non-Ionizing Radiation
Non-ionizing radiation is electromagnetic radiation whose photons lack the energy to ionize atoms or molecules, encompassing the spectrum from static fields up to most of the ultraviolet band.
Read full definition →Power Density (W/m²)
Power density is the amount of electromagnetic power passing through a unit area perpendicular to the direction of propagation, expressed in watts per square meter (W/m²).
Read full definition →Radio Frequency (RF) Radiation
Radio frequency radiation is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum between about 3 kHz and 300 GHz, used by Wi-Fi, cellular, broadcast, and radar systems.
Read full definition →Specific Absorption Rate (SAR)
Specific Absorption Rate is the rate at which the human body absorbs radio frequency energy, expressed in watts per kilogram (W/kg) of tissue.
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