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Sussex bar blocks mobile signals to encourage sociability Sussex bar blocks mobile signals to encourage sociability
(about 2 hours later)
A bar in Hove, Sussex, is encouraging customers to be more sociable by deliberately blocking mobile phone signals.A bar in Hove, Sussex, is encouraging customers to be more sociable by deliberately blocking mobile phone signals.
Steve Tyler and Scot Callister have built an electronic field, known as a Faraday cage, into the walls and ceiling of their bar, The Gin Tub, to halt incoming signals. Steve Tyler and Scot Callister have built a device known as a Faraday cage into the walls and ceiling of their bar, The Gin Tub, to halt incoming signals.
Named after 19th-century British scientist Michael Faraday, the Faraday cage is made of conductive metal that traps electromagnetic waves. Named after 19th-century British scientist Michael Faraday, the cage is made of conductive metal that traps electromagnetic waves.
Tyler told Sky News: “I just wanted people to enjoy a night out in my bar, without being interrupted by their phones. So rather than asking them not to use their phones, I stopped the phones working.”Tyler told Sky News: “I just wanted people to enjoy a night out in my bar, without being interrupted by their phones. So rather than asking them not to use their phones, I stopped the phones working.”
He said the Faraday cage wasn’t difficult to install. “It’s silver foil in the walls and copper mesh. And it’s not the perfect system, it’s not military grade,” he said. “The Americans are still listening. But the general public get poor signal or no signal, so they have to go outside to use their phones. That’s what I want them to do. I want them to talk to the people they’re with, not the people they’re not with.”He said the Faraday cage wasn’t difficult to install. “It’s silver foil in the walls and copper mesh. And it’s not the perfect system, it’s not military grade,” he said. “The Americans are still listening. But the general public get poor signal or no signal, so they have to go outside to use their phones. That’s what I want them to do. I want them to talk to the people they’re with, not the people they’re not with.”
The bar is not entirely phone-free, however. Retro telephones are available on each table so that customers can contact other tables or order more drinks.The bar is not entirely phone-free, however. Retro telephones are available on each table so that customers can contact other tables or order more drinks.
The law on blocking phones is unclear. While the 2006 Wireless Telegraphy Act states that “the use of any apparatus, whether or not wireless telegraphy apparatus, for the purpose of interfering with any wireless telegraphy, is an offence”, a Faraday cage, unlike electronic jamming devices, does not transmit its own signal to interfere with communications.The law on blocking phones is unclear. While the 2006 Wireless Telegraphy Act states that “the use of any apparatus, whether or not wireless telegraphy apparatus, for the purpose of interfering with any wireless telegraphy, is an offence”, a Faraday cage, unlike electronic jamming devices, does not transmit its own signal to interfere with communications.
An Ofcom spokesman said: “Unlike jammers, Faraday cages don’t proactively cause interference, although they do interfere with mobile reception. We would always recommend people seek legal advice if they are unsure whether an installation breaches wireless telegraphy laws.”An Ofcom spokesman said: “Unlike jammers, Faraday cages don’t proactively cause interference, although they do interfere with mobile reception. We would always recommend people seek legal advice if they are unsure whether an installation breaches wireless telegraphy laws.”
In 2014, a cafe in Vancouver also used the technique to repel wireless signals.In 2014, a cafe in Vancouver also used the technique to repel wireless signals.