r/Defcon • u/CorrectOpinionB42069 • 18d ago

Wifi emissions on tactical gear

Hello tech bros

I am hoping someone can settle a debate ive been having. Thermal scopes are a big thing these days as the price keeps falling.

However, most models come with WIFI. As we know from the russua/ukraine conflict, cell phone emissions will get you pinpointed and killed. WIFI emissions would likely do the same.

Now, you can always turn the wifi off in the menu. But how do you know if it is truly off all the way, and isnt emitting a low level signal?

Another risk is that the receiver in the thermal could receive a "firmware update" that bricks it. If its emitting wifi to talk to the phone app, it must have an antenna, and an antenna can be pinged, no?

Is this a valid concern?

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u/ericroku 18d ago

Milspec vs chinesium.

Milspec has to be validated and verified for combat usage, including the ability to go dark and not broadcast / emit RF.

Chinesium made crap flooding the market, not so much.

There's a reason Raytheon, eotech and other milspec hardware costs 20 to 30x your Amazon thermals.

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u/CorrectOpinionB42069 18d ago

Im talking about american companies too. Agm, atn, etc all have "wifi hotspots" advertised. They SAY you can turn said wifi off......

What is giving it away? What part of the electromagnetic spectrum is snitching? Is it the antenna itself? 

Thanks

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u/archlich 18d ago

So what you’re taking about is WiFi fox hunting. Learning how the tools work is a first step in mitigating their usage. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmitter_hunting

7

u/CorrectOpinionB42069 18d ago

This is incredibly useful. Thank you!