IEEE 299 · RF · Acoustics
Radio frequency and STC tests
RF EMI/RFI testing to IEEE 299 standards, and sound transmission class testing performed in the field, because the only true way to measure an area’s attenuation properties is to test the area.
RF testing
Radio frequency EMI/RFI testing to IEEE 299 standards
Modern eavesdropping is more than standing around the corner listening to your conversation: sophisticated agents can monitor electronic communications from a great distance.
Radio frequency energy is generated by most standard equipment used in today’s workplace. Computer chips, monitors, printers and wires all generate signals that can be monitored, recorded and reconstructed. As computers become smaller, lighter and more capable, the signals they generate receive more scrutiny.
Centurion RF tests are performed in the field, with specialized equipment used to generate signals at specific frequencies and strengths, and further equipment to observe and record them. RF tests are generally performed for two reasons: to assess a barrier’s ability to attenuate RF energy, and to determine the ambient levels that exist in an area. All tests are performed to IEEE 299 standards.
What we measure
Centurion validates your facility’s RF performance
- Reference testing
- Data testing
- Walk-away testing
Centurion provides test data on request.
Acoustics
Sound transmission class (STC) rating
A single number for how much sound a barrier stops. Laboratory values approximate it; the only true way to measure an area’s attenuation properties is to test the area itself.
Assigning an STC rating to a barrier is a way to determine how much it is expected to dampen, or attenuate, sound waves. When a sound wave encounters a barrier, some of the energy from its vibrations transfers to that barrier. The properties of the barrier determine how much energy is lost as the wave passes through it; this measurement, at a given frequency, is the barrier’s transmission loss effectiveness. The higher the transmission loss, the more the barrier reduces the sound’s power.
Because transmission loss measurements are taken across a range of frequencies, it is sometimes difficult to compare two barriers. Sound transmission class ratings solve that by assigning a single integer value for acoustical performance.
To predict the ability of a constructed area to contain sound, a wide variety of barriers have been built and tested in laboratory settings, and the construction industry uses those values to approximate the protection a space should achieve. Practically speaking, however, those values are only assumptions: from variances in the material creation process to differences in construction methods, field-built spaces rarely match laboratory test results. The only true way to measure an area’s attenuation properties is to perform field testing.
RF shielding
Ask us about our RF shielding installation
Testing tells you where a barrier is losing energy. Mitigation is the other half of the job, for both traditionally built and modular facilities.
- RF foil
- IR/RF window films
- Grounding consultation
Background
What are radio frequencies?
At their core, radio frequencies are simply electrical currents. Like sound waves, electrical currents pulse, or oscillate, at certain speeds; the rate at which a current pulses, in cycles per second, is called frequency and is measured in hertz. Radio frequencies, and the specific uses allowed at each frequency, are regulated by the government.
Problems caused by RF energy are not one-way concerns.
- Sensitive electronic equipment can be interfered with by external signals
- Directed energy can be used to “flood” an area for eavesdropping purposes
- Exceptionally high levels or direct contact can induce sickness or burns in humans
Why it matters
The importance of RF energy
Energy that falls into the spectrum described above has a number of special properties. For our purposes the most important is that the energy in an RF current can radiate from a conductor into free space as electromagnetic waves. That concept is the basis for directed wireless communication, whether AM/FM radio, Wi-Fi or a cell phone, but RF energy is created in many other ways as well.
The federal government of the United States has recognized the threat posed by RF energy emanating from equipment inside office space and work facilities. For this reason, government facilities are required to protect themselves through a variety of technical security countermeasures designed to reduce or eliminate the ability of RF energy generated inside the facility to leak out and be exploited.
Next step
Get it tested
Bring us in for reference testing on a new build, a walk-away test before an accreditation appointment, or a facility that is not performing the way its drawings said it would.