Microwaving RFID cards
posted Jul 8th 2008 9:20pm by Eliot Phillipsfiled under: misc hacks
Buzzsurf microwaved an RFID card so you don’t have to. Pointless, but real, unlike those piles of $20s.
[via Synaptic Seepage]
filed under: misc hacks
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Reader Comments
Rather than microwave it, I wrote to Washington Mutual and told them I didn’t want a card like this and to send me a new one. They told me they’d send a new card, but instead they canceled my current card and when I complained waited two days to contact me to tell me to I should reorder a new card, and when I told them they’d crossed the line and I was closing my account they said, “Sorry to see you go.” http://mypersonalhothothot.blogspot.com/2008/06/washington-mutual-paypass-rfid-debit.html
Posted at 10:10 pm on Jul 8th, 2008 by J. Carnelian
I wonder if it would be possible to make a card wallet which would block the RFID signal, only making the card accessible when you take it out. This would make things much safer.
Posted at 5:42 am on Jul 9th, 2008 by mesoiam
Are you guys being a little paranoid? These RFID only have a range of about 2 feet. The greatest distance I have see was about 20 M. The surface area for that was about the size of my small tablet computer. However, it was interesting to see the microwave results (I was hoping for a video)
Posted at 6:32 am on Jul 9th, 2008 by Brat
mesoiam: Yes, if you just wrap the card in tin-foil (!) it should block it from working. You can already buy shielded wallets, I’m told, though I’m too lazy to go google them right now. I have definitely seen ads for RFID-shielded passport holders, and I’m pretty sure the same company makes regular wallets of similar design. It certainly shouldn’t be difficult to do.
Posted at 10:25 am on Jul 9th, 2008 by James
You can already buy RFID blocking wallets off thinkgeek
Posted at 10:36 am on Jul 9th, 2008 by EthsnV2
hole punch?
~no, really, it’s for a lanyard. What do you mean there was a chip right there?~
Posted at 11:03 am on Jul 9th, 2008 by tommy
I’ve nuked a card like that before, though mine looked a lot worse afterwords, and i had to clean melted plastic splatter out of my microwave, and there was so much thick black smoke it filled the kitchen, and i had to open all the windows to air it out, but the light given off by the card was so bright and amazing, i cant say i wont ever do it again.
Posted at 7:35 pm on Jul 9th, 2008 by Corbzor
This is why eventually they will just inject the chips in us (which they are already doing anyways)… Cuz we can’t microwave ourselves muahaha… It’s the end of the world as you know it!
well maybe only some $20 have rfid inside to help the cops track crims???
Posted at 9:39 pm on Jul 8th, 2008 by HeBD