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    Bluetooth, wireless & airplanes

    Discussion in 'Accessories' started by jeffghs, May 12, 2005.

  1. jeffghs

    jeffghs Notebook Enthusiast

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    I am new to bluetooth and some of the other wireless products (mice, headphones, keyboards) with laptops. I am curious to how these are accepted with air travel. Is anyone using these while flying? Had any problems, etc?

    It seems like I read it somewhere that was one of the main reasons laptop manufacturers were including on/off switches for wi-fi and bluetooth aside from battery conservation.

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    jeffghs, May 12, 2005
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  2. Andrew Baxter

    Andrew Baxter -

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    technically you're supposed to turn off any wireless device during takeoff and landing, now do a lot of people either forget or neglect to do this? of course. you won't bring a plane down using a bluetooth device or interfere with the aircraft communications, but you're supposed to turn it off anyway during takeoff/landing, and so you should!

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    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 2, 2015
    Andrew Baxter, May 12, 2005
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  3. qwester

    qwester Notebook Virtuoso

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    anything on the gigahertz scale CAN interfere with the planes internal and external communications. but you wont always hit the right freq to cause an interference. But if the crew detects an interference they will try to find the source of it. But you have to understand one thing about aviation, they try to keep away from commonly used freqs to avoid problems in the first place. but if interference happens its no biggie (as abaxter said wont bring down the plane [ :D]) just communication interference, and any way on planes they have different back up at diff freq randes that it wont matter that much, they can always use a different system with a different set of antennas if the source of interference isn't found.

    and BTW some airlines ... lufthansa for one have wireless internet access on some of their planes, uses 802.11 standard. so for sure planes stay away from the 2.4 & 5 gigahertz freqs!

    so in short switch off all wireless, but don't worry if someone forgets to switch off theirs ... fly safe

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    qwester, May 12, 2005
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  4. Andrew Baxter

    Andrew Baxter -

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    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 2, 2015
    Andrew Baxter, May 12, 2005
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