MOS Equipment Products Lab Tested and Certified IEEE Std 299-2006

Military standards shielding effectiveness IEEE 299-266

MOS Equipment, the maker of Mission Darkness™ faraday bags and analysis enclosures, is proud to announce that several products recently underwent rigorous lab testing to certify that they meet shielding effectiveness standards IEEE 299-2006. The tests performed measured the effectiveness of various electromagnetic shielding enclosures and materials, and all items tested received a "passing" result, providing authentication of their shielding abilities.

The positive test results support our product performance claims and serve as added peace of mind for our customers who demand laboratory certified/guaranteed high-shielding products for use in the digital forensics field, military, government, aerospace, security, health, privacy, or construction industries.

MOS Equipment aims to offer extremely high-quality, effective, security solutions for a variety of digital threats and scenarios. The high-level testing conducted was not mandatory or typically sought after for a company specializing in radio frequency (RF) shielding enclosures for law enforcement and forensic investigators. In fact, we are one of the only faraday product manufacturers that have undergone multiple types of shielding effectiveness tests (or perhaps the only one). We continue to acquire various shielding certifications in order to support our claims and to help our customers understand our general shielding capabilities, including the newly achieved results from IEEE 299-2006 testing at a frequency range of 1.5GHz to 40GHz, as well as MIL-STD-188-125 (click the link to view separate shielding effectiveness test results).


Testing Completed by Keystone Compliance, an Accredited Regulatory Compliance Laboratory

The shielding effectiveness test was conducted by Keystone Compliance, a full-service regulatory compliance laboratory offering solutions for nearly all EMC/EMI, environmental, ISTA-certified package and ingress protection testing requirements.

Keystone Compliance's shielding effectiveness testing determines the ability of material and enclosures to block electromagnetic and radio frequency (RF) signals. The testing conducted was designed to accomplish the following three goals:

  1. The first goal is to keep certain RF signals within the enclosure of the device. As part of the product certification process, electronic devices must undergo Electromagnetic interference (EMI) testing. EMI testing determines if there are signals generated by the device under test that are outside of the acceptable range and limit. These RF signals could significantly impact other electronic devices in its proximity. These impacts can include communication interruptions, data loss and system malfunctions.
  2. The second goal of shielding effectiveness testing is to block external EMI from impacting the device under test. All of the potential impacts mentioned in the previous paragraph can be realized by the device under test if its enclosure is not properly shielded. Areas of vulnerability can include cables, input and outputs, fans, points of ingress, gaskets, seals and controls.
  3. The third objective is a combination of the two. A properly-shielded device will effectively retain all RF energy in its enclosure and keep all external RF isolated. The amount of RF allowed in or out will depend on the purpose of the device, its functionality and its placement of operation.

IEEE 299 Shielding Effectiveness Overview

IEEE 299 is the standard method for measuring the effectiveness of electromagnetic shielding enclosures. The shielding effectiveness testing occurs at varying frequencies. Testing to IEEE 299 requires placing transmitting and receiving loops approximately 0.3m from the respective shielding barrier. The generator output is maintained at the level used during the reference measurement and is applied at each frequency and location. During all low-frequency measurements, one loop remains in a fixed position and the second loop is repositioned and displaced to seek a worst-case measurement. The maximum indication of the detector reading is used for determining the shielding effectiveness.

Our specific test setup was for IEEE 299-2006. The frequency range tested and complete test results are noted in the downloadable reports generated by Keystone Compliance (see below).

The enclosures and materials tested to shielding effectiveness standards IEE 299-2006 include:

  • Mission Darkness TitanRF Faraday Fabric — Single Layer
  • Mission Darkness TitanRF Faraday Fabric — Double Layer
  • Mission Darkness TitanRF Flex Faraday Fabric — Single Layer
  • Mission Darkness TitanRF Flex Faraday Fabric — Double Layer
  • Mission Darkness BlockBox Lab
  • Mission Darkness Shielded Honeycomb Air Vent
  • Mission Darkness TitanRF Faraday Tape

Frequencies Tested

1.5GHz to 17GHz
Receive

1.5GHz to 17GHz
Transmit

18GHz to 40GHz
Receive

18GHz to 40GHz
Transmit

All products were tested at the frequency range of 1.5GHz to 40GHz, like pictured above. Testing materials for shielding effectiveness involves two connected EMC test chambers with a shared wall. The shared wall has a window in which the sample is securely placed. The shielding effectiveness test lab places a transmitting antenna in one chamber and a receiving antenna in the other chamber. The transmitting antenna transmits a predetermined set of signals. The receiving antenna will record all of the signals received. Essentially, all signals that are transmitted but not received are considered shielded by the material.


Shielding Effectiveness Results

Mission Darkness TitanRF™ Faraday Fabric & TitanRF™ Flex Faraday Fabric

Mission Darkness uses two prominent shielding materials (nickel and copper composition) throughout the product line. TitanRF™ Faraday Fabric is the most widely used shielding component for faraday bags and enclosures. TitanRF™ Flex Faraday Fabric is a more flexible material, that is used in wearable products, like EMF shielded clothing.

Since the amount of fabric layers used within a certain product is a determining factor related to the product's signal attenuation, we decided to test single and double fabric layers to get a better understanding of how fabric layering relates to the increase in signal attenuation. This also shows us how many layers are needed to create a product that is rated for specific attenuation needs.

The graphs and reports below show the attenuation reading based on specific material and amount of layers tested.

TitanRF™ Faraday Fabric — Single Layer Shielding Effectiveness

TitanRF™ Faraday Fabric — Double Layer Shielding Effectiveness


TitanRF™ Flex Faraday Fabric — Single Layer Shielding Effectiveness

TitanRF™ Flex Faraday Fabric — Double Layer Shielding Effectiveness


Mission Darkness BlockBox Lab

The Mission Darkness BlockBox Lab is a heavy-duty forensic analysis enclosure designed specifically for investigating mobile devices such as cell phones, tablets, and additional small electronics while remaining shielded from RF signals. It is constructed of a durable outer aluminum casting with RF absorbent foam lining the inside walls, conductive gloves, transparent viewing window, LED array, AC power strip, and a filter with RJ45 ethernet and two USB ports.

The graph and report below show the attenuation reading from the BlockBox Lab testing.

BlockBox Lab Shielding Effectiveness


Mission Darkness Shielded Honeycomb Air Vent

The Mission Darkness Shielded Honeycomb Air Vent is primarily used to obtain effective electromagnetic shielding while allowing excellent airflow, for ventilation and heating in screened rooms, EMI/RF shielded rooms, electrical control panels, faraday cages, or any type of shielded enclosure. It's fabricated from a high-performance and corrosion resistant steel material.

The graph and report below show the attenuation reading from the Sheilded Honeycomb Air Vent testing.

Shielded Honeycomb Air Vent Shielding Effectiveness


Mission Darkness TitanRF™ Faraday Tape

The Mission Darkness TitanRF™ Faraday Tape is a high-shielding conductive adhesive. The tape can be easily cut and taped to surfaces for creating DIY faraday cages or RF shielding enclosures, EMI shielding and deflection, or connecting two sheets of TitanRF Faraday Fabric.

The graph and report below show the attenuation reading from the TitanRF Faraday Tape testing

TitanRF™ Faraday Tape Shielding Effectiveness