You’re in an airplane, travelling far from home. Seatbelts fastened, hand-rests up, tray tables up and seats forward. You ponder for a moment – then you come to the conclusion that you just got yourself stuck in a plane without any cellular for internet or to communicate. Then you get the doubt, “Hey, what is this airplane mode thing anyway?” Well…
A brief History
The history of airplane mode isn’t ancient enough to timeline each and every incident, however, it falls back to the 1990’s when the US first initiated a ban due to the risks involved in mobile frequencies. They were worried that mobile frequencies could interrupt a plane’s communications and electronics systems; this worry has built up and for safety reasons, officially led to the ban. During 2013, the FAA(Federal Aviation Administration) proposed an “airplane mode” that would disable cellular connectivity on electronic devices. The evolution of this proposal has led to the software button that automatically turns off cellular connectivity
When airplane mode is switched on, it turns off the following:
- Cellular Mobile Data – Data from cell towers that is sent back and forth from your device in order to access internet without wi-fi and to communicate.
- Wi-fi – A wireless internet connection from a router that your device can connect to, in order to access the internet.
- Bluetooth – A wireless connectivity that lets you pair devices and share data.
Dangers
These communication methods have a chance in potentially disturbing the plane’s electronic signals and radio communications. They can cause unpleasant noises when nearby and are very distracting and annoying, specifically cellular. As a result of these methods transmitting signals that could lead to insecurity, the electronic devices automatically switch off the settings when the airplane mode button is toggled. However, Wi-fi and Bluetooth in some airlines are allowed and can be switched on. This is dependant on the regulatory agency of the airlines and also because they are short range transmission only, so they don’t have as much of an impact.
On-board Wi-fi
With technology evolving swiftly, some planes flying altitudes above 10,000ft already let you connect to on-board wi-fi which is a paid/free service(depending on the airlines) and is gaining popularity just as rapidly as technology. These in-flight services communicate in very low power and don’t cause disturbance.
If Airplane mode isn’t on?
As you may already know, quite a lot of people don’t turn on airplane mode due to multiple reasons including lack of knowledge and inconsiderateness. Turning it on, is a sign of respect and helpfulness to the pilots and others behind the scenes; it is also obeying the ban. If it’s not on, it simply means that there is more radio pollution, as, many devices would be trying to communicate to cell towers through radio signals and this causes a traffic.
A handy tip: Turning Airplane mode on(irrelevant of where you are – on Earth or on a plane) can save your device battery because using communication services can drain your battery substantially without your attention!
As well as showing consideration to the pilots and flight communication services, saving your battery is an important reason why you should start using that untouched Airplane Mode button on your device. Stop radio pollution and start saving your device battery! There’s a reason it’s there.
Leave a Reply