There is more than one reason we all need our phones in metal detector-protected facilities. However, these places also have their reasons for prohibiting phones from coming in. But if you must really bring in your phone, we will discuss some methods in this article. You want to hide a phone from a metal detector if you accidentally brought it or intend to sneak it into your school, workplace, or prom, where phones are not allowed.
Generally, metal detectors measure deviation in a magnetic field and will tell what is under the detector based on how it deviates. Suppose you bury a few bars of silver; for example, they will show up on the detector. However, there are some inventive ways to sneak a phone through metal detectors and avoid detection at work or school by at least producing a false positive.
How to Hide a Phone from a Metal Detector
Consider the following ways to hide your phone from a metal detector:
1. Conceal it in bread or burger
One of the ways on how to hide your phone from school scanners is to put it between two pieces of bread and call it a sandwich. While working through the metal detector, make sure to be eating while getting past the machine. If necessary or possible, stretch your hand away from the reach of the detector.
2. Case the phone
This won’t always work, but casing might help. You need bonding tape to wrap the insulating material on your phone to keep it hidden from the metal detector. According to EngineerSupply, metal detectors can only find metals 6 to 10 inches beneath the ground or any other insulated surface. Thus, your insulating material doesn’t have to be 10 inches thicker. The wand length of a metal detector is proportional to its sensitivity in some cases. So, metal detectors with shorter wands have lesser sensitivity.
3. Total separation
You can sneak phone past metal detector by keeping it in a congested place in your bag, such as in-between books with hardcover. This will work if the metal detector is less sensitive. If the detector is sensitive enough to detect the phone, then you want to tape the insulated case containing the phone onto your clothing or body. First, study the operator closely to know how they use the device, then attach the phone where the operator is less likely to check.
4. Place the phone between metals
Consider placing your phone in another metal box and proclaiming, “It is my toolbox.” Surround the toolbox with tools and other metal objects, then slip your phone in between. You could even use a set of baking pans or a safe deposit box. A set of cast-iron frying pans will also do the job. Wrap them in the form of a gift, hide the phone inside, and say it is a birthday gift.
You could also put your phone in a waterproof zip-lock bag and store it in a flower vase filled with water. A styrofoam cooler with dry ice and steaks or a crate with a lawnmower is also a good place to hide and get your phone past a metal detector. Ensure to properly shield the phone screen to avoid tampering with it.
5. Talk to the operator
Meet an operator and see if you can reach a deal with them. Explain why you need to get the phone inside and maybe they’ll let you get in with it. If you get caught trying to sneak a phone past a metal detector, just say you weren’t aware of the phone in your bag. The detectors may provide a safe to store your phone until you have to leave.
6. Quick switch
How do you stop a metal detector from detecting your phone? With the quick switch method, you can easily beat the scanner and get away with it since security will no longer find the phone on you. However, you need an accomplice for this method to work. First, your accomplice gets past the metal detector and hangs around on the other side. Once the entry is clear, just rush in as if you forgot to use the metal detector. Quickly switch the phone with your accomplice before the operator calls you back to check the metal. Apologize for your bad manners and proceed to use the metal detector.
You’d need another piece of metal so that the operator thinks that is what caused the detection. Consider using a spoon or an empty can.
7. Use aluminum foil
Aluminum is a non-ferrous metal, so it is non-magnetic, and non-magnetic properties are generally not detectable by metal detectors. Some people believe that aluminum foil won’t set off any detectors, but this is not absolutely true; sometimes, depending on the setting, it can.
Nevertheless, aluminum foil can hide your phone from a metal detector by forming a Faraday cage around the phone. The detector will then only see the aluminum cage. This explanation is the same for other metals, not just aluminum. Note that the “blinding” method depends on some settings, for example, the frequency of the detector, energy, and form of the detector coil. Even a pack of cigarettes can work as a foil because it is designed with a flavor-protective foil (see Wikipedia’s Cigarette pack), paper or plastic, and sealed through a transparent, airtight plastic film. So, just place your phone in there if it’s small enough to fit in.
8. Disguise your phone as a brick of C4
The chance is that your cell phone may be detected even with a foil. Thus, consider disguising your cell phone as a brick of C4 by packing it in a block of clay and then wrapping it in plastic or waxed brown paper.
Conclusion
So, these are just the basic ways anyone can hide a phone from a metal detector and not get caught. Before you use any of these methods, make sure to read the current setup of the metal detector as well as the vigilance of the operators. If it seems too difficult, don’t proceed with it.
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