11. Power from wifi networks, so where does it actually go?

 11. Power from wifi networks, so where does it actually go?

Radio waves, such as those used by WiFi networks, are a form of electromagnetic radiation. When your WiFi router broadcasts a signal, it's essentially sending out electromagnetic waves into the surrounding environment. These waves spread out in all directions and, in an ideal scenario, would be picked up by devices that are designed to receive such signals, such as your laptop or smartphone.

However, if there are no devices to receive the signal, or if the signal extends beyond the range of any devices, it doesn't simply vanish. The Inverse Square Law mentioned earlier comes into play here as well. As the waves spread out, their intensity decreases with the square of the distance from the source. In other words, the further away you go from the router, the weaker the WiFi signal becomes.

Over time and distance, the energy of these waves is dispersed and absorbed by the environment – walls, furniture, and even the air itself. The absorbed energy typically turns into a small amount of heat, but the amount is so minimal it would be virtually impossible to measure with everyday tools.

This energy doesn't go to waste, per se, because it was never meant to be conserved. Instead, it served its purpose: to carry information wirelessly over a distance. If no device picks up the signal, it doesn't negate the purpose of the energy expenditure.

Moreover, while the concept of harnessing energy from WiFi signals or other ambient electromagnetic waves might seem appealing, it's not currently feasible as a significant power source. The energy present in these signals is extremely low. An MIT study found that, even in an area with a strong WiFi signal, the total power available to be harvested is about 100 microwatts - not enough to even charge our modern smartphones.

Thus, while our environment is full of energy in various forms, not all energy is easily or practically harvestable. Understanding this can help us better focus our efforts on realistic and sustainable ways to generate and save energy.

TLDR; the energy from wifi signals will in the end be turned into heat, there is no just a magical place where it will store all that wifi energy and allow you to tap into that. Wifi signals are not very good way to transmit energy accross distance.