Avensis T27 Bluetooth

[MikeEH]

Is there a way to turn bluetooth off? I mean off in the sense of no microwaves emitting from the device. I've gone thru the handbook for the SD Navigation System and can only find how to set up and use bluetooth, perhaps I've missed it, but cannot find how to turn it off. I don't really know if it's on, I can only assume that the previous owner probably used it so it could still be waiting to connect to a phone. The reason why I want to be able to turn it off is that, like WiFi, I haven't seen scientific evidence stating it is safe regarding health, I've only seen evidence by engineers and ignored electromagnetic research scientists that it probably is not safe. bluetooth is microwave radiation after all. Just a little bit of info.....my ex-work colleague's best mate works for a microwave oven distribution company and his job is to test the door seals of microwave ovens with a meter. If the door leak is over a certain reading the oven has to be destroyed and cannot not be repaired. He told my ex-colleague to turn his phone on, not use it just leave it on. He held his meter a foot away from the phone and the reading went off the scale. He said that if the phone was a microwave oven it would have to be destroyed.

[furtula]

Do you turn off your wireless router when you are not using it, or your wireless home phone.  Do you go to the other room, or wear some cover when operating the microwave?

Is your home shielded against the wifi signals?

You are way more exposed to the frequency used by bluetooth (2.4ghz) outside your car, than inside.

This is, that frequency is free, that is why a lot of devices use it. Even now, your home is hit by maybe 10 wireless routers, if you go to a building, you will have 20+ wifi devices signals going through your body. Yes we are all still cancer free.

Most bluetooth devices are class 2, meaning their range is up to 10 meters, and their power usage is around 2.5mw.

Now, if you compare that to standard wifi router, which is 100mw, then your phones/cars bluetooth, it's 40x less. 

If you are worried about any of this, it would be more beneficial to not use a mobile phone at all..

 

As for the test, normal consumer microwaves operate at 2.4gh frequency, at which the bluetooth and wifi also work, but phone itself does not. 

Phone uses multiple lower frequencies in various bandwith ranges for communicating with the call tower, so the test is not really valid.

Anyway, testing a phone with a tool that is tuned for microwaves is not really telling us much. 

Again, phones power output for bluetooth is so small it wont make any difference.

[yossarian247]

10 hours ago, MikeEH said:

 I haven't seen scientific evidence stating it is safe regarding health, I've only seen evidence by engineers and ignored electromagnetic research scientists that it probably is not safe. 

When you consider that mobile and cordless phones have been around for 35 years, bluetooth and Wifi for 20 years, and all have become hugely popular in the past 10-15 years, wouldn't you expect that we would be seeing a measurable increase in cancers by now if there was a significant risk? Despite the proliferation of such devices in our homes in the past couple of decades average life expectancy is still increasing. 

If you really want to worry about something whilst driving, search for the health effects of breathing in benzene from petrol, or particulates from diesel exhausts 😮

[MikeEH]

Thanks for your replies. Being as it's getting off topic I would just like to mention the following then I will not comment anymore.

Regarding mobile phone and electro-magnetic radiation safety, my work colleague's wife's nightly migraine stopped after she discontinued using her phone as an alarm clock and turned it off.

An aquaintance of mine was a telecom engineer on 24-hour call. Nearly 11 years ago he was admitted into hospital with a tumour behind his right eye and cancer of the hip bone. These were the locations of his phone. He is no longer with us.

My cousin was Head of Intelligence for the South Wales police when he developed breast cancer. He was in the newspapers and interviewed on TV. His consultant asked him if he kept his phone in his shirt pocket. He did. He also kept his police phone in that positon when on 24 hour surveillance. He is no longer with us.

An ex-neighbour developed breast cancer in the very location where she kept her phone tucked into the side of her bra. It has been reported that waitresses in the USA have developed the same.

My sister-in-law developed Leukemia and the first thing the consultant asked was if she lived near an electricity sub-station. She did, it was opposite her living room window. She is no longer with us. We have discovered that there are 6 other cases of cancer in houses around the sub-station.

For my cousin and sister-in-law to be asked about mobile phone placement and sub-station location by their consultants, they must have other evidence of similar occurances.

My nephew is a geneticist who has told me on a number of occaisions that electro-magnetic radiation has a detrimental affect on DNA, even low power over a long period.

That's it.

[paul9]

You  could use a cheap GY560 or GY561 test meter to sniff around your equipment for bluetooth frequency radio signals, I suppose. They only just reach into the bluetooth frequency range,  according to the stated specs at 2.4GHz, with a higher frequency capable meter costing a good bit more. I would have to try to find my meter to see if it actually can sniff bluetooth or not. Or you could just get a friendly member of your local ham radio club to check for you,  as they will probably have access to one of those meters or better ones.

[Konrad C]

The only way to turn off/delete the bluetooth transceiver would be to change the radio, or get someone who knows what they are doing to disconnect the chip inside!

The second suggestion would not be advisable, because the next owner may and will expect to have bluetooth if that model came with bluetooth as standard. The T2 model radio does not have Bluetooth. I confirmed this because I have the original Avensis PDF that covers the Avensis T27 from 2009. Bluetooth is on TR spec and above. If you have the standard stereo with no navigation and reverse camera, then it would be a matter of sourcing from a T2 model. I would keep the original Bluetooth stereo, so that when the car is passed on to a new owner, they can have the Bluetooth function back. 
One question which I need to check, does the stereo Bluetooth turn off after a period if not connected? I say this because I am sure once or twice in the past, my phones Bluetooth was off during the initial pairing period, then say about 10 or 20 later I turn on the phones Bluetooth, but the stereo would not pair. The car had to be switched off, then turn on to pair. This is for the W53828 stereo! The way to confirm this is to use a phone not paired to the car, then see if the stereo Bluetooth is active after 10 minutes or longer. I have a second Bluetooth/USB/SD adapter for streaming, and that connects anytime. 
You may not need to do anything at all, if what I mentioned above about the Bluetooth shutting off after a period is fact (stereo W53828)!

Good luck. 

[MikeEH]

Thanks for reply. I have the stereo with the navigation and reverse camera.  I was kind of hoping that bluetooth would be normally dormant until activated by an in-coming call, that would suit me. I'll have to investigate as you have suggested. Thanks again.

[furtula]

The output power of the bluetooth is much lower than your average wireless router and such. You get more radiation from random wifi hotspots around the city, than from your in car bluetooth. If the bluetooth would be setup in the way that you said, then the phone would not be paired to it, since it would be off, and you would not be able to receive calls.

[Konrad C]

On 1/26/2020 at 2:00 PM, furtula said:

The output power of the Bluetooth is much lower than your average wireless router and such. You get more radiation from random wifi hotspots around the city, than from your in car Bluetooth. If the bluetooth would be setup in the way that you said, then the phone would not be paired to it, since it would be off, and you would not be able to receive calls.

Dean, that's what I noticed about my cars bluetooth not connecting minutes after starting the car. If I tried to connect my phone later, it won't! I have to turn my car totally off, then switch back on, then the phone connects. This is for the standard (no nav) stereo. I also a Bluetooth/USB adapter of second phone, and that can be connected at any time. It's like the car bluetooth turns off if no initial connection to a known paired device has been made, whilst the Bluetooth adapter is always on. 
I agree that the bluetooth is very low level signal and WiFi and mobile signals are stronger. When checking WiFi in the area, there are some from over 100 meters away! Bluetooth as we know has a range of 10 meters. Lets throw in the mobile phone masts. The OP will need to live somewhere isolated away radio waves.   

[yossarian247]

The OP clearly has strong views on the subject and has made their mind up. I can't of course prove that bluetooth etc is 100% safe, any more than they can prove that it causes cancer. As with most things in life its a case of trading off possible risks against benefits, and deciding what level of risk you are personally comfortable with. I'm surprised though that the OP drives a car or uses the internet at all if they are so concerned about electromagnetic radiation, but anyway..

My great-grandmother incidentally developed a tumour on her face just below her ear and I'm sure people nowadays would be queuing up to tell her that it was caused by mobile phone use....had she not died in 1973!

[yesMan]

On 1/25/2020 at 2:54 PM, MikeEH said:

Thanks for your replies. Being as it's getting off topic I would just like to mention the following then I will not comment anymore.

Regarding mobile phone and electro-magnetic radiation safety, my work colleague's wife's nightly migraine stopped after she discontinued using her phone as an alarm clock and turned it off.

An aquaintance of mine was a telecom engineer on 24-hour call. Nearly 11 years ago he was admitted into hospital with a tumour behind his right eye and cancer of the hip bone. These were the locations of his phone. He is no longer with us.

My cousin was Head of Intelligence for the South Wales police when he developed breast cancer. He was in the newspapers and interviewed on TV. His consultant asked him if he kept his phone in his shirt pocket. He did. He also kept his police phone in that positon when on 24 hour surveillance. He is no longer with us.

An ex-neighbour developed breast cancer in the very location where she kept her phone tucked into the side of her bra. It has been reported that waitresses in the USA have developed the same.

My sister-in-law developed Leukemia and the first thing the consultant asked was if she lived near an electricity sub-station. She did, it was opposite her living room window. She is no longer with us. We have discovered that there are 6 other cases of cancer in houses around the sub-station.

For my cousin and sister-in-law to be asked about mobile phone placement and sub-station location by their consultants, they must have other evidence of similar occurances.

My nephew is a geneticist who has told me on a number of occaisions that electro-magnetic radiation has a detrimental affect on DNA, even low power over a long period.

That's it.

I have to comment this.

First - electromagnetic fields are not radiaton. Radiation is ionizing, the electromagntic fields, or photons, from your bluetooth is not ionizing radiation.

You can't make general conclusions about electromagnetic fields and the scenarios you mention above. Almost all people use mobile phones today, there are substations, power cables, and antenna towers everywere. Thus will someone getting cancer also have a mobile phone, and probably also keys in their pocket, and shoes on their feet - for some reason these latter are not belived to cause cancer.

If a mobile phone does cause cancer, it is most probable that it is caused by the plastics, or electronics, beeing doped with some cancergenic phalate, brominated flame retardant, or other chemical. If you carry an unknown chemical in your bra 24/7, will it be more safe than anything else?

And, the output power alone is not critical, it is also a matter of frequency. The BT fields will be stopped at the surface of your skin, while on the other hand there are AM stations putting out 50 kW .....