Datacenter · The edge of physics
Suppression & Fuel Tank RF Gauge
People wish WiFi could read fluid levels inside steel fire-suppression cylinders.
Not claimed
We publish what we will not claim — that is how you can trust the rest.
Why the physics says no
Steel walls block radio waves completely, so whatever is inside a metal tank is invisible to WiFi from the outside. Plastic and composite vessels can be read — sealed steel ones cannot, and we will not claim otherwise.
In the physics: The liquid/gas boundary inside a tank is a dielectric discontinuity (liquid agent/diesel eps_r 2-10+ vs. gas ~1) that shifts the tank's external scattering signature; as level drops, the effective scatterer geometry and near-field multipath around the tank bank change reproducibly.
Reviewer's verdict: The stated targets are steel/composite fire-suppression cylinders and steel diesel day-tanks; metal walls shield the interior, so the liquid level inside is not observable via external CSI. Only non-metallic vessels present a sensable dielectric boundary - the metal-tank product is physics-limited.