2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Internet of Things (IoT) technologies have been proliferating in the last decade. Societal reliance on IoT technologies has been increasing in the last 5 years and is projected to increase exponentially. Wireless communication is a core component of the IoT ecosystem. Cellular and wireless technologies are also foundational topics in the NICE (National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education) framework. Educational institutions have been increasingly adding IoT, cellular, and wireless courses to their curricula, to keep in line with societal and regulatory trends.

Faraday cages are instrumental in understanding and testing several aspects of the wireless paradigm. Faraday cages are also indispensable for wireless signal isolation, which is an important aspect of any IoT/Cellular/Wireless technology course. Commercially available Faraday cages that are suitable for use in teaching or research environments are priced in the range of $3,300 and beyond. Such pricing may disincentivize institutions from deploying Faraday Cages in their classrooms. Unavailability of Faraday cages in classrooms can in-turn lead to deficiencies in curricular effectiveness and assessment for IoT/Cellular/Wireless courses. Lower cost alternatives are needed.

We constructed a custom-made, low-cost Faraday cage using materials that are available over the counter at a local hardware store or an online superstore. We list materials and their approximate costs required to build a Faraday Cage from scratch. We present a step-by-step guide with visual aids to walk readers through the process of constructing a Faraday cage suitable for classroom use. We discuss the challenges faced in our construction and curricular integration efforts. We discuss the suitability of our custom-built Faraday Cage in teaching and research environments. We present signal transmission efficiency testing results of our custom-built Faraday Cage. We present a case study where our custom-built Faraday Cage is utilized in a senior/graduate level course at a public research university in the US. We present results of an informal user experience survey for the students who participated in the case study course.