ISM Radio Bands

What is it?

Industrial, scientific, and medical radio bands, or ISM bands, are a group of radio frequency bands or parts of the radio spectrum usually reserved for purposes different from telecommunications. Accordingly, these bands are typically set aside for the use of radio frequency (RF) energy in fields like industry, science, and medicine. Although ISM bands may be employed in telecommunications, respective devices face a necessity to resist interference on the part of other RF and microwave technologies. 

How does it work?

Application of ISM equipment results in electromagnetic interference in radio communications that leverage the same frequency. It created a demand for particular frequency bands allocated to this equipment. Contrary to the previously mentioned frequencies, these ones require communication devices to withstand interference from ISM. 

Where is it used?

ISM bands serve the needs of radar systems and induction and microwave heating for industrial and home settings as well as RF and microwave heating for medicine, e.g., diathermy machines. At the same time, the communication purposes of utilizing ISM bands include low-power and short-range examples such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, RFID, and NFC.