Is WiFi a potential flight safety problem?
I have just discovered that my new laptop will have a thing called a 'Wireless Mini-PCI Card' fitted. This contains a small 2.4GHz radio transmitter with a range of over 1000ft.
We know that GSM apparently causes problems and the cabin staff always remind passengers to turn off their phones - but with the advent of laptops with embedded WiFi transceivers, is there another flight safety problem looming? Presumably the card can be controlled by software to stop it functioning in an aeroplane cabin - or does it stay in a safe quiescent mode until it sniffs out a local access point?
Another computer in aeroplane safety issue - why are 'computers with CD-ROM drives' not allowed to be used in flight (certainly on LH)? With most new laptops now coming with DVD/CD-RW drives fitted and Joe Punter keen to watch a DVD, is there really a legitimate safety issue here?
Sorry if this is the wrong site for this post, so please move it as appropriate. But it was news to me that quite a few passenger laptops contain 2.4 GHz transceivers nowadays!