Walk-in RF shielded rooms sit at a different scale to our bench-top X100 test boxes, built as full rooms rather than enclosures, and used where a team needs to work inside a shielded environment rather than place a single device inside one. NTD Shielding designs and builds these rooms to customer specification, covering everything from the shielded envelope itself through to fire detection, environmental control and interface penetration.
Every room is built around the same core principle as our smaller enclosures: a continuous conductive barrier with no weak points at doors, vents, cabling or power entry. At room scale, that discipline has to extend across a much larger surface area, which is why construction detail matters as much as the shielding material itself.
See also our bench-top RF shielded test boxes.
Room Construction
Each room is built as a modular shielded enclosure, panel-jointed and continuously bonded to maintain shielding integrity across the full structure. The RF door is the highest-risk point in any shielded room, ours use a gasketed, mechanically-latched door design to keep contact resistance low and consistent over years of daily use, not just at handover.
Flooring, wall panels and ceiling are all specified to the same shielding standard, so performance doesn’t fall off at the joints between them. Rooms are built to your required frequency range and attenuation level, and we’ll talk you through what that means in practice for your specific test or security requirement rather than quoting a single headline number that may not apply to your use case.
Shielding Performance
We design and manufacture two chamber ranges from our workshop facility, built around standard modular RF panels that can be adapted to suit any host building.
Both ranges can be built to integrate single and three-phase RF power filters (230V through to 200A), sensor-activated low-interference LED lighting, digital or analogue telephone filters, data and network cabling, fibre media conversion for LAN, HDMI, USB and DB25, high-performance RF connectors, and combination filters for air conditioning and HVAC.
S100 Performance
NTD S100 High Performance RF Chamber range covers a high level of shielding from 10kHz up to 10GHz, and can be upgraded with office-standard cosmetic linings or ferrite/absorber anechoic lining where a reflection-free test environment is needed. Where a project’s frequency requirement sits within this range, the S100 can also be built to align with Tempest-related emission security specifications, see below for more on this.
X100 Performance
NTD X100 Ultra High-Performance RF Chamber range is the solution where shielding above 10GHz is required, or where standard panel sizes won’t fit the space available. It’s also the range most commonly specified for higher-frequency Tempest-related emission security projects, see below.
| Mode | Frequency Range | Attenuation |
|---|---|---|
| Magnetic | 10KHz | 60dB |
| Electric | 1MHz | 100dB |
| Plane wave | 400MHz | 100dB |
| Plane wave | 1GHz | 100dB |
| Microwave | 10GHz | 100dB |
| Mode | Frequency Range | Attenuation |
|---|---|---|
| Magnetic | 10KHz | 60dB |
| Electric | 1MHz | 100dB |
| Plane wave | 400MHz | 100dB |
| Plane wave | 1GHz | 100dB |
| Microwave | 40GHz | 100dB |
Tempest-Specification Chambers: S100 and X100
Where a project needs emission security rather than standard RF isolation, both our S100 and X100 ranges can be built to align with the attenuation and construction principles set out in recognised Tempest-related specifications, most commonly referenced against the NATO SDIP-27 and equivalent NSA framework levels. Which range fits depends on the frequency ceiling your project needs to cover, S100 up to 10GHz, X100 where that extends to 40GHz. This is a different requirement to standard RF/EMC test shielding: rather than isolating a device under test from outside interference, the aim is containing a room’s own electromagnetic emissions to prevent information being reconstructed from them at a distance.
We work through cable separation, filtered power and communications penetrations, and the specific attenuation level your project requires directly with you. Get in touch to discuss your requirement and we’ll advise which chamber range and specification level fits.
Fire Detection & Suppression
Every room we build can be specified with an integrated aspirating smoke detection system alongside a connected suppression system, tied into a dedicated control panel at the room entrance. This isn’t an afterthought bolted on after the shielded structure is finished, detection and suppression pipework is planned into the build from the outset, so penetrations through the shielded envelope are sealed correctly and don’t compromise attenuation.
A clear “test in progress” indicator can be fitted, and emergency isolation switch are fitted as standard at the entrance, keeping the room safe to work in during live testing.
Environmental Control
Rooms are fitted with wall-mounted air conditioning and low-interference LED lighting, both selected and installed so they don’t degrade the shielding effectiveness of the enclosure. Ventilation runs through honeycomb waveguide vents rated to the same attenuation level as the rest of the room, so airflow doesn’t become the weak point in an otherwise well-shielded structure.
Power and data outlets are run in surface trunking around the room at working height, keeping cabling tidy and accessible without needing to penetrate the shielded envelope more than necessary.
Interfaces & Penetration Panels
All power, data and communications lines into the room pass through a dedicated interface panel, built to the same shielding-effectiveness spec as the room itself. Where high-speed data or video needs to cross the boundary, we specify fibre media conversion rather than running copper straight through, keeping the shielded barrier fully intact.
Panels are populated with the connector types your equipment actually needs, from standard RJ45 and USB through to specialist RF connectors, and laid out so future changes to your test setup don’t mean cutting new penetrations.
Applications
- EMC and RF compliance testing requiring a walk-in, multi-operator environment
- Wireless device and network testing at scale, including simultaneous multi-device setups
- Secure facilities requiring Tempest-specification shielding for information security
- Government, defence and other environments where emission security is a project requirement
- Any test programme that’s outgrown a bench-top enclosure and needs people working inside the shielded space itself
Additional Facilities & Integration
Beyond the core shielding, filtering and fire safety build, both the S100 and X100 ranges can integrate:
- RF shielded cameras and monitoring systems
- Water cooling pipes and pneumatic controls
- MAPS systems: turntables, masts and controllers
- ESD, automotive and low dielectric tables and benches
- Test equipment and programmable attenuators
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between an RF shielded room and an RF shielded box?
Scale and use. Our X100 boxes isolate a single device or small setup on a bench or in a mobile enclosure. A shielded room is built for people to work inside, whether that’s a multi-device test rig or a secure facility, and is constructed and fitted out accordingly.
Is a Tempest chamber the same as a standard RF shielded room?
No. A standard shielded room typically isolates equipment inside it from outside interference. A Tempest-specification chamber is built to contain the room’s own electromagnetic emissions, preventing information leakage to the outside. The construction principles overlap, but the requirement is different.
Can you build a room to a specific attenuation level?
Yes. Every room is built to the performance level your project requires, we’ll talk through your requirement and specify the shielding, door, vents and penetrations to match.
What's the difference between the S100 and X100 chamber ranges?
The S100 covers shielding performance up to 10GHz. The X100 extends that to 40GHz, and is the range we use where standard panel sizes won’t fit the space or where higher-frequency performance is needed. Both can be finished with cosmetic or anechoic linings and the same range of integrated facilities.
Do you handle fire safety as part of the build?
Yes, aspirating detection and connected suppression systems are integrated into the room design from the outset, not added afterwards.
Can existing rooms be relocated or modified?
Get in touch to discuss your project, relocation and modification work is something we can scope alongside a new build.
Speak to us about your RF shielded room or Tempest chamber project today for advice and guidance.