Yet in the real world, not all news can be good. There are some disadvantages as well.
Low power: While it provides some benefits, it also severely restricts range. If higher power were permitted, higher speeds over longer distances could open whole new applications, like wireless broadband to the home.
Potential interference: Though the FCC's rules restrict power and frequency of operation, UWB may affect certain other wireless applications.
Complexity: Despite the apparent simplicity, UWB is a very complex wireless technology. Testing is a bear. Future chip sets and reference designs, though, will take some of the complexity out of designing with UWB.
What To Expect: As Eric Janson of Cambridge Silicon Radio of Bluetooth fame says, UWB is nothing more than just another wireless PHY. While that's true, its unique capabilities make it a niche of its own. The growth potential is in PANs for wireless communications in consumer entertainment applications. Those won't really compete with other PAN technologies, like Bluetooth and ZigBee. Some products will take advantage of the first wave of UWB silicon for such applications early next year.
Longtime UWB company Time Domain already has a chip set for its applications partners. Known as PulsON200, this generic chip set can hit data rates to 40 Mbits/s. It can be adapted to communications, location, or radar. According to Jim Baker, executive vice president for commercial products, the next-generation PulsON300 chip set, with 100-Mbit/s capability using the forthcoming 802.15.3 standard, will be available later in 2003.
Chris Fisher, vice president of marketing of XtremeSpectrum, says the demand for true consumer multimedia connectivity continues to grow. The XtremeSpectrum Trinity chip set is designed for this need (Fig. 6). It is based on the proposed IEEE 802.15.3 PAN standard.
The Trinity set delivers a 100-Mbit/s data rate and is designed primarily for consumer applications. It's available in 100,000-unit quantities for $19.95. Full production is expected in 2003.
Intel and Philips also are developing semiconductor products in this sector. Sony foresees wireless connectivity at the heart of most future entertainment systems. Ben Manny, Intel's director of wireless technology development, says Intel hopes to create a 500-Mbit/s transceiver that can serve as a wireless USB 2.0 air interface for PCs and consumer products. A wireless IEEE 1394 option could also become available.
Recently, nine leading technology companies formed the WiMedia Alliance, an open industry forum to develop and promote wireless PANs and multimedia devices. It will establish a certification program similar to the successful Wi-Fi group, which certifies 802.11b/a WLAN products. WiMedia will help spur the growth of the 802.15.3 UWB PHY and speed the use of wireless in consumer electronics by ensuring interoperabilty of the various consumer products, like set-top boxes, HDTV, still and video cameras, MP3 players, and other multimedia devices.
The FCC has promised to take another look at UWB within another year to see the effects of real applications on interference if any. Possible improvements could result. It is early in the game for UWB. The best is yet to come.
Yet in the real world, not all news can be good. There are some disadvantages as well.
Low power: While it provides some benefits, it also severely restricts range. If higher power were permitted, higher speeds over longer distances could open whole new applications, like wireless broadband to the home.
Potential interference: Though the FCC's rules restrict power and frequency of operation, UWB may affect certain other wireless applications.
Complexity: Despite the apparent simplicity, UWB is a very complex wireless technology. Testing is a bear. Future chip sets and reference designs, though, will take some of the complexity out of designing with UWB.
What To Expect: As Eric Janson of Cambridge Silicon Radio of Bluetooth fame says, UWB is nothing more than just another wireless PHY. While that's true, its unique capabilities make it a niche of its own. The growth potential is in PANs for wireless communications in consumer entertainment applications. Those won't really compete with other PAN technologies, like Bluetooth and ZigBee. Some products will take advantage of the first wave of UWB silicon for such applications early next year.
Longtime UWB company Time Domain already has a chip set for its applications partners. Known as PulsON200, this generic chip set can hit data rates to 40 Mbits/s. It can be adapted to communications, location, or radar. According to Jim Baker, executive vice president for commercial products, the next-generation PulsON300 chip set, with 100-Mbit/s capability using the forthcoming 802.15.3 standard, will be available later in 2003.
Chris Fisher, vice president of marketing of XtremeSpectrum, says the demand for true consumer multimedia connectivity continues to grow. The XtremeSpectrum Trinity chip set is designed for this need (Fig. 6). It is based on the proposed IEEE 802.15.3 PAN standard.
The Trinity set delivers a 100-Mbit/s data rate and is designed primarily for consumer applications. It's available in 100,000-unit quantities for $19.95. Full production is expected in 2003.
Intel and Philips also are developing semiconductor products in this sector. Sony foresees wireless connectivity at the heart of most future entertainment systems. Ben Manny, Intel's director of wireless technology development, says Intel hopes to create a 500-Mbit/s transceiver that can serve as a wireless USB 2.0 air interface for PCs and consumer products. A wireless IEEE 1394 option could also become available.
Recently, nine leading technology companies formed the WiMedia Alliance, an open industry forum to develop and promote wireless PANs and multimedia devices. It will establish a certification program similar to the successful Wi-Fi group, which certifies 802.11b/a WLAN products. WiMedia will help spur the growth of the 802.15.3 UWB PHY and speed the use of wireless in consumer electronics by ensuring interoperabilty of the various consumer products, like set-top boxes, HDTV, still and video cameras, MP3 players, and other multimedia devices.
The FCC has promised to take another look at UWB within another year to see the effects of real applications on interference if any. Possible improvements could result. It is early in the game for UWB. The best is yet to come.