When Ultra-Wideband
(UWB) first came to
market, it didn’t have
a “killer app.” Everyone
knew it was a high-speed
wireless data option for short range,
but that was about it. Moving video
around wirelessly in consumer home
entertainment centers was an early target,
but that never got traction.
Nowadays, though, that’s changing.
Generally, you can think of UWB
as a wire replacement. It all began
when someone decided to make a wireless USB radio,
and that has become the killer app—so far. Over the
last year or so, some really interesting and innovative
applications have emerged.
WIRELSS USB
USB is now the unquestioned PC peripheral interface.
It connects virtually all external I/O devices to the
PC, from mice and keyboards to printers and external
hard drives. It can be used for anything. The USB Implementer’s
Forum sets, maintains, and promotes the
USB standard.
Certified Wireless USB, a formal standard using the
WiMedia UWB technology, is totally seamless in connectivity.
A PC can add a Wireless USB host radio that
talks to a wireless USB hub, with one or more remote
peripherals plugged into it (Fig. 1). Network products
are already available from the likes
of Belkin, D-Link, and IOgear.
If only one peripheral is involved, it can talk
to the host PC via a simple dongle that plugs
into the USB port or into the peripheral
if UWB isn’t built in. The
setup is automatic,
making it fast
and easy to use.
Wireless USB connections
to external
hard drives are ideal
applications, since
UWB can easily
handle lots of data
that needs to move fast.
While the target for Wireless USB is any USB port
device, some products are more likely than others to
use them, like devices that have to transfer lots of data
very quickly. Digital cameras hold huge files that take
minutes or longer to download to PCs. With an internal
Wireless USB link, the transfer can be super-fast and
totally cordless. Speed also is a critical factor in video
and audio transfers from devices like iPods.
Wireless USB additionally could be used to set laptops
up in desktop docking stations. Instead of hardwiring
for the mouse, keyboard, and monitor, you can
use Wireless USB. Many laptop manufacturers already
embed Wireless USB in their products. Dell, Fujitsu,
Lenovo, NEC, Toshiba, and other key companies now
offer it as a standard interface, making wireless peripherals
common.
UWB OVER COAX
An interesting and innovative use of UWB involves
the transmission of video, audio, and high-speed data
over coax for home entertainment systems. Statistics
indicate that about 90% of U.S. homes have installed cable TV coax within their walls. This medium can be
shared with cable TV signals and used to distribute
video and other signals within a home network.
One widely used standard, Multimedia over Cable
Access (MoCA), is used in some consumer Internet
Protocol TV (IPTV) installations. It can transmit data at a
rate up to 175 Mbits/s using an orthogonal frequencydivision
multiplexing (OFDM) scheme over 50 MHz of
bandwidth above the usual cable frequency band of
875 MHz.
Sigma Designs has developed a chip set that puts
the WiMedia standard on coax for home distribution of
video. This eliminates some the problems with wireless
distribution that can vary widely depending upon the
home size, walls and ceilings, and other obstructions.
It is reliable, and no new wires are needed.
AUDIO DISTRIBUTION
For years, high-end sound equipment manufacturers
have been seeking an ideal way to distribute stereo
and surroundsound wirelessly to remote speakers. If
you have ever attempted to install a 5.1 surroundsound
system, which is common on audio systems as well as
HDTV systems, you know the problem.
There are too many nuisance, ugly, and exposed
wires in places that are hard to reach, so it’s UWB to
the rescue. WiMedia company Radiient Technologies
has developed a chip set and system called Roomcaster
just for wireless audio (Fig. 2). UWB’s range is
perfect for a single room.
Continue on Page 2