Wireless USB

Encyclopedia : W : WI : WIR : Wireless USB

Wireless USB (WUSB) is a new wireless extension to USB intended to combine the speed and security of wired technology with the ease-of-use of wireless technology. WUSB is based on ultra wideband wireless technology defined by WiMedia Alliance, which operates in the range of 3.1–10.6 GHz.

IEEE 802.15.3a was an attempt to provide a higher speed UWB PHY enhancement amendment to IEEE 802.15.3 for applications which involve imaging and multimedia. IEEE 802.15.3a UWB standardisation attempt failed due to contrast between WiMedia Alliance and [UWB Forum]. On January 19, 2006 IEEE 802.15.3a task group (TG3a) members voted to withdraw the December 2002 project authorization request (PAR) that initiated the development of high data rate UWB standards. The IEEE 802.15.3a most commendable achievement was the consolidation of 23 UWB PHY specifications into two proposals using : Multi-Band Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (MB-OFDM) UWB, supported by the WiMedia Alliance, and Direct Sequence - UWB (DS-UWB), supported by the UWB Forum.

The Wireless USB Promoter Group was formed in February 2004 to define the Wireless USB specification. The group consists of Agere Systems, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Microsoft, NEC Corporation, Philips and Samsung.

WUSB offers bandwidths of 480 Mbit/s at three meters and 110 Mbit/s at 10 meters. WUSB uses a star topology with up to 127 devices. WUSB also supports so-called dual-role devices, which in addition to being a WUSB client device, can function as a host with limited capabilities. For example, a digital camera could act as a client when connected to a computer, and as a host when transferring pictures directly to a printer.

WUSB will be used in devices that are now connected via regular USB cables, such as game controllers, printers, scanners, digital cameras, MP3 players, hard disks and flash drives, but it is also suitable for transferring parallel video streams.

In May 2005, the Wireless USB Promoter Group announced the completion of the Wireless USB specification. The first WUSB products hit the market at the end of 2005. Companies like [Ellisys] and [LeCroy] are supplying development support tools to facilitate early introduction of the technology.

In June 2006, USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) offered the first five-way, multi-vendor interoperable demonstration of Certified Wireless USB. A laptop with an Intel host adapter using an [Alereon] PHY was used to transfer high definition video from a Philips wireless semiconductor solution with a Realtek PHY, all using Microsoft Windows XP drivers developed for Wireless USB.

Certified Wireless USB vs WirelessUSB™

"[WirelessUSB™"] by Cypress Semiconductor is not related to "[Certified Wireless USB"].

Cypress's "WirelessUSB™" is a protocol that uses the 2.4 GHz ISM band with a range from 10 meters (at max 1 Mbit/s) to 50 meters (at max 62.5 kbit/s) and is designed for Human Interface Devices (HIDs), with current offerings from companies such as Belkin, Logitech, and Virtual Ink.

Other forms of Wireless USB such as those to be offered on the competing UWB technology based on Freescale pulse method are also not approved by the USB Sig or the IEEE. The same is also true for other RF based Wire replacement systems which can carry USB. The result is that the name 'Certified Wireless USB' had to be adopted to allow consumers to identify which products would be adherrent to the standard and would support the correct protocol and data rates.

Related Technologies

6lowpan - IPv6 over Low-power Wireless Personal Area Networks (6LoWPAN)
ANT[link] — Low Data Rate Low Power wireless personal area network
BACnet — A competing protocol which can also be transported over LonWorks.
Bluetooth — industrial specification for wireless personal area networks (PANs)
Dynet - building automation protocol
KNX — intelligent electrical installation networking
HomePlug — powerline protocol
INSTEON — an integrated dual-mesh network that combines wireless radio frequency (RF) with the home's existing electrical wiring.
IrDA — industry standard infrared protocol
LonWorks — A competing protocol.
nanoNET[link] — proprietary set of wireless sensor protocols, designed to compete with ZigBee
OBEX — communications protocol that facilitates the exchange of binary objects between devices
RadioRa[link] — proprietary two-way RF protocol, developed by Lutron for use in residential lighting control
TinyOS — mesh network OS using the NesC language
Topdog[link] — proprietary protocol for wireless networking, for use in residential and commercial lighting control
UPB[link] — powerline protocol that offers improved performance and reliability over X10
Wi-Fi — product compatibility standards for wireless local area networks (WLANs)
Wireless USB — wireless extension to USB
X10 — powerline protocol
ZigBee — set of high level protocols designed for low power digital radios
Z-Wave — the most widely adopted wireless home control standard

External links

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