Wireless Freedom
By Jon Kenton
Whether we’re at them at home or in the office, we now take for granted the role the PC plays in our lives. Attached to our PCs, both desktop and laptop, is a multitude of devices. These range from the expected basic input/output such as keyboards, mice, and printers to more specialized items such as webcams, scanners, or gaming devices. There is also a plethora of mobile gadgets such as cell phones, PDAs, digital cameras, and media players (iPods) that many of us now could not live without. The one thing all these devices have in common is how they connect to our PCs—they use USB.
USB, which stands for Universal Serial Bus, started life on the drawing board back in 1994. The first version, USB 1.0, was released in 1996, and the now commonplace Hi-Speed USB has been with us since the year 2000. The aim was to create a single standardized interface socket for the connection of any type of peripheral to a PC. A key goal was to allow for Plug and Play (PnP) capability, i.e., the connection or removal of a device from a PC without needing to restart. USB also provides power and charging capabilities to many of our mobile devices. By any standard, USB is undoubtedly wildly successful. With over 3 billion devices sold across the globe, USB is the single most ubiquitous connectivity solution in existence.
We all love our USB devices, the only downside being the number of available sockets on our PCs and the mass of cables to buy and keep tidy. But, there is a solution! This year, USB comes to the rescue once again with Wireless USB—all the same features and the same performance as hi-speed USB, but without the cables.
Imagine your current PC setup at home with all those cables—what a mess! Have you also been frustrated with the necessity to site your printer or other peripheral right next to your PC? I know I have. Wireless USB gives you the freedom to place your devices anywhere you want (within reason) and still have the same ease of use that wired USB has today. The specification allows for speeds that match current Hi-Speed USB performance, which is up to 480 Mbps at 9 feet and 110 Mbps at 30 feet. For most computers, that means you can place your external hard drives, scanners, printers, etc. anywhere in the average room.
Some of the most exciting things about this technology are the new ways to work with mobile devices. Think of being able to automatically download your digital photos or sync your music just by placing your camera or iPod anywhere in the proximity of your PC. As TV and set top-box vendors consider implementing Wireless USB into future products, imagine the possibility of streaming your photos or digital video from your camera sitting on the coffee table, direct to the television.
These features and the ultimate benefits will be available when PCs and devices have Wireless USB built in as standard. There are, however, intermediate solutions to help migrate the numerous existing products we all own. The first Wireless USB capable products were announced this past July and are initially available in the form of Notebook PCs, host adapters, and wireless hubs to upgrade existing devices. Computer manufacturers Dell and Lenovo both have announced new laptops with built-in Wireless USB. Wireless USB will become a standard option just as wireless networking (802.11) is today. If you want to take the opportunity to reorganize your home office, consider a Wireless USB hub. Major manufacturers Belkin, D-Link and Iogear have all released such products. They all come with a small adaptor that plugs into an existing USB port on your computer (looks like a USB memory stick). This communicates wirelessly with a hub that you can place anywhere within range and plug in your existing USB devices.
More than 100 companies from a wide range of industries have committed themselves to using Wireless USB. This indicates a rich breadth of choice from multiple suppliers, all of which will produce interoperable products. As the opportunity for Wireless USB heats up, manufacturers will be able to ship hundreds of millions of units within a few years. Eventually, every PC, camera, printer, camcorder, flat-panel television, and mobile phone will have a Wireless USB connection. It may be a little while yet, but freedom from wires is just around the corner. Start thinking about how you can use your wireless freedom!