* 7Gbps Wi-Fi, other technologies heat up
A group called the Wireless Gigabit Alliance has published its initial technology specification, formed a certification partnership with the well-known Wi-Fi Alliance and has added Cisco to its membership roster.
The so-called “WiGig” group has been developing wireless data technology in the unlicensed 60GHz frequency. WiGig networks will transmit data up to 7Gbps speeds, or about 10 times faster than 802.11n Wi-Fi networks, over short distances. The reported goal is to support local applications such as high-speed file transfers and wireless high-definition video transmission between PCs and/or docking stations, phones, and television sets over short distances.
FAQ: WiGig Alliance Wireless Technology
The Wi-Fi Alliance’s graphic designers will be busy figuring out how to append a certification logo on Wi-Fi Alliance-certified products alongside 802.11a/b/g/ and n; the idea is that, eventually, both 802.11n and WiGig connections could be integrated into Wi-Fi-certified devices to handle multiple applications.
While it has been reported that WiGig products aren’t likely to show up on the market for another two years, Craig Mathias, principal at Farpoint Group, expects to see them this year. “We have everything we need,” he says. “It shouldn’t take that long.”
There are other short-range, high-speed technologies in various stages of development for similar applications. Among them: WirelessHD (10Gbps) from the WirelessHD Consortium and Bluetooth 3.0 (24Mbps) from the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG).
There’s also an IEEE specification under development called 802.11ad for Very High Throughput, also crafted to run in the 60GHz band. Whether the WiGig technology ends up merging with or competing against 802.11ad remains to be seen.
“The WirelessHD guys are in the HDMI cable replacement business, while the WiGig guys are in the wireless LAN business with a little bit of video on top of that,” Mathias explains.
The industry needs Bluetooth for legacy headset applications, but Bluetooth capabilities could be accomplished by Wi-Fi technology as well, Mathias says.
