Amsterdam (Netherlands) - It was announced today at the Certified Wireless USB Developers Conference that Wireless USB 1.1 specs will be completed in the first half of 2008.  The new spec builds upon the existing 1.0 which adopted in 2005, extending to ultra-wideband frequencies at 6 GHz and above.


Wireless USB is a fully compatible extension to wired USB technology.  The consortium hopes to leverage the success of the existing USB infrastructure into a wide adopted wireless standard.  From a developer's point of view, nothing changes to use Wireless USB.  Everything is still programmed the same way.  It's only the physical implementation of how signal gets from point A to point B which are different, and these outside the concerns of the USB developer.

There are currently more than 2 billion wired USB devices.  The Wireless USB 1.0 specification allows for up to 127 simultaneous devices communicating at speeds of 480 Mbps at 3 meters falling off to 110 Mbps at 10 meters.  It is the group's hope that Wireless USB devices can be installed and used by a particular PC or notebook using a "touch-and-go" technique.  This will allow multiple wireless USB devices to exist at nearby computers without overlap or interference by registering with the PC they're communicating with.

Wireless USB 1.1 will introduce better "first-time" device negotiation algorithms, reduced overall power consumption and new bandwidth opportunities for 6.0 GHz and higher frequencies.  No data has yet been revealed about possible speed or distance improvements in implementing the technology.

Such wireless devices could include audio speakers, keyboards, mice, cameras, cell phones, iPods, even some more bandwidth intensive applications like display devices.  Really any device needing to transmit data within the 480 Mbps bandwidth limit at close proximity could be outfitted with Wireless USB 1.0 or 1.1 when it's avaialble.

Currently there are over 100 members involved in the USB-IF (Implementers Forum).  These include a core base of seven which essentially lead and direct the group:  HP, Intel Corporation, LSI Logic, Microsoft Corporation, NEC Corporation, NXP Semiconductors, and Samsung Electronics.  The conference will wrap up tomorrow with a host of technical sessions for hardware and software developers.

Wireless USB sounds like alot of bricks.

Oct 01, 2007 12:10     

I like the idea, but those darned ac adapters are more annoying then a usb cable. Shouldn't we have DC outlets by now?
Kamujin report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Sounds good...question is: when?

Oct 01, 2007 13:00     

Anyone know or have an educated guess as to when we can expect mainstream MBs to adopt this standard?
PL report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

RE: Wireless USB Sounds like alot of bricks

Oct 01, 2007 16:10     

there are many reasons why AC is used over DC, way too many to list. its a standard that the whole world adopted and it will never change to DC. consult an electrical engineer or wikipedia for more details
Aggiestudd07 report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

What about power?

Oct 01, 2007 18:54     

How does the USB device get its power? Funnily enough I've never seen or heard of wireless USB till now
Alfonso report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Still shortsighted

Oct 02, 2007 06:32     

You USB wireless keyboards and mouses and other devices have batteries, but PLUS you have to have a USB to bluetooth or other propietary transmitter. The keyboard and mouse use rechargeable batteries, so does your mobile phone and digital cameras and camcorders. With wireless USB integrated on motherboard you don't have to plug 5 cables. Which is OK for a scanner that gets the power from USB, but for a mouse, at least you save from having another transceiver device on your desk, with a cable, and batteries for your mouse. Remote controls will also benefit. [I think the benefit here is to two-fold. First, you can plug them in and use them wired to recharge, whatever. Second, when you don't want the wire you an move them to their new location without wires. I think it would be desirable to have devices you just "touch-and-go" communicate with your PC. It would be great to not have to dig up the cable, plug it in, wait for it to sync, etc. To be able to just walk up with your iPod (which is still 60% charged) and begin syncing your music, or to walk up with your camera and download the pics immediately, etc., those would all be desirable traits. And, since it is still a USB protocol, it would not require new software, just a new hardware/chip to handle the wired/wireless communications. -Rick]

Creedence report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

6Ghz, good.

Oct 03, 2007 01:19     

Enough fighting over the 2.4Ghz. "Wireless USB 1.1" sounds confusing with the old USB 1.1 standard. They should just call it USB 3.0, or WUSB. [That may be the eventually brand name, this is only the spec standard. -Rick]
Doug_d report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

re: What about power?

Oct 03, 2007 01:22     

For some, batteries. Other, power adaptors :(, or maybe solar.
Doug_d report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0