WirelessHD, WiGig to Compete for Your Living Room
In the next 5 years, a new wireless protocols based on 60GHz will emerge for short range wireless networking.
Similar to any new technologies, there are 2 major protocols competing for mass adoption: WirelessHD and WiGig.
The 2 technologies are highlighted by EETIndia
WirelessHD is a standard currently available in products using the unlicensed 60GHz frequency band and has 40 companies among its promoters and adopters. Its initial use-case is for streaming of HDTV signals within the home. Meanwhile, 26 companies are behind the Wireless Gigabit Alliance and its WiGig standard, which is aimed initially at allowing WLAN devices to communicate at gigabit speeds within a typical room.
According to ABI Research analyst Xavier Ortiz, "The 60GHz frequency band has interesting properties that offer security and efficiency advantages for short-range networking." At these frequencies signals are attenuated by atmospheric oxygen, making eavesdropping less likely. Also, the smaller antennas used can achieve more efficient use of the spectrum for point-to-multi-point applications.
WirelessHD is the first of these standards to reach real products, most of which are aimed at the HDTV market. However, says Ortiz, "Two disadvantages inhibit WirelessHD’s adoption and negate its first-to-market advantage. First, the transmitters and receivers are expensive, in the Rs.27,706.20 to Rs.46,177.00 ($600-$1,000) range. They are also power-hungry. Solutions need to be capable of bidirectional transfer with a vast reduction in power consumption." SiBeam and Georgia Tech are two companies that can do bidirectional data transfer.
WiGig products are still on the drawing-board, but the standard aims to be part of the existing Wi-Fi ecosystem through Wi-Fi access points that include WiGig chipsets. Such an arrangement would open up the colossal existing Wi-Fi market to WiGig vendors. "If the Wi-Fi Alliance chooses to join WiGig for a 60GHz solution," Ortiz believes, "WiGig will likely be successful."
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