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Ultrawideband Soon To Be Legal In Europe
ukhackster writes "ZDNet UK is reporting that ultrawideband will be legalized in Europe within 6 months, but with tougher controls than in America — the only place where it is legal now. Ultrawideband offers wireless connectivity at speeds up to 1Gbps, and is meant to supersede USB and clear our desks of wires. In Europe, fears that UWB might interfere with other technologies have kept it out of the market. Opening up the European market could give manufacturers a powerful incentive to push UWB." From the article: "[S]ources confirmed to ZDNet UK that the restrictions put forward by the EC would indeed be more rigorous than those imposed in the US, although they would not be so restrictive as to make it impossible for some global harmonization of UWB devices... It is understood that the committee decision to allow UWB was based on a far from unanimous majority, with some Scandinavian countries and France opposing the proposal."
How are they gonna call something even wider?
So, does "clear desks of wires" include life-time battery for my camera/cell phone/zune (:p), or we'll still have to have those gross wires (but won't admit it even to ourselves, of course).
Grundes!
fears that UWB might interfere with other technologies has kept it out of the market
I've been hearing about these fears for like five years now. Why the hell doesn't anyone just test the damn thing? Is this question really that hard to settle? Am I missing something here?
Sometimes it's best to just let stupid people be stupid.
Massively Connected Architecture, or MCA?
Petabit Connected Internet, or PCI?
High Density Datalink, or HDD?
Low-range Petabit Transmissions, or LPT:?
Further examples are left as an exercise for the reader.
The question is whether UWB will actually be as useful as it's being touted. I certainly know that I have no need or desire to have a home AP that whose signal goes beyond 100 meters. I'm sure most of us won't be using it for that either.
I can see a very practical use for this for quickly deploying an internet infrastructure under an emergency situation, as this would be perfect for creating relays to maintain connectivity to a distant area while covering a huge surface. I'm sure that as time goes on other more inventive applications will come to mind.
Las quejas de un sysadmin argentino: http://aosinski.phpnet.us/
Taking a peek behind my desktop PC, I see mostly wires for the following:
2 VGA cables to my dual monitors
2 Power cords to those monitors
1 power cable for the PC
1 RF antenna for my FM tuner
1 Coax for my cable TV
1 cord for USB mouse
1 cord for USB keyboard
1 cord for power to my speakers
1 cord to connect speakers to PC
Let's do the math. 2/11 of those cords can be fixed with UWB. Unless wireless power is part of the spec, I'm quite sceptical of its desk clearing ability...
We're all hypocrites. We all have hidden parts, it's the contrast between them that make us more a hypocrite than others
Dude, that story gave me a raging clue. /BAD TROLL.
WTF are you smoking / chugging / whatever, dude?
I have some karma to burn so I thought i would copy/paste from some other trolls on here. Just for the hell of it.
Gone!
I think you are confusing Ultra-wideband and WiMax.
c ationsk
WiMax is like conventional 802.11 "WiFi," but optimized for higher data rates and much longer distances. It's like Wifi on 'roids, emphasis on coverage area and distance.
UWB is different; it's a very short-range protocol for 'desktop' use. Basically, as a way to get devices that are near each other anyway, to communicate with each other without wires. Think of it as Bluetooth on 'roids, but hopefully without all the obnoxiousness.
UWB would definitely not be good for creating point-to-point internet relays/backhaul, or any application that involved distances of more than a few feet. It uses way too much RF spectrum; the idea is that it transmits on a whole load of frequencies at once, but since the power is very low, it doesn't interfere with other things (too badly). This way you get ridiculous data rates, comparable to high-bandwidth wired protocols (so say UWB's promoters) but without having to have wires all over your desk. In a UWB-ed world, you wouldn't have to have a cable going from your scanner to your PC, because it could just pass the data wirelessly.
You might be interested in reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra-wideband#Appli
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_area_networ
"Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
How are they gonna call something even wider?
Ludicrouslywideband?
"Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
I have a logitech trackball.. it's unfortunately wireless. So every 2months I have to hunt down a pack of AA batteries from the office supply closet. Which during the holidays is impossible as everyone steals AA batteries to take home instead of buying them for their kids toys.
So, now I'll need another set for my keyboard, speakers etc...
yeah those backwards Americans, good thing I live in the forward thinking EU.. oh wait..
The war with islam is a war on the beast
The war on terror is a war for peace
First thing when I saw this title "Nice I will maybe become something better than this DSL" then I saw it was for wireless crap... Yes I still use RJ45 and proud of it !
int main() { while(1) fork(); }
Last time i checked, Europe was not a nation. I suppose the article means the European Union, but isn't it better to keep the meanings intact? Also, aren't EU bills only a recommendation for the EU states, which have to accept it one by one as well?
and clear our heads of brain cells... seriously tho, are there any risks involved?
We haven't thought about what this might do to little Sabastion!
"No freeman shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson
First, the usual disclaimer:
I'm sure that wireless technology can be useful for people with thousands of wires, especially in companies, but I wish they'd keep it there and stop assaulting the home user with it.
I'm tired of all this wireless hype that pushes many wireless products into the store, pushing away the wired, cheaper and equally adequate products. I don't have a use for a wireless mouse and/or keyboard that I have to buy batteries for. I have no use for exposing my network to everyone. Etc.
I'm also concerned over all this radio activity in the air, even though people say it's alright, which I don't believe.
And no, I don't have mobile phone, and proud of it.
Are there presently any UWB / USB-IF devices on the marker? If so, could anyone share some links
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Who says? Last time I looked, the cable and connectors were the big expense item. Wireless is just a chip, and potentially a wee little antenna.
Of course it is PRICED higher. But the wireless is cheaper, in most cases.
Ratboy
Just another "Cubible(sic) Joe" 2 17 3061
I think the UWB idea is simply horrendous. First, privacy. Has anyone thought of this? Do you REALLY want the chance of someone being able to eavesdrop on every keyboard press or mouse click you make, or all other communications to your peripherals, perhaps what you are printing out? Another concern is the exposure to the EMF fields. This will surely just increase the nasty soup of RF fields that pollute our environment already. I have heard from many people who come down with all sorts of symptoms being near the wireless networking hubs, which go away once they move away from them, such as nausea. I certainly do not trust the wireless technology myself. And we have the issue of RF pollution, disabling or interfering with broadcasting services, amateur and CB radio and such. Finally, it just isnt that practical. Since a wire allows you to concentrate the transmission in the wire, there is a far greater potential for bandwidth, since the signal only uses the space inside of the wire, rather than all of the room within a radius from the device. I like being able to use different USB cables and give high bandwidth devices their own cable and port to improve their speed. RF spectrum is actually quite limited, people who think everything can be wireless are obviously ignorant. Wired technology can provide far greater bandwidth and speeds than wireless ever will, without all of the interference, privacy and health concerns of wireless.
It is understood that the committee decision to allow UWB was based on a far from unanimous majority, with some Scandinavian countries and France opposing the proposal
France has a long tradition of objetcing to things on spurious technical, moral or other grounds - but usually the real basis is a little simpler. If UWB were owned/invented/marketed by a French company (preferably a state-backed one) then it'd be not only legal by now, but probably compulsory. As a protectionist government, they usually end up 'protecting' their people from useful new advances, and catching the rest of europe with it too.
This is going to be great for the information security industry.
http://outcampaign.org/
... from my cold dead hands.
This sig is intentionally left blank
You know, there is a difference between trolling and pointing out the flaws in your reasoning. Just saying.
Is this the same UK that is systematically removing ALL wireless networks from public schools because of an irrational fear of RF poisoning? I wonder how much more (fake) damage UWB will do to the children? Can't we just think of the children!
step 1. plug your desk into the usb port of your PC (s)
step 2. plug your desk into the mains
step 3. plonk monitors, mice, keyboards, ipods, digital cameras, possibly even laptops on desk
everything can talk to everything else, including any usb-connected devices, and everything gets power too. all it would take is a couple of induction layers and you can still have a few mm of laminated wood-effect on top. the RF communication would work pretty much like bluetooth or UWB but would induct via a plate at the bottom of the device (or the back of the ipod so it works when laid flat) into the RF Layer instead of shouting into the ether.
If you don't risk failure you don't risk success.