December 17, 2009 CES 2010: A wireless OK Corral
By
Patrick
Mannion
Pre-CES is always a heady time in the wireless home video space, but never so much as this up-coming event, what with wireless LAN, 60 GHz, ultrawideband, standard and non-standard multimedia distribution schemes vying for attendees' attention--and dollars. So I sat down Asaf Avidan, VP of marketing for 'long-time' UWB chip provider, Wisair, to see where UWB stood--or if it even could find a toehold--in the fray.
At first, I was very skeptical. UWB for comms has had its problems, and the first UWB system I reviewed and tore down--back in early 2007-- was underwhelming, to say the least. Unfortunately for Asaf, that system was from Belkin and was based on Wisair's first commercial chips.
Add to the fire the accelerating series of announcements from around the wireless networking sphere, from 60-GHz options such as the WirelessHD group and the Wireless Gigabit Alliance (aka: WiGig), to IEEE 802.11n variants, and it's a tough slog for Wisair, or for anyone seeking oxygen in this rarefied atmosphere.
Just this week, ProVision Communications has gone public with its flavor of 802.11n-based wireless networking. Last week, Quantenna Communications announced its QHS600x reference design kit for full 4x4 MIMO for 802.11n and the WHDI Consortium completed its specification for wireless video over a 5 GHz variant of Wi-Fi based on technology from startup chip designer Amimon. Not to be left out, WiGig also last week gave us our first peek at its own 60-GHz spec, for data rates up to 7 Gbits/s.
So, when Avidan told me the demo he had could do 140 Mbits/s, point to point, I was left a little cold. Plus, you're pretty much on your own when it comes to what you get through walls. Wisair, understandably, won't even give you estimates on that. There are just too many variables that can play havoc on low-power, high-frequency signals. However, as we went through the interview and the demo (see video below), I could not help but think of that old adage: "A bird in the hand beats two in the bush."
As Avidan points out during our preliminary Q&A during the video demo, while WLAN-based networks have farther reach and can achieve high data rates, they have a hard time reaching the quality of service needed for high-quality video, and the improvements and standards efforts currently under way to meet those requirements could take years.
While I have always been a big fan of 60-GHz networks, given the massive swath of unlicensed bandwidth available, as well as the smaller antennas and front-end components needed because of the higher operating frequencies, Avidan was also quick to point out that higher frequencies translate to greater directionality, so you need more antennas for greater coverage using beamforming. Also, he added, SiBeam's design is currently way too power hungry, much more than originally postulated. Much of that, he said is due to the receiver-end processing required.
For more on Avidan's thoughts on the other wireless options, see the video below (approx 8 minutes).
Avidan may be right, so that leaves us with what Wisair is showing in the above video. While we may drool over what WHDI and WiGig et al are proposing out in the bushes, right now, the 'bird in the hand' is this really useful 140-Mbit/s link between a laptop and a display that can really simplify the home viewing experience and bring the full content offering of Hulu and the hundreds of other online sites--to our big screen. For approx $200. Not too bad, in my book. Two years from now, 60-GHz, WHDI or WiGig may be more viable and I'll give the $200 box to my kids.
Maybe UWB can live after all, if only as a stop-gap approach, though Avidan said Wisair is on the cusp of a new chip announcement next year. More on that when it comes out.
February 11, 2009 60GHz unbound
By
Jack
Shandle
I have to admit that a couple of years ago I was not a big fan of 60GHz wireless communication. The attenuation losses were so great and the design challenges so dicey that I figured UWB would easily beat it to market.
Even though 60GHz would theoretically deliver a higher data rate, UWB's promised 480 Mbits/s seemed good enough for most applications -- and it would get better over time. Or so I thought.
But then WiMedia stumbled. Suddenly the path to gigabit-per-second wireless wasn't so clear anymore. All eyes turned -- or should have turned -- to 60GHz.
In the past, I had covered some 60GHz developments at the IMEC nanoelectronics research center in Leuven, Belgium, as well as other gigabit/s technologies (see IMEC unveils 60-GHz multiple antenna receiver .
But a complete front-end receive chain, phase-lock loop and power amplifier (PA) within a couple of years seemed like a bit of a stretch at the time.
I was wrong. At this week's ISSCC (International Solid State Circuits Conference) in San Francisco, IMEC: (1) unveiled pretty much of a complete solution; (2) predicted with some confidence that the first commercial 60GHz products would hit the streets in 2010, and (3) offered to share its secret sauce with companies who wish to join IMEC.
"We invite the industry to join our 60GHz research program and benefit from this knowledge as well as from IMEC's advanced heterogeneous integration technologies," said Rudy Lauwereins, vice president of IMEC's Smart Systems Technology Office.
The devices are fabricated in 45-nm technology. In case you are wondering (as I did), it is TSMC's plain vanilla digital CMOS process. No GaAs. Not even any RF extensions to the process. The design was created with standard Cadence tools. The antenna and antenna interface are IMEC proprietary.
If I were a UWB company that had been swamped in last year's rough surf (which was, in small part, created by some independent testing sponsored right here on WNDL) I'd be reaching for my phone right now.
IMEC does its technology transfer in part by conducting design classes for its corporate partners. The first commercial product, according to Lauwereins, might be something like a HDTV system that will transmit an uncompressed high-definition picture over 16 antenna paths over a 10 meter range using the HDMI protocol. Power consumption for the complete receiver will be a measly 1.6W. This is a true single-chip solution.
The innovations introduced at ISSCC consist of three technologies.
First, a digitally controlled receiver RF front-end in 45nm digital CMOS with a noise figure of only 6dB. It boasts a150x150-micron footprint and power consumption of 19mA at 1.1V supply voltage. Full-digital control makes it highly suitable for phased-array systems. Frequency can be tuned in the 57-66GHz range to accommodate available spectrum around world.
Second, a fully integrated 57-66GHz phase-lock loop (PLL) that outperforms all previous designs in terms of tuning range. I also delivers quadrature output phases at millimeter wave frequencies, which means it can be used in a zero-IF architecture. The circuit consumes 78mW at 1.1V supply voltage.
Third, a millimeter-wave power amplifier in 45nm digital CMOS with state-of-the-art output power and ESD protection. The push-pull power amplifier features a 1dB compression point of 11dBm between 50 and 67GHz at 1.1V supply voltage.
November 09, 2008 UWB evolves
By
Jack
Shandle
The long-awaited UWB shakeout is upon us.
Intel recently scuttled its design effort in a move it called a classic "make vs. buy" decision. Around the same time, WiQuest closed its doors. Artimi is rumored to be ready for a realignment of some sort.
There is little doubt that UWB in the form of Certified WirelessUSB suffered some technical setbacks earlier this year. It was, for example, discovered that the companies were not getting anywhere near the data throughputs that had been advertised.
But before we close the books on UWB, let's remember that not all start-up companies are expected to survive when a new technology hits the streets. As Alereon CEO Eric Broockman pointed out in his blog, there were dozens of other Bluetooth startups, a few of which were acquired by larger companies, but ultimately CSR was the true winner.
Ditto for Wi-Fi: There were as many as 50 Wi-Fi startups but only Atheros became successful publicly traded company and technology superstar. Much the same story for Ethernet 10/100 chips. Plenty of competitors, but only Broadcom found superstardom.
October 13, 2008 Are mobile navigation services finally taking off?
By
Carolyn
Mathas
A new report by Berg Insight AB, and offered by Research and Markets says they are, based on the introduction of GPS handsets.
The report, "Mobile Navigation Services" claims that services are now taking off in North America and Europe and that the existing subscriber base of 16 million users in 2008 will grow to 70 million in 2014. The report targets vendors, telecom operators, investors, consultants, application developers, and government agencies.
The report answers:
Can the success for portable navigation devices be repeated with mobile devices?
What are the business models and revenue opportunities for mobile navigation?
What are the main differences and similarities of the European and North American markets?
Who are the leading suppliers of on-board and off-board mobile navigation solutions?
What navigation offerings are available from the mobile operators in the EU and the US?
How are industry leaders such as Nokia, TomTom and Garmin positioning themselves on the emerging market?
Will it be on-board or off-board turn-by-turn navigation solutions that prevail in the mobile space?
I have to admit that a couple of years ago I was not a big fan of 60GHz 
A new report by Berg Insight AB, and offered by Research and Markets says they are, based on the introduction of 
