Wireless-Fidelity as we know is reaching the limits of its usefulness. It just can't keep up with our appetite for services, such as new video formats, that gobble up bandwidth. So what's next in the
world of blisteringly fast home-based wireless technologies?
To date, most Wi-Fi hotspots use one of three connectivity standards, 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g - the current favorite. Wi-Fi devices connect to the internet over the radio waves in bands around the 2.4 gigahertz and 5 GHz frequencies, as defined by IEEE.
Last year, the IEEE agreed the specification for a new Wi-Fi standard, 802.11n, which operates in both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. This standard is theoretically capable of transmitting data at 300 megabits per second comparing to 802.11g's paltry 54 Mbps. The new Wi-Fi standard should make streaming high-definition video a less jerky experience than it has been so far. And further changes may take speeds up to 600 Mbps.
Based on past experience, even the additional bandwidth will soon get eaten up by data-hungry services, so what are the prospects for even faster wireless transmission?
One method being considered is to transmit data in a different band of frequencies. Several business companies are already building systems which can operate around the 60 GHz band, including the IEEE's proposed 802.11ad standard.
In mid-2009, the Wireless Gigabit Alliance (WiGig), a consortium of technology companies including Microsoft and Intel, published its specification for 60 GHz wireless communication technology. Ali Sadri, president of WiGig, says;“Its protocol will support data transmission rates up to 7 Gbps. At that speed, you could download the equivalent of a Blu-ray disc onto your laptop in seconds”
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