News & Analysis
Bluetooth SIG puts 802.11 on fast track for high-speed spec
Jack Shandle
2/10/2008 3:00 PM EST
Dual-mode Wi-Fi/Bluetooth systems will use the same 2.4 GHz radio for high-speed data transfers and also take advantage of the Bluetooth profiles and other aspects of the Bluetooth specification. The core specification for high speed operation is expected to be published to members in mid-2009, according to Michael Foley, executive director of the Bluetooth SIG.
Wi-Fi data rates of 20 Mbits/s or more are a substantial improvement over the 1 Mbit/s offered by Bluetooth 1.2 or the 3 Mbits/s of Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR. The cooperation of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi under a single specification should also open new markets for Bluetooth, including the coveted portable PC market.
The target 802.11 technologies are, however, 802.11g and 11a—not the most recent and highest speed standard, 802.11n.
The move is a change in direction for the SIG, which in 2006 indicated that the WiMedia Alliance's UWB technology would be the technology of choice for moving to high data rates.
The SIG has now positioned UWB as the second phase in a two-phased roadmap. Although the WiMedia Alliance has touted its technology as having a PHY rate of 480 Mbits/s, actual system-to-system data throughputs so far have been only a small percentage of that.
More information is available at Comprehensive UWB tests caution on wireless USB.
Wi-Fi was moved to the top priority, Foley said, because there are already a substantial number of 802.11/Bluetooth chip sets in the market and because 6-GHz chips conforming to WiMedia Alliance specification appear to have been delayed.
The Bluetooth SIG's technology roadmap to higher data rates allows the SIG to change it priorities. The specification is defined as a generic solution into which many high-speed technologies might fit.
"We're committed to speedy wireless personal area network connections and we'll always be looking for the best near term and long term way to accomplish that," Foley said. "The greatness of a generic alternate radio architecture being developed is that it's adaptable."
The high-speed specification uses an innovative method of radio substitution in which the Bluetooth protocols, profiles, security and pairing are used in consumer devices while achieving faster throughput with momentary use of a secondary radio already present in the device.
This architecture is called 'Alternate MAC/PHY' and allows the use of an 802.11 radio, when necessary, to send bulky entertainment data, faster. When the speed of 802.11 is overkill, the connection returns to normal operation on a Bluetooth radio for optimal power management and performance.
Some applications for high-speed transfers include:
