802.11ad
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Qualcomm's new 60GHz WiFi chips promise better VR
Mobile chip manufacturer Qualcomm has announced a family of 60GHz WiFi chips, the QCA64x8 and QCA64x1, which can deliver speeds of over 10Gbps. The WiFi 802.11ay standard that these chips use bring with it theoretical speeds that can surpass even most types of home Ethernet connections. To put the speed of 802.11ay at 60Ghz into context, that's 10 times more than the 1Gbps internet connection speeds that most major US cities top out at. Given the theoretical speeds of 802.11ay at 60GHz, the bottleneck would likely be your computer's internal components.
Imad Khan10.16.2018
Intel focuses its WiGig efforts on wireless VR (updated)
Don't count on finding multi-gigabit WiFi in your laptop in the near future. Intel has announced that it's discontinuing virtually all of its current WiGig hardware by the end of 2017, including antennas and controllers. Instead, the focus is on using the technology for wireless VR -- don't worry, Intel knows you hate tripping over cords. The news is unfortunate if you're a fan of WiGig's potential, but it's understandable given the practical reality.
Jon Fingas09.10.2017
WiGig will bring superfast WiFi to devices next year
The WiFi Alliance has finally certified "WiGig," a high-speed, 60 GHz standard otherwise known as 802.11ad. Using beamforming, it can yield speeds of up to 8 Gbps, or nearly 1GB per second from a distance of up to 10 meters. As many as 180 million devices using the standard, like routers, laptops and smartphones will arrive by the end of next year, the group said. It also unveiled the first five certified WiGig products from Intel, Dell and Qualcomm, among others.
Steve Dent10.25.2016
Samsung readying crazy fast next-gen WiFi devices
Samsung has revealed that by 2015 it may be selling WiFi devices that use unlicensed, 60GHz spectrum to transfer data at 575MB/s -- five times faster than current tech. If that sounds familiar, it's also the WiGig Alliance's 802.11ad WiFi standard, which has a moderately faster theoretical speed of 875MB/s. However, "theoretical" is the operational word -- in practice, WiGig bounces off walls rather than penetrating them, so speeds drop rapidly without line-of-sight transmission. In addition, WiGig's short wavelengths are susceptible to interference by other devices. Samsung claims it's solved those problems by using beam-forming antennas that adapt to changing conditions in less than 0.33 milliseconds. It plans to put the tech in a variety of devices, including its Smart Home and mobile products as early as next year. We're not sure if those devices will conform to the WiGig standard or fork it, so we've reached out to Samsung for more info. [Image credit: JOSEP LAGO/AFP/Getty Images]
Steve Dent10.13.2014
DisplayLink's adaptor streams 4K content over USB 2.0 and 3.0 (eyes-on)
DisplayLink's been wringing all kinds of connectivity out of our computer's USB ports for years, turning one connection into many. It should come as no surprise, then, that the company's using its considerable compression expertise to send high-resolution 4K video through that very same pipe. Ideally, the system shoots video over USB 3.0, while still giving users the full connectivity options of any compatible DisplayLink device -- but it can also function using USB 2.0, though the dynamically compensating data compression at work may cause some frames to drop. We chatted with Displaylink's Director of Marketing, Andy Davis, about the feature and he informed us that the new 4K capability comes courtesy of a chip design first revealed back at CES that, while upping the max resolution of transmitted video, has no trouble driving multiple displays. In theory,the number of 4K screens the chip can drive is only limited by the graphics drivers and video decoding capabilities of the computer it's connected to. And, the new architecture also enables wireless streaming of 4K video using 802.11ad and can stream 1080p video over 802.11ac (4K over 802.11ac is in the works). We got to see a brief demo of the technology in action, and the video played back flawlessly over USB 3.0 for the few minutes we saw it work. Using 2.0, we noticed a slight flicker once or twice during playback, but the feed was still quite watchable. All in all, its a nice addition to the DisplayLink feature set. Now if they'd just let us know when we'll actually see it implemented in something we can buy.
Michael Gorman09.10.2013
Dell ships its WiGig-based Wireless Dock, gives your Latitude a home base for $249 (video)
Dell has been teasing plans for a true wireless dock that would let Latitude 6430u Ultrabook owners get all the expansion they need without proprietary technologies -- or the usual cable spaghetti. It's at last here in the (rather plainly titled) Dell Wireless Dock. The station relies on a bandwidth-rich WiGig connection to give the Latitude supplementary audio, DisplayPort, HDMI, Ethernet and three USB 3.0 ports without skipping a beat. Few would call the Wireless Dock cheap at $249, but it could be a time-saver for any worker who just wants to grab their laptop and go at the end of a long day. Eager buyers should see the dock at the source link very shortly.
Jon Fingas02.25.2013
Qualcomm and Wilocity cram 802.11ac and 802.11ad into single tri-band design
Qualcomm and Wilocity are teaming up at CES to deliver what they claim is the world's first tri-band WiFi solution that combines 802.11ac and 802.11ad. The new QCA9006 line (available in two different formfactors) is a natural evolution of the AR9004TB chipset, which married 802.11n to the WiGig standard. The newest reference design uses 60GHz, 5GHz and 2.4GHz radios to achieve both high speeds and broad compatibility. Sadly, there's no immediate plans for such a cutting edge wireless chip to make its way into a shipping product. Though, CES is just getting started, so there's always a chance some other company could deliver us a pleasant surprise. Check out the PR after the break.
Terrence O'Brien01.08.2013
ZTE throws weight behind WiGig, because the real fun happens at 60GHz
Venture far out into the wireless spectrum, until the familiar 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands are but flecks on the horizon, and eventually you'll come across a party raging in the middle of nowhere. There are only a few geeks dancing in the 60GHz (802.11ad) tent at present, but prototype devices are already emerging and now Chinese manufacturer ZTE has joined the WiGig alliance too. With the latest standard promising a maximum throughput of 7Gbps, potentially even for smartphones, homesickness seems unlikely.[Burning Man photo via Shutterstock]
Sharif Sakr03.01.2012
Panasonic shrinks WiGig for cellphones, sets our hearts a flutter
Tri-band WiGig in a laptop? Yawnsville. Now, put that 60GHz connection in a high-end smartphone and we're all ears (and sweaty palms). Panasonic is the first out the gate with a 802.11ad compatible chip for mobile devices and, despite its head-spinning multi-gigabit speeds, the company's creation draws less that 1W of power. It'll be sometime before WiGig makes its way into your Droid or iPhone, but when it does you can look forward to wirelessly syncing entire seasons of Good Eats (in 1080p, of course) to your phone in mere minutes. Until then, you'll just have to make do with the tantalizing PR after the break.
Terrence O'Brien06.03.2011
Qualcomm unleashes tri-band WiFi and new mobile wireless chipset
Qualcomm might be all juiced up about getting its Snapdragon processor in 250 upcoming devices, but that doesn't mean the company has forgotten its wireless roots. The San Diego-based chip maker announced that its partnership with Wilocity has finally bore fruit in the form of the AR9004TB chipset. This tri-band wireless setup adds 60GHz WiGig to the usual 2.4 and 5GHz dual-band 802.11n formula for "multi-gigabit in-room performance." Though far from finalized, the 802.11ad standard being pushed by the WiGig alliance should be able to hit speeds of 5Gbps -- more than enough to blast several HD video streams around your home. It also packs Bluetooth 4.0 for your less bandwidth intensive (and more battery sensitive) computing needs. Going smaller scale, Qualcomm also unveiled the WCN3660, a wireless chipset to complement its Snapdragon CPU in smartphones and tablets. Inside this sliver of silicon is a dual-band Wi-Fi radio, Bluetooth 4.0, and an FM radio. It also supports Wi-Fi Display (not to be confused with WiDi) for beaming video to a WiFi-enabled TV or monitor. Head on after the break for more PR than you can shake an antenna at.
Terrence O'Brien06.01.2011