Wireless USB and USB 3.0: The future of the USB standard

Wireless USB was created by “The Wireless USB Promoter Group” and is aiming to compete and even replace other existing standards like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. For this to happen, numerous manufacturers/makers are investing in the project. The most important alliance is “The USB Implementers Forum” with this group including players like Microsoft, Intel, Apple, Hewlett-Packard, NEC and Agere System, using the label “Certified Wireless USB”. WUSB (Wireless USB) is also looking to replace the current USB, with the goal simply being to get rid of all our cables!

The theoretical speeds on offer diminish depending on the distance. In a circumference of 3 meters it is possible to reach a speed of 480 Mbit/s (60MB/s) while at 10 meters the speed drops to 110 Mbit/s (13.75 MB/s), which is still a pretty good speed. A non negligible advantage is that WUSB doesn’t interrupt Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connections as it is based on short range radio carried on the Ultra Wide Band (UWB) running at higher frequencies. This technology passes through obstacles better and exploits frequencies ranging from 3.1 to 10.6 GHz. The encryption algorithm being used is currently 128 bit AES. Like with USB 2.0, you can chain together up to 127 peripherals, all linked to a primary host.

The other competitors (Belkin, Logitech, Virtual Ink) are grouped together arounf Cypress Semiconductor and the “Wireless USB” label. The Cypress “WirelessUSB” protocol uses the same 2.4 GHz frequency as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The speeds are not as high as “Certified Wireless USB” as here you reach 1 Mbit/s at 10 meters and 62.5 kbit/s at 50 meters.

Finally, other projects are studying technologies derived from Ultra-Wide Band (see Freescale).