Saying Good-bye to Cables, Dongles and Hubs

Who wouldn’t want to declutter the back of his/her computer made up of cables snaking all around? The wireless technology hopes to do just that. After Wi-Fi and the Bluetooth comes the Ultra-wideband or UWB, which has a short range of up to about 30 feet like Bluetooth, but is potentially much faster, However, the only “wireless” part that it affords is the connection between the wallet-sized hub and the computer which is equipped with a UWB dongle that sticks into a USB port.

The real potential in these initial efforts is to have UWB chips and antennas built straight into peripherals and computers. As it is, the UWB still has a long way to go towards fulfilling its promise of speeds comparable to USB cables. Eventually, the real test would be to have all certified wireless USB gadgets from different manufacturers function with each other. Proponents of UWB devices should also be able to answer concerns about power consumption, transfer speeds, standard and legality due to radio spectrum regulations in some countries.