Visit our other websites:    Consumer IT    On CE    Mobile Channels    ECI news    rAVe Europe    Digital Signage News    

 

eSP - IT Solution Providers in Europe

  • Full Screen
  • Wide Screen
  • Narrow Screen
  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size

Wireless Networks

Intel Focuses WiGig on VR

E-mail Print PDF
Intel Focuses WiGig on VR

According to Aanandtech Intel is giving up on most of its 60GHz 802.11ad-- aka WiGig-- networking products, as it has plans to discontinue all current WiGig devices before focusing the technology on VR applications.

WiGig offers higher performance than 802.11ac, reaching up to 4.8 gigabits per second. However the use of the 60GHz band (as opposed to the 5 or 2.4GHz of regular wifi) limits the technology to a very short range. It also requires line of sight between device and base station, with essentially zero penetration through walls. As such, using WiGig as a wifi replacement requires putting a base station in every room of the house.

That said, despite such limitations WiGig makes for an excellent cable replacement-- such as in VR headsets, which is where Intel is going to use the technology. Back in May 2017 HTC showed off a Vive running on WiGig, the result of a collaboration with Chipzilla. Other companies are also interested in WiGig, including AMD (who acquired Nitero for millimeter wave radio technology) and the Facebook-owned Oculus.

Read more...

Bluetooth Getting Mesh Capability

E-mail Print PDF
Bluetooth Getting Mesh Capability

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) add a new capability to the wireless connectivity standard-- mesh networking, enabling many-to-many (m:m) capability and the creation of large-scale device networks.

The technology is compatible with Bluetooth 4.0 and higher, and operates on Bluetooth Low Energy (LE). It is ideal for building automation, sensor networks and other Internet of Things (IoT) applications involving tens, hundreds or even thousands or devices. According to the SIG, Bluetooth-based mesh networks are inherently self-healing, with no single point of failure, scalable to thousands of nodes and include "industrial-grade" security.

In addition Bluetooth offers global interoperability, since multi-vendor interoperability testing is conducted during the specification development process, not after the release of the specification.

Read more...

Zigbee Claims First Multi-Band IoT Mesh Network Technology

E-mail Print PDF
Zigbee Claims First Multi-Band IoT Mesh Network Technology

The Zigbee Alliance announces Zigbee PRO 2017-- the first mesh network capable of operating on two ISM frequency bands simultaneously, sub-GHz 800-900MHz for regional requirements and 2.4GHz for global acceptance.

Zigbee PRO is the underlying network technology with support for full-stack interoperable devices certified under Zigbee 3.0. Designed to connect smart devices, Zigbee PRO 2017 promises flexibility and design choice for manufacturers, consumers and municipalities wanting to connect products across homes, buildings and cities.

“PRO 2017 is the ideal wireless solution to cast large IoT networks across buildings, business parks, large facilities, cities and venues challenged by connectivity issues such as reinforced concrete and steel studs,” the alliance says. “The deployment potential is tremendous for smart homes, smart buildings and smart cities.”

Read more...

EU Reaches €120m Wifi4EU Deal

E-mail Print PDF
EU Reaches €120m Wifi4EU Deal

The European Parliament, Council and Commission reach an agreement on Wifi4EU-- an initiative bringing free public wifi hotspots in local communities across the EU.

The three institutions plan to spend €120 million on the funding of public free wifi services in 6000 to 8000 municipalities in all member states. Funding sources are still being finalised, but will be based on the view of the current Multiannual Financial Framework program. Once it is set up local authorities will be (obviously) able to apply for funding through a "simple and non-bureaucratic process."

Read more...

Z-Wave Devices Get Mandatory Security

E-mail Print PDF
Z-Wave Devices Get Mandatory Security

The Z-Wave Alliance announces all Z-Wave devices require "strict and uniform" adoption of the Security 2 (S2) framework, the most advanced security for connected devices, controllers, gateways and hubs available.

The alliance board unanimously voted in favour of the addition of the S2 framework back in November 2016. From April 2017 a technical certification program administered through 3rd party test facilities in Europe, US and Asia will check all new certified devices carry the correct implementation of S2 security solutions containing rules for command classes, timers and device types. S2 devices should also be backwards compatible with existing devices on the market.

S2 removes the risk of devices getting hacked while included on the network, since devices are uniquely authenticated on the network via QR or pin-code included on the device itself. The addition of secure key exchange via Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hilman (ECDH) eliminates the threat of common hacks such as man in the middle and brute force, while the tunneling of Z-Wave over IP (Z/IP) traffic through a secure TLS 1.1 tunnel secures cloud communications.

Read more...

Page 6 of 23