Printer Friendly PDF Version

Pages <next> - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 -

Taking the Wires Out of USB - Wireless Solutions

Contents

Wireless USB
USB Adapters
Cable Replacement
USB in Time and Space
ExtremeUSB® Wireless
Survey of Wireless Protocols
How ExtremeUSB Overcomes Delay

Wireless USB
>> Benefits and Limitations

Since its introduction in the late 1990s, USB has become an enormous success, creating an industry that has delivered billions of devices into the marketplace. With the vast majority of computing peripherals supporting the USB protocol, and the benefits of high bandwidth connectivity provided by the USB 2.0 standard, the development focus for next generation USB technologies has firmly entrenched itself in the wireless domain. With the widespread benefit and appeal of wireless technologies such as 802.11 and Bluetooth, the benefits of a wireless USB solution are vast. However, when looking at available and possible solutions, one should remember that the path to success is not always a simple one. Many of the benefits of a wired USB connection become serious hurdles to overcome in the quest to take the wires off the desktop.

This whitepaper addresses some of the misconceptions of wireless USB technologies and provides an overview of the current landscape of available and future solutions.

USB Adapters
>> Transports a non-USB protocol

It is useful to note in a discussion regarding Wireless USB is that the end goal of the solution is to provide a cable replacement for a pure USB connection. Many Wireless USB adapters exist today, but these adapters do not perform the function required of a true Wireless USB solution.

A USB adapter, devices such as USB-to-Serial, USB-to-Ethernet, USB-to-802.11 and USB modems (USB-to-Telco or USB-to-Cable TV), provides an external connection and protocol conversion that just happens to connect to the PC via USB. The USB device itself is the dongle or adapter unit directly connected to the host. The remote side, is not a USB device, and the connection is not USB. The goal of a true Wireless USB solution is to enable connectivity of any USB device, and provide the same convenience of a simple wired USB connection.

Pages <next> - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 -