Wireless Tech Chat

Silicon Valley chip company SiBeam has a wireless replacement for that tangle of cords behind your TV set.

Wireless HD can simply be thought of as sending a boatload of data across a wireless link, except that it is a data flow many, many times greater than your average home network. To put it in perspective, the amount of digital information required to show a movie in high definition is comparable to the data pipe required to light up an entire office building with run-of-the-mill broadband Internet.

In fact, because of the tremendous amount of data that SiBeam’s 60 GHz spectrum range can carry, it has been used on the rooftops of buildings to beam data from one building to another. Another use might be for a bank with several locations that wants to build a single, giant network. The 60 GHz spectrum has also been used by the military, mostly the Navy, to beam information back and forth between ships at sea.

The technology’s main drawback until now is that it requires exotic chip fabrication to build the radios. That translates to price tags for 60 GHz networking gear that run into tens of thousands of dollars. That expense might be worth it if you are the U.S. Navy or a large bank occupying most of a building, but not if you are a couch potato just looking to watch some HD television without plugging in a cable.

Over five years and with about $75 million in venture capital funding (raised from Foundation Capital, New Enterprise Associates and US Venture Partners as well as a strategic investment in December from Panasonic and Samsung), SiBeam has built 60 GHz chips using standard chip fabrication materials and techniques. What that means is that in a few months, for a few hundred dollars, you’ll be able to beam almost as much data wirelessly across your living room as the Navy does across the ocean.

Hello, my name is Brick, I’ve been blogging for 451 Press for almost two years now. My first blog for 451 Press was Encouraging Health (still going strong!) and now i’m writing on eight blogs for 451 Press.

Wireless Technology and electronics have always held a fascination for me and I enjoy reading about new and emerging technology. Currently, I have a TC1100 Slate Tablet PC (that’s my main–and only–computer), a Nokia 9500 Communicator, a Nokia 7380 (just for fun and a secondary cell phone), a Planon Pen Scanner and various health related technology that I can carry around when I travel, most of then have wireless capability, in one form or another, either Bluetooth or Ird (infrared).

Both my TC1100 and Nokia 9500 have the capability of communicating wirelessly with each other. I’ve transferred files back and forth using either bluetooth or Ird and both can print wirelessly. That’s a goal for this year, to obtain a wireless printer. It would be so nice to be able to print from anywhere without cables (that my cats love to chew on, for some Godforsaken reason).

Also this year, i’m going to get a docking station for my TC1100 and get a Wireless Illuminated Super Tiny Keyboard. Many days I’m up at 5 am to start my writing and blogging day and it’s pitch dark in my apt (as well as outside). Not really liking to turn on the overhead light or lamp, so this illumated keyboard would be just the ticket.

What’s your wireless setup?