Wireless USB 1

ABSTRACT

The Universal Serial Bus (USB), with one billion units in the installed base, is

the most successful interface in PC history. Projections are for 3.5 billion interfaces

shipped by 2006. Benefiting from exceptionally strong industry support from all market

segments, USB continues to evolve as new technologies and products come to market.

It is already the de facto interconnect for PCs, and has proliferated into consumer

electronics (CE) and mobile devices as well. USB enjoys strong brand recognition, has

a well-recognized logo, and is supported by an experienced governing body the USB

Implementers Forum (USB-IF).

Wireless USB will build on the success of wired USB, bringing USB technology

into the wireless future. Usage will be targeted at PCs and PC peripherals, consumer

electronics and mobile devices. To maintain the same usage and architecture as wired

USB, the Wireless USB specification is being defined as a high-speed host-to device

connection. This will enable an easy migration path for today’s wired USB solutions.

www.seminarsTopics.com
Wireless USB 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 CERTIFICATE i
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii
 ABSTRACT iii
 TABLE OF CONTENTS iv

1. INTRODUCTION 1
2. BASICS OF USB PORTS 2
3. WIRELESS USB 4
4. TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS 5
5. MULTIBAND OFDM 9
6. SECURITY AND DEVICE ASSOCIATION 11
7. APPLICATIONS 12
8. DUAL ROLE DEVICES 15
9. FUTURE 17
10. SUMMARY 18
11. REFERENCES 19

www.seminarsTopics.com
Wireless USB 3

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

The Universal Serial Bus (USB), with one billion units in the installed base, is
the most successful interface in PC history. Projections are for 3.5 billion interfaces
shipped by 2006. Benefiting from exceptionally strong industry support from all market
segments, USB continues to evolve as new technologies and products come to market.
It is already the de facto interconnect for PCs, and has proliferated into consumer
electronics (CE) and mobile devices as well.

The Wireless USB is the first the high speed Personal Wireless Interconnect.
Wireless USB will build on the success of wired USB, bringing USB technology into
the wireless future. Usage will be targeted at PCs and PC peripherals, consumer
electronics and mobile devices. To maintain the same usage and architecture as wired
USB, the Wireless USB specification is being defined as a high-speed host-to-device
connection. This will enable an easy migration path for today’s wired USB solutions.

This paper takes a brief look at the widely used interconnect standard, USB and
in particular, at the emerging technology of Wireless USB and its requirements and
promises.

www.seminarsTopics.com
Wireless USB 4

CHAPTER 2
USB PORTS

Just about any computer that you buy today comes with one or more Universal
Serial Bus connectors on the back. These USB connectors let you attach everything
from mice to printers to your computer quickly and easily. The operating system
supports USB as well, so the installation of the device drivers is quick and easy, too.
Compared to other ways of connecting devices to your computer (including parallel
ports, serial ports and special cards that you install inside the computer's case), USB
devices are incredibly simple!

Anyone who has been around computers for more than two or three years knows
the problem that the Universal Serial Bus is trying to solve -- in the past, connecting
devices to computers has been a real headache!
 Printers connected to parallel printer ports, and most computers only came with
one. Things like Zip drives, which need a high-speed connection into the
computer, would use the parallel port as well, often with limited success and not
much speed.
 Modems used the serial port, but so did some printers and a variety of odd things
like Palm Pilots and digital cameras. Most computers have at most two serial
ports, and they are very slow in most cases.
 Devices that needed faster connections came with their own cards, which had to
fit in a card slot inside the computer's case. Unfortunately, the number of card
slots is limited and you needed a Ph.D. to install the software for some of the
cards.

The goal of USB is to end all of these headaches. The Universal Serial Bus gives
you a single, standardized, easy-to-use way to connect up to 127 devices to a computer.

Just about every peripheral made now comes in a USB version. In fact almost all
the devices manufactured today are designed to be interfaced to the computer via the
USB ports.

www.seminarsTopics.com
Wireless USB 5

2.1 USB CONNECTIONS

Connecting a USB device to a computer is simple -- you find the USB connector
on the back of your machine and plug the USB connector into it. If it is a new device,
the operating system auto-detects it and asks for the driver disk. If the device has
already been installed, the computer activates it and starts talking to it. USB devices can
be connected and disconnected at any time.

2.2 Usb Features

The Universal Serial Bus has the following features:

 The computer acts as the host.

 Up to 127 devices can connect to the host, either directly or by way of USB
hubs.
 Individual USB cables can run as long as 5 meters; with hubs, devices can be up
to 30 meters (six cables' worth) away from the host.
 With USB 2.,the bus has a maximum data rate of 480 megabits per second.
 A USB cable has two wires for power (+5 volts and ground) and a twisted pair
of wires to carry the data.
 On the power wires, the computer can supply up to 500 milliamps of power at 5
volts.
 Low-power devices (such as mice) can draw their power directly from the bus.
High-power devices (such as printers) have their own power supplies and draw
minimal power from the bus. Hubs can have their own power supplies to
provide power to devices connected to the hub.
 USB devices are hot-swappable, meaning you can plug them into the bus and
unplug them any time.
 Many USB devices can be put to sleep by the host computer when the computer
enters a power-saving mode.

The devices connected to a USB port rely on the USB cable to carry power and
data.

www.seminarsTopics.com
Wireless USB 6

CHAPTER 3
USB

Let us take a look at the so-called technology, Wireless USB. Of course,

Wireless USB is the wireless form of the Universal Serial Bus (USB). The essential
features of Wireless USB are almost similar to the wired form of USB. The data is
transmitted serially, it is also designed to build upon the success of the wired USB. All
it does is it replaces the need for wires to connect the devices to the computer or for that
matter any other device. Since the Wireless USB is designed to be built around the USB
itself, there is no doubt that the wireless form will gradually replace the wired form, in
this world, which is becoming increasingly wireless.

The Wireless USB can also connect 127 devices (maximum) to the host device.
This is same as the USB. However it has to be noted that the Wireless USB eliminates
the need for a hub to connect these devices to the computer. It is supposed to have a
bandwidth of 480 Mbps at launch, which in future could rise to 1 Gbps depending on
the development of the UltraWideBand technologies. What is really remarkable is that
the Wireless USB is fully compatible with the wired USB connections.

Naturally the question that arises is how the Wireless USB is able to
accommodate 127 devices in the spectrum. This is enabled with the use of MultiBand
OFDM which ensures the proper distribution of the spectrum for all the devices. In the
MB-OFDM approach, the available spectrum of 7.5GHz is divided into several
528MHz bands and each are allotted to each device depending on its status at the
particular time. It is ensured that the maximum utilization of bandwidth and minimum
power is used.

At the same time, the Wireless USB delivers the same level of security as wired
USB. It will taken into account that working of device is not heavily affected by its
security standards.

Now let us look into the details of each of these features.

www.seminarsTopics.com
Wireless USB 7

CHAPTER 4
TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS

4.1 TOPOLOGY

The fundamental relationship in Wireless USB is the “hub-and-spoke” topology.

Fig. shows the connect-and-spoke topology

The host initiates all the data traffic among the devices connected to it, allotting
time slots and data bandwidth to each device connected. These relationships are referred
to as clusters. The connections are point-to-point and directed between the Wireless
USB host and Wireless USB device. The main difference here from wired USB case is
that there are no hubs present in the connection topology. The Wireless USB host can
logically connect to a maximum of 127 Wireless USB devices. Wireless USB clusters
co-exist within an overlapping spatial environment with minimum interference, thus

www.seminarsTopics.com
Wireless USB 8
allowing for a number of other Wireless USB clusters to be present within the same
radio cell.

In addition to providing wireless connectivity, Wireless USB will be backward

compatible with wired USB and provide bridging to wired USB devices and hosts. A
method will be required to enable the exchange of data between clusters or devices not
related to the same host. This method may be a second-level connection between two
hosts (i.e., a network) or some method of transferring data between two clusters not
manage by the same host. Wireless USB technology will support the following
attributes:

 Simple, low cost implementation. The implementation will follow the wired
USB connectivity models as closely as possible to reduce development time and
to preserve the low-cost, ease-of-use model which has become pervasive in the
PC industry.
 A point-to-point connection topology supporting up to 127 devices that follows
a similar host-to-device architecture as used for wired USB.
 High spatial capacity in small areas to enable multiple devices access to high
bandwidth concurrently. Multiple channel activities will be able to occur within
a given area. The
 topology will also support multiple clusters in the same area. The number of
clusters to be supported is yet to be determined.
 A dual-role model where a device can also provide limited host capabilities.
This model would allow mobile devices to access services with a central host
supporting the services (i.e., printers and viewers). It would also allow devices
to access data outside a cluster they are connected to by creating a second cluster
as a limited host.

4.2 RADIO SYSTEM POWER AND POWER MANAGEMENT

RADIO

System power (power used only by the radio) will be expected to meet the most
stringent requirements, particularly where mobile and handheld battery life is important.

www.seminarsTopics.com
Wireless USB 9
A typical PDA uses between 250-400 mW without a radio connection. Cellular phones
typically use 200-300 mW with the primary WAN radio. Adding a Wireless USB radio
should not increase power requirements such that battery life would be reduced more
than by existing wireless technologies employed today. Battery-powered operation
requires reasonable battery life – 3 to 5 days for highly mobile devices and several
months for intermittently used devices like remote controls. Wireless USB based on
MultiBand OFDM Alliance (MBOA) radio will strive to meet this standard. The power
target for Wireless USB radio will be less than 300 mW at introduction and drive to a
target of 100 mW over time. Creative power management techniques will be used to
preserve battery life. The radio, for instance, will sleep when possible and wake upon
request. Stopping power-draining operations during idle periods will also conserve
power.

Building on early research successes, research and advanced development

efforts continue to devise interoperable platforms with common radio requirements and
to reduce platform bill of materials and manufacturing costs. The move to digital logic
is expected to revolutionize radio just as it has done with electronic devices. The
intelligence that comes with processing capability, could allow products with embedded
silicon radios to connect to multiple networks, regardless of their respective protocols or
requirements.

4.3 The Radio

The MultiBand OFDM Alliance (MBOA) and the WiMedia Alliance will base
wireless USB on the Ultra-Wideband (UWB) radio efforts. Both are open industry
associations that promote personal-area range wireless connectivity and interoperability
among multimedia devices in a networked environment. With the formation of the
MBOA in June 2003, OFDM for each sub-band was added to the initial multiband
approach to develop the best technical solution for UWB. To date, the MBOA has more
than 60 participants that support a single technical proposal for UWB. In the multiband
OFDM approach, the available spectrum of 7.5 GHz is divided into several 528 MHz
bands. This allows the selective implementation of bands at certain frequency ranges
while leaving other parts of the spectrum unused. The dynamic ability of the radio to

www.seminarsTopics.com
Wireless USB 10
operate in certain areas of the spectrum is important because it enables adaptation to
regulatory constraints imposed by governments around the world.

4.4 Performance

Wireless USB performance at launch will provide adequate bandwidth to meet

the requirements of a typical user experience with wired connections. The 480 Mbps
initial target bandwidth is comparable to the current wired Hi-Speed USB standard.
With 480 Mbps as the initial target, the Wireless USB specification will allow for
generation steps of data throughput. As the Ultra-Wideband (UWB) radio Wireless
USB is based on evolves and future process technologies take shape, bandwidth could
exceed 1 Gbps. The specification intends for Wireless USB to operate as a wire
replacement with targeted usage models for cluster connectivity to the host and device-
to-device connectivity at less than 10 meters.

www.seminarsTopics.com
Wireless USB 11

CHAPTER 5
Multiband OFDM

MB-OFDM transmits data simultaneously over multiple carriers spaced apart at

precise frequencies. Fast Fourier Transform algorithms provide nearly 100 percent
efficiency in capturing energy in a multi-path environment, while only slightly
increasing transmitter complexity. Beneficial attributes of MB-OFDM include high
spectral flexibility and resiliency to RF interference and multi-path effects. It is notable
that OFDM modulation techniques have been successfully applied to several other high-
performance, popular commercial communications systems including Wi-Fi 802.11a/g,
WiMAX 802.16a, HomePlug, and the global ADSL standards.

The figure shown below gives an example of the way MB-OFDM works. The
spectrum used is 3.1GHz to 4.8GHz.

Fig. shows an example of MultiBand OFDM

Some of the attributes of MultiBand OFDM are

Spectral Flexibility: Given the unlicensed nature of the UWB spectrum, all wireless
devices sharing the spectrum must coexist. Regardless of present or future spectral
allocations and emissions restrictions in various regions of the world, MB-OFDM is
capable of complying with local regulations by dynamically turning off certain tones or
channels in software.

www.seminarsTopics.com
Wireless USB 12

Complexity/Power Consumption: The MB-OFDM system is specifically designed to

be a low-complexity solution. A single analog receiver chain simplifies the overall
architecture and, by limiting the transmitted symbols to a quadrature phase-shift keying
(QPSK) constellation, the resolution of the DAC/ADC and the internal precision in the
digital baseband can be reduced. Relatively large spacing between carriers also relaxes
the phase noise requirements on the carrier synthesis circuitry and improves robustness
to synchronization errors. Battery life for mobile devices is a critical factor for
consumer adoption. MB-OFDM is capable of supporting a minimum of two hours of
continuous battery usage under typical conditions before a recharge is required.

Security : The technology provides an embedded, always “on”, secure foundation.

Security and privacy mechanisms are implemented at several levels of the protocol
stack to ensure a robustness equal to the needs of a wireless technology while remaining
transparent to the user. Experiences from Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and others have also guided
the security architecture.

Digital Rights Management (DRM) is considered a separate issue that is

addressed at the applications layer. However, system integrity for DRM
implementation is ensured to allow it to ride transparently on the UWB platform.

www.seminarsTopics.com
Wireless USB 13

CHAPTER 6
Security and Device Association

Wireless USB security will be designed to deliver the same level of security as
wired USB. Connection-level security between devices, for instance, will be designed to
ensure a device is associated and authenticated before operation of the device is
permitted. Higher levels of security involving encryption will be implemented at the
application level. An important goal will be to ensure that processing overhead
supporting security does not impose noticeable performance impacts or device cost. In
regards to device association, one of the primary objectives when implementing
Wireless USB will be to make sure it enables easy installation and operation.

In a way, wireless technology presents new challenges to ease of use. That’s

because wired connections provide the user with very direct expectations. In essence,
when they plug a device in, (i.e., when the wire is connected), the user can see the
connection is made (or not made if the plug doesn’t fit). Wireless connections on the
other hand, due to environmental characteristics, may establish connection paths that are
not obvious. In fact, it may not be obvious when a device is connected. To facilitate
device associations, the Wireless USB specification will include the following
requirements:

 An easy way for consumers to connect Wireless USB devices and hosts (the
focus of device connection or “pairing” will be simplicity and ease-of-use).
 Mutual authentication in device and host connections so that devices will have
the opportunity to validate the host and the host will have the opportunity to
validate the device.
 World class security as a standard and non-removable feature for all certified
Wireless USB devices.
 Asymmetric host-centric model that maintains the USB model of cheap/simple
devices and confines the complexity to the host.

www.seminarsTopics.com
Wireless USB 14

CHAPTER 7
APPLICATIONS

The growing use of wireless technology in PC, CE, and mobile communications
products, along with the convergence of product functionalities, calls for a common
wireless interconnect standard. The standard needs to work well with products and
usage models from all three industries. To better understand what’s driving the need for
a common standard, we’ll examine how these products will soon be used in home and
business environments. We’ll also consider the rise of
“dual-role” devices that include both host and device capabilities.

7.1 HOME USAGE SCENARIOS

The trend towards smaller form factors, portability and mobility in consumer
electronics devices has led to the emergence of new classes of products. These products
have rich functionality, multimedia capabilities, and require connection to other AV
devices for display, editing, listening, sharing, and downloading of content. Within the
home, for instance, a family may have a digital video camcorder, digital still camera,
portable MP3 player, PDA, tablet PC, wireless speakers, and personal video display
device.

Each of these portable devices has a need to connect to other devices such as
PCs or stationary consumer electronics products, such as stereos, HDTVs, video
recorders, enter- tainment PCs, or the like. All these devices would benefit from the
ability to connect without cables. Think, for instance, about the number of devices in
your home and the tangle of wires between them. Wireless USB would eliminate these
wires and enable devices to wirelessly connect to each other. Naturally, the CE
environment will have high expectations for performance. Many consumer usage
models will center on demanding streaming media distribution using compression
algorithms. Typical video delivery with standard SDTV/DVD can consume between 3
to 7 Mbps, while HDTV can require between 19 to 24 Mbps. A point distribution

www.seminarsTopics.com
Wireless USB 15
technology like Wireless USB with its projected effective bandwidth of 480 Mbps,
could manage multiple HDTV streams while still having the capacity to support other
high-bandwidth data streams. Host buffering could enable a network backbone to
effectively distribute content to all distribution hosts, enhancing the quality experience
for all users. The Wireless USB specification will be an effective way to ensure that the
delivered convenience and quality of service meets typical consumer entertainment
expectations.

7.2 OFFICE/BUSINESS USAGE SCENARIOS

Connectivity issues and other inconveniences of wired connections can hurt

productivity and slow the adoption of new devices within the work environment. Users
of mobile computers and PDAs particularly face connection challenges as they move
from place to place and want to use printers and other devices. Wireless USB could
simplify their lives while providing a time-saving, high-speed connection that enhances
productivity. In this section, we give some typical scenarios of how Wireless USB could
enhance connectivity in the office.

Dedicated Office Services

Executives, managers and heavy users need faster, dedicated services in their
office rather than those shared on the network. With Wireless USB, devices such as
inkjet and laser printers, scanners, external storage devices, and PC cameras can quickly
connect and exchange data at high speed. Top Wireless USB uses will probably include:
simultaneous and frequent-use mass storage for data back-up, printer connectivity,
scanner connectivity, and PDA or cell phone synchronization.

Printing to Enterprise Printer

For office workers that are very mobile and frequent different areas of an
enterprise, the option of easily printing from a mobile platform (notebook PC, PDA, cell
phone, etc.) is very attractive. With Wireless USB, a worker could simply approach the
nearest printer or multi-function device and print the needed documents. This would

www.seminarsTopics.com
Wireless USB 16
alleviate many of the inconveniences today in finding a printer on a network and
connecting to it.

Synchronizing a PDA with a Network

In industries such as medical, manufacturing and retail where mobile devices are
becoming pervasive, having wireless data synchronization ability would allow users to
quickly sync with a central computer to update the information in corporate database.
Wireless USB, for example, could enable medical professionals making rounds to take
notes and collect data on patients via handheld or PC tablet, and then quickly sync with
the network to access additional patient data/history and treatment plans.

Sharing of Peripheral Devices

Wireless USB will enable colleagues to more easily share devices and use each
other’s devices within an office environment. Easy sharing of scanners, printers, storage
devices, and other possible peripherals would be possible. Exchanging large files off
hard disk drives without sending them through e-mail or over the network would be
possible.

www.seminarsTopics.com
Wireless USB 17

CHAPTER 8
DUAL-ROLE DEVICES

A new class of Wireless USB dual-role devices is projected to eliminate wires in

many usage scenarios and enable new uses not previously possible. These devices will
offer both limited host and device capabilities, similar to that experienced with USB
On-The-Go. (USB OTG is the wired USB specification defining dual-role devices
which can act as either hosts or peripherals, and can connect to PCs or other portable
devices through the same connector.)

More detailed descriptions of various scenarios are also provided.

Camera to Printer

Wireless USB could enable people to wirelessly download and print digital
photos to a color printer. Imagine taking pictures at an amusement park and being able
to share copies immediately by transmitting the pictures to a printer at a digital photo
kiosk.

Digital Camcorder to Digital Display

Instead of having to run a cable from your digital camcorder to the video and
audio ports of a display device, Wireless USB would enable you to connect without
wires. You could instantly share your video with friends and family.

MP3 Player to Wireless Speakers

Many people already carry their music wherever they go. Imagine being able to
connect to high quality surround sound speakers wherever you are. With Wireless USB,
you could forget cables. Just hit play and listen.

www.seminarsTopics.com
Wireless USB 18

Digital Content Transfer to Personal Video Player

Wireless USB would enable hours of content to be transferred in minutes from a

personal video recorder or set top box to a personal video player. You could catch up on
the morning news, a movie or sitcoms wherever the day takes you.

www.seminarsTopics.com
Wireless USB 19

CHAPTER 9
FUTURE

The first Wireless USB implementations will be in the form of discrete silicon
that will be introduced in a number of form factors. These include add-in cards and
dongles, along with embedded solutions to support the technology’s introduction and
subsequent rapid ramp-up.

The wireless future will truly arrive once Wireless USB, along with the
Common Ultra-Wideband Platform, becomes a standard part of every processor and
chipset, integrated in CMOS silicon. The goal is for Wireless USB to become the
wireless interconnect of choice for desktop and mobile PCs, handheld, mobile, and
consumer electronic devices, allowing easy connection and data exchange at high
speeds without wires.

www.seminarsTopics.com
Wireless USB 20

CHAPTER 10
SUMMARY

The Wireless USB looks all set to replace its wired version once it is launched in
a commercial manner. However one of the major disadvantages of Wireless USB over
conventional USB is that the power supply for a device will have to be provided by
itself. In the case of conventional USB, the power to the device ( upto 500mW) was
supplied to the device through the wires used to connect a USB device to its host.

Apart from this minor disadvantage, all other factors look to favour Wireless
USB over conventional USB. It has got performance, ease of installation and use, good
security levels, and anything else you can ask for. In the wireless future, Wireless USB
will definitely have a role to play, by replacing USB as the inter-connect standard.

A proper specification for Wireless USB will be out by the fall of 2004. It will
probably be commercially available by 2006.

www.seminarsTopics.com
Wireless USB 21

REFERENCES

1. www.intel.com/technology/wirelessusb

2. www.intel.com/technology/usb

3. www.usb.org

4. www.multibandofdm.org

5. www.intel.com/technology/radio

www.seminarsTopics.com