News Six wireless USB 1.0 products certified

[Tim S]

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2007/07...ts_certified/1

The USB Implementers Forum has certified the first six products to carry the Certified Wireless USB logo. Could Bluetooth be on the way out?

[firefly]

Fantastic news, although, is it really still as fast and reliable as wired USB? To be fair, any alternative to bluetooth is going to be more than welcome, as it's handy but far too slow. My initial reaction for best use of this would be things like webcams, printers and digital cameras... actually the more I think about it, the more excited I am about it, haha, how sad is that? Gimme wireless usb!!!

[BioSniper]

Could this also potentially replace wifi for networking?
My theory here is that there is already the ability to transfer data to a device so why not.
I'll be interested to see how well it all works out though and also just how much it will cost.

[Krikkit]

Fantastic stuff, I've been hoping for something like this for a while.

Not only would it be good for thing like printers, webcams and digital cameras, it'd be brilliant for portable hard drives too - battery powered notebook drive with a W-USB adapter in it (rather than a normal 802.11x adapter).

Exciting stuff!

[Mother-Goose]

I was originally going to say NEVER am I going to use wireless keyboards and mice....but I thought about the web of cables under my desk and suddenly though it would be a VERY good idea! Yes, yes bring it on!

[riggs]

Great...for anything other than high speed data transfer. I loathe our house 54g WiFi network - it's just too damn slow. For example, copying stuff to the Xbox takes ages, it's actually quicker to just grab the machine, take it upstairs and use a CAT5 to hook it up to the PC.

Down with wireless! Well, maybe not...but at least hold off until we can match the current speed/reliability of wired.

[Kipman725]

yay this means I have a very easy way to make a boxen that straps to my headphones and lets me rock out without wires all at full quality

[Kipman725]

Originally Posted by BioSniper

Could this also potentially replace wifi for networking?
My theory here is that there is already the ability to transfer data to a device so why not.
I'll be interested to see how well it all works out though and also just how much it will cost.

nope usb doesn't do networking. Firewire however does and is dead fast. Just try getting hold of firewire chips and see why usb is alot more succesfull though. (Firewire requires NDA's and licensing agreements whereas usb doesn't)

[JADS]

Given that wireless networking still doesn't work very well after many years on the market I'm not expecting miracles from Wireless USB

[bloodcar]

Originally Posted by Kipman725

nope usb doesn't do networking. Firewire however does and is dead fast. Just try getting hold of firewire chips and see why usb is alot more succesfull though. (Firewire requires NDA's and licensing agreements whereas usb doesn't)

Wireless USB won't do networking, but I read somewhere earlier that one of the potential applications would be transferring the video you just recorded from your cell phone or camcorder straight to your TV. If everything that I use goes to a wireless USB connection, I would only need one USB port for my thumbdrive and could eliminate having 5 other ports currently filled (two cell phone cables, two USB mice, and a USB keyboard.)

[C-Sniper]

sounds interesting. my question is though, are they going to make it more secure than bluetooth? ive heard that that is the main problem when using bluetooth is that people might hack you while you are using it.

[zhangmaster12]

SICK! would be awsome for lappy and external hdd

[Zayfod]

Mayhap with this the original promises of Bluetooth could be fulfilled. I look forward to the appearance of mobile phones and PDAs which automatically synchronise with my computer once in range and all the other things that had been promised of Bluetooth but were never delivered, mostly due to the lack of, well... Standardisation within the Bluetooth 'standard'.

<rant>

Actually here's hoping that wUSB is a dumb standard like normal USB is, not a "smart" one like Bluetooth. The "smart" nature is one of the things that killed the usefulness of Bluetooth; want to transfer a file? You need the FTP profile, in both devices; want to talk over a headset? You need the voice profile, in both devices; want to listen to some music? You need the audio profile, in both devices; want to print something? You need the printing profile, in both devices...

What's that? You don't have the right profile in one of the devices? Or the profiles in one of the devices have been modified ever so slightly so that they will only work with another device of that make? Well your stuffed then. No you can't get the profile from the other device, that feature was specifically engineered out of the protocol.

Save us from "smart" protocols.

</rant>

How about a wUSB headset, that would be nice. no more tangling yourself up in cables, or accidentally strangling yourself when you get up. Still no cure for the sore ear blues though. :-)

[Anakha]

The question is, is it going to have "Wireless Power" as well. If they don't, all those nice One-Wire USB devices (Scanners, Webcams, Keyboards, Mice etc) are going to see no advantage whatsoever (Data goes over wireless, power over cable), and in fact will cause a lot more problems (Wall-Warts everywhere! Rather than having one wire from the PC to the device, you'd have one wire from the wall to the device).

That, or start buying shares in rechargeable battery companies.

[bloodcar]

Originally Posted by Zayfod

How about a wUSB headset, that would be nice. no more tangling yourself up in cables, or accidentally strangling yourself when you get up. Still no cure for the sore ear blues though. :-)

There's already wireless USB headsets out like this one but you still need a dongle for it in a USB port.

Originally Posted by Anakha

The question is, is it going to have "Wireless Power" as well. If they don't, all those nice One-Wire USB devices (Scanners, Webcams, Keyboards, Mice etc) are going to see no advantage whatsoever (Data goes over wireless, power over cable), and in fact will cause a lot more problems (Wall-Warts everywhere! Rather than having one wire from the PC to the device, you'd have one wire from the wall to the device).

That, or start buying shares in rechargeable battery companies.

The big thing about this for now is the fact that your hardware will no longer need to be physically tethered to your computer. I'd rather be tethered to a wall outlet any day of the week then to the back of my computer as that's a complete rats nest of wires no matter how I try to organize it.

[mardukph]

Originally Posted by bloodcar

The big thing about this for now is the fact that your hardware will no longer need to be physically tethered to your computer. I'd rather be tethered to a wall outlet any day of the week then to the back of my computer as that's a complete rats nest of wires no matter how I try to organize it.

True, I have a printer with wi-fi and it just sits in one corner, while I send it print jobs from accross the room on my laptop. No need to go near the printer and hook up the usb cable. One thing I'm eager about wUSB is that the transfer rate is much faster than wi-fi... though the speed difference wouldn't matter much hehe

[completemadness]

so i walk into school with a USB stick in my bag, im sitting there on a computer and somone else is downloading my data ?

[The_Beast]

sweet having a wireless wireless keyboard and mouse

[TheVoice]

Originally Posted by completemadness

so i walk into school with a USB stick in my bag, im sitting there on a computer and somone else is downloading my data ?

That'd be your fault for not putting a password on it.

[Zayfod]

Originally Posted by bloodcar

There's already wireless USB headsets out like this one but you still need a dongle for it in a USB port.

Yeah that's the sort of thing, and at a not so a bad price either, however from the reviews I found when looking for the UK price this seems to be tied into "Windows Live Messenger" whatever the heck that is, and also that the sound quality is mediocre at best.

But hey if these things are already beginning to exist using companies own tech, stripping that out and fitting the wUSB gear shouldn't be too much trouble should it? That way you could have a wUSB repeater box/hub in another room to extend the range across the house.

Originally Posted by completemadness

so i walk into school with a USB stick in my bag, im sitting there on a computer and somone else is downloading my data ?

If it's in your bag it's going to be turned off isn't it? Also there seems to be some kind of security included in the standard.
Wikipedia entry.