Posted: 26th Jan, 2005 By: MarkJ
German experts have managed to tweak forthcoming 802.11n Wi-Fi technology by making better use of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) and Multiple In Multiple Out (Mimo) methods. The result? A Wi-Fi link capable of 1Gbps!:
Mimo uses multiple aerials at the transmitter and receiver ends. These transmit different data flows over the same frequencies, like different groups of people holding separate conversations in one room. Clever processing at the receiver can separate the data from the different sources, increasing the throughput a lot.
Speeds in excess of 1Gbit/sec had been achieved wirelessly before but only using methods requiring line of sight and directional aerials. These are easily blocked and less suitable for mobile links because the aerial must keep pointing in the right direction. 'Our link needs no line of sight or tracking and so it allows for true mobility of the user. This is really novel at such high data rates,' said Volker Jungnickel of the Fraunhofer Institute, which is working on the technology.Sadly the range of their test was just 5 metres, although it's believed they can push it further.
The base technology will initially launch around mid-2006, with rates of 100Mbps being promised. More @
VNUNet.