On the occasion of the new and renamed Xiaomi MIX 4 there are three acronyms that stand out, UWB. But although we have already heard about this ultra-broadband (UWB) technology, do we really know what it is? What difference and what advantages does it propose compared to current wireless technologies? We are going to tell you that, with hair and signs.
UWB, a new standard of scientific discussion
UWB is a short-pulse radiocommunication technology with a higher range than the RDIF, NFC or BLE standards. Since the Telemobiloscope invented the first wireless message transmission in 1902, improving stability, speed and precision has been a constant. UWB is the next step to achieve this goal
The fundamental differences of UWB lie in, as the name suggests, the bandwidth. This technology operates in a very wide range of frequencies, between 6 GHz and 8.5 GHz, while the ultra-short pulses are emitted approximately every two nanoseconds.
The transmitter or emitter sends billions of pulses in seconds over this spread spectrum frequency and the receiver translates them and monitors the familiarity of the pulse sequences. A kind of morse code in real time.
The Xiaomi MIX 4, for example, has three antennas that, among them, “triangulate” and position three-dimensionally (obtaining the coordinates of longitudinal angle, latitude angle and distance) the place of any emitting or receiving device. Thus, in just 20 milliseconds the waves are pointed and projected towards the AIoT device.
And what does all this translate into? In some interesting advantages. First of all, security is reinforced. The higher speed and, contrary to what one might think, signal recognition, makes possible violations of a signal that emits additional “noise” difficult.
There is also energy savings: UWB uses minimal transmit power, around 30dBm —Less than a WiFi signal—, which also reduces background noise that causes interference between several different frequency streams (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or 5G). And this, by itself, increases stability.
Another essential virtue lies in the type of positioning analysis it performs. These short pulses determine the distance from any AIoT device in a matter of nanoseconds, with a range within 10 meters and a margin of error less than 20 centimeters, filtering the furthest to optimize communication.
This technology is used for any function that involves sending not very heavy packets of information in a minimum amount of time. For instance:
- Unlock digital locks to access industrial buildings, homes or your vehicle in a totally safe way.
- Make payments, replacing the current NFC standard or complementing it.
- Communicate with health sensors in a more agile way – ideal for updating the GPS without waiting or synchronizing the steps taken, calories burned and distance traveled on the fly.
- More accurately detect objects in virtual environments using AR technology (augmented reality) or help in the digitization of the logistics and production processes of companies – streamlining the automation of notices.