NEC Announces First Host Controller Based on Certified Wireless USB
January 03, 2006 at 07:18:00 AM, by Thai Tan
Device Enables Wireless Data Transfer Speeds Up to 480 Megabits Per Second\n
NEC today announced its first Certified Wireless USB host controller!
This means USB devices can communicate wirelessly at transfer rates up to 480 MBps. Expect several wireless USB hubs from companies, including Belkin this week at CES 2006.
Press Release: SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 3 / NEC Electronics America, Inc. today announced that samples of the NEC Electronics host controller, based on Certified Wireless USB technology, are now available for shipping. The
uPD720170 host controller enables high-speed, wireless transmission of data between personal computers (PCs) and PC peripheral devices such as printers, external storage equipment and digital cameras, and will be used for mobile
phones and other consumer-type electronic devices as Certified Wireless USB technology is adopted in those markets. The host controller is designed to promote new levels of wireless connectivity, at data transfer rates up to 480
megabits per second (Mbps) within a range of three meters, while eliminating the need for cumbersome wires.
The uPD720170 host controller supports eight data tranfer rates (from 53.3 to 480 Mbps) and four data transfer types (control, bulk, interrupt and isochronous), and can connect up to 32 physical devices simultaneously. The
host controller is based on the WiMedia MAC and WiMedia MAC-PHY interface specifications, as well as the Wireless Host Controller Interface (WHCI) specification developed by Intel with support from Microsoft, NEC, Philips,Texas Instruments and other experts in Certified Wireless USB technology and the WiMedia Alliance's ultra-wideband (UWB) common radio platform. To facilitate development of applications based on Certified Wireless USB technology and the uPD720170 host controller, NEC Electronics, in collaboration with several ultra-wideband (UWB) PHY chip manufacturers, will provide reference boards in the second quarter of 2006.
NEC is a leading proponent of the current USB 2.0 specification and has played an important role in developing USB technologies as a member of the USB Implementers Forum. Since launching volume production of USB 2.0 devices in
2000, NEC Electronics has shipped an industry-leading 100 million units*. The company is committed to continuing its development of products based on Certified Wireless USB technology to meet the need for high-speed wireless
data transfer.
The uPD720170 host controller and other NEC Electronics solutions will be on display January 5-8, 2006, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas at the NEC Electronics America exhibit in the USB TechZone (Sands
Convention Center, booth #70050P).
Pricing and Availability
Samples of the uPD720170 host controller are now available for US$20 each, and volume production is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2006.(Pricing and availability are subject to change.) More information about NEC
Electronics' lineup of solutions based on Certified Wireless USB technology from the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) can be found at http://www.necel.com/usb/en/wusb/index.html .
NEC Wireless USB Chip
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Comments
vettam at 05:46, September 20, 2006
Now that is cool! :-D