Ultra-wideband or UWB is a technology that is still a novelty feature on devices such as phones and tablets but has been used for decades. Earlier, the technology was limited to military use and had a narrow usage bandwidth. However, with technology becoming more accessible, UWB technology was first introduced in phones by Apple.
Apple, in 2019, introduced a U1 chip in the iPhones that enabled iPhone users to use locating features with a revamped precision and accuracy. Gradually, various other top-end smartphones saw the prevalence of this technology, for example, in Samsung S20 and S21 handsets. So, let?s dive a bit deeper into the understanding of Ultra-wideband technology.
What is Ultra-wideband technology?
Ultra-wideband is a radio protocol that enables wireless communication using radio waves. Another technology worked on the same protocol and has been a default feature in phones for a decade now. Any guesses?
Bluetooth is the technology that mirrors the functionality of the Ultra-wideband. However, the only difference between Bluetooth and UWB is that UWB operates at very high frequencies (3.1-10.6 GHz) and uses less power. UWB, like Bluetooth, is a short-range communication medium but the information processed by it is highly accurate due to the wide frequency bandwidth that it is able to foster.
How Does It Work?
This form of wireless communication has radio waves as their skeleton that keeps the technology robust. It involves a UWB transmitter and a UWB receiver. The transmitter shoots billions of radio pulses across the frequency, within which, it functions. The receiver?s role is to transform these pulses into bits of data.
Its precision in calculating the distance and subsequently locating a device germinates from its ability to calculate the time taken by the radio waves to reach the receiver and then calculate the distance between the transmitter and the receiving end. Given the bandwidth and the number of pulses it is able to send, the UWB technology is able to process roughly 25 megabits of data every second.
Where Does This Work?
With the advent of Ultra-wideband technology into phones, such as iPhones and Samsung S20, the ecosystem that these devices function in improves greatly. For instance, Apple, after introducing the UWB through the U1 chip, has introduced this feature in AirTags, Apple Watches, HomePod Mini, etc. This made the Apple ecosystem binding these devices highly efficient. As a result, it has now become easier for devices to communicate with each other with increased efficacy.
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