10 most important wireless technology trends :
Wireless technology plays a key role in today's communications and in the next five years new forms of communication will become central to emerging technologies including robots, drones, self-driving vehicles and new medical devices.
The top 10 trends in wireless technology are:
1. Wi-Fi - The Wi-Fi for a long time there and will remain the main network technology, high-performance homes and offices until 2024. In addition to simple communications, Wi-Fi will find new roles, such as in radar or as a component in systems two-factor authentication.
2. 5G - The first 5G cellular systems are starting to be implemented, although for their global diffusion it will take five to eight years. In some cases the technology can integrate Wi-Fi, as it is more convenient for high-speed data networks in large sites such as ports, airports and factories.
3. Wireless Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) - Conventional and self-driving cars will have to communicate with each other, as well as with road infrastructures. This scenario will be enabled by V2X wireless systems. In addition to exchanging information and status data, V2X can provide a multitude of other services, such as security capabilities, navigation support and infotainment.
4. Long range wireless power - The first generation wireless power systems did not offer the revolutionary user experience that the manufacturers hoped for. In terms of user experience, the need to place devices on a specific charging point is only slightly better than charging via cable. However, several new technologies can load devices at distances of up to a meter or on a table or desk surface.
"Long-range wireless energy could possibly eliminate power cables from desktop devices like laptops, monitors and even kitchen appliances. This will allow completely new projects in workplaces and living spaces, " said Jones.
5. Low-Power Wide-Area Networks (LPWA) - LPWA networks offer low bandwidth connectivity for IoT applications that are energy efficient to support things that require long battery life. They generally cover very large areas, such as cities or even entire countries. Current LPWA technologies include Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), Long Term Evolution for Machines (LTE-M), LoRa and Sigfox. The modules are relatively inexpensive, so IoT manufacturers can use them to enable small, low-cost, battery-powered devices like sensors and trackers.
6. Wireless Sensing - The absorption and reflection of wireless signals can be used for detection purposes. Wireless sensing technology can be used, for example, as an internal radar system for robots and drones. Even virtual assistants can use radar tracking to improve their performance when several people speak in the same room.
7. Improved wireless position monitoring - A key trend in the wireless domain is that wireless communication systems detect the positions of the devices connected to them. High-precision tracking with an accuracy of about one meter will be enabled by the next IEEE 802.11az standard and is intended to be a feature of future 5G standards.
8. Millimeter-wave wireless - Millimeter-wave wireless technology operates at frequencies between 30 and 300 gigahertz, with wavelengths between 1 and 10 millimeters. The technology can be used by wireless systems such as Wi-Fi and 5G for short-range communications and high bandwidth (eg 4K and 8K video streaming).
9. Backscatter network - Backscatter network technology can send data with very low power consumption. This feature makes it ideal for small network devices. It will be particularly important in applications where an area is already saturated with wireless signals and relatively simple IoT devices are needed, such as sensors in smart homes and offices.
10. Software -Defined Radio (SDR) - The SDR moves most of the signal processing into a radio system away from the chips and within the software. This allows the radio equipment to support more frequencies and protocols. The technology has been available for many years, but it never took off as it is more expensive than dedicated chips. However, Gartner predicts that the SDR will grow in popularity as new protocols emerge. Since older protocols are rarely withdrawn, the SDR will allow a device to support legacy protocols, with new ones that will simply be enabled through a software update.
The top 10 trends in wireless technology are:
1. Wi-Fi - The Wi-Fi for a long time there and will remain the main network technology, high-performance homes and offices until 2024. In addition to simple communications, Wi-Fi will find new roles, such as in radar or as a component in systems two-factor authentication.
2. 5G - The first 5G cellular systems are starting to be implemented, although for their global diffusion it will take five to eight years. In some cases the technology can integrate Wi-Fi, as it is more convenient for high-speed data networks in large sites such as ports, airports and factories.
3. Wireless Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) - Conventional and self-driving cars will have to communicate with each other, as well as with road infrastructures. This scenario will be enabled by V2X wireless systems. In addition to exchanging information and status data, V2X can provide a multitude of other services, such as security capabilities, navigation support and infotainment.
4. Long range wireless power - The first generation wireless power systems did not offer the revolutionary user experience that the manufacturers hoped for. In terms of user experience, the need to place devices on a specific charging point is only slightly better than charging via cable. However, several new technologies can load devices at distances of up to a meter or on a table or desk surface.
"Long-range wireless energy could possibly eliminate power cables from desktop devices like laptops, monitors and even kitchen appliances. This will allow completely new projects in workplaces and living spaces, " said Jones.
5. Low-Power Wide-Area Networks (LPWA) - LPWA networks offer low bandwidth connectivity for IoT applications that are energy efficient to support things that require long battery life. They generally cover very large areas, such as cities or even entire countries. Current LPWA technologies include Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), Long Term Evolution for Machines (LTE-M), LoRa and Sigfox. The modules are relatively inexpensive, so IoT manufacturers can use them to enable small, low-cost, battery-powered devices like sensors and trackers.
6. Wireless Sensing - The absorption and reflection of wireless signals can be used for detection purposes. Wireless sensing technology can be used, for example, as an internal radar system for robots and drones. Even virtual assistants can use radar tracking to improve their performance when several people speak in the same room.
7. Improved wireless position monitoring - A key trend in the wireless domain is that wireless communication systems detect the positions of the devices connected to them. High-precision tracking with an accuracy of about one meter will be enabled by the next IEEE 802.11az standard and is intended to be a feature of future 5G standards.
8. Millimeter-wave wireless - Millimeter-wave wireless technology operates at frequencies between 30 and 300 gigahertz, with wavelengths between 1 and 10 millimeters. The technology can be used by wireless systems such as Wi-Fi and 5G for short-range communications and high bandwidth (eg 4K and 8K video streaming).
9. Backscatter network - Backscatter network technology can send data with very low power consumption. This feature makes it ideal for small network devices. It will be particularly important in applications where an area is already saturated with wireless signals and relatively simple IoT devices are needed, such as sensors in smart homes and offices.
10. Software -Defined Radio (SDR) - The SDR moves most of the signal processing into a radio system away from the chips and within the software. This allows the radio equipment to support more frequencies and protocols. The technology has been available for many years, but it never took off as it is more expensive than dedicated chips. However, Gartner predicts that the SDR will grow in popularity as new protocols emerge. Since older protocols are rarely withdrawn, the SDR will allow a device to support legacy protocols, with new ones that will simply be enabled through a software update.
