The Ultra Wideband Blog

WiMedia Only

Don’t be confused. The WiMedia Alliance is the only standards-setting body for ultra wideband. I don’t know why, but some people still are unaware that IEEE disbanded its efforts and assigned the task to WiMedia. Others are unintentionally propping up the UWB Forum. A recent post on GigaOM is a good example of this, using that group’s logo as if it’s a symbol for the technology. News flash: the UWB Forum is also essentially disbanded. Their website is no longer updated and you cannot join the group even if you wanted to.

In contrast, the WiMedia Alliance is a thriving organization that is doing all the things a strong industry group should – setting standards, developing compatibility and interoperability tests, actively marketing and growing. There are now approaching 300 member companies.

For more on WiMedia, visit www.wimedia.org.

Another Milestone

Last week, ultra wideband passed another major milestone with the announcement of the finalization of the WiMedia Alliance's Certification program.  One of the organization's charters is to provide coexistence and interoperability between the different applications and products that use UWB standards and specifications.  And this new certification program goes a long way to helping ensure that interoperability and fuel the growth in adoption of the technology.

As part of the program, the WiMedia Alliance also conducts organized compatibility and interoperability testing for UWB products.  They test both the PHYs (or Physical Layer implementations) as well as the platforms.  Last week, six companies -- including Tzero -- received initial registration of their PHYs, paving the way for the next major milestone of platform certification later this year. 

Look for more information about certification on the WiMedia Alliance website.