Wireless IC provider Tzero Technologies this week introduced an ultrawideband (UWB) technology that the company says will rival 802.11n's speed.  

The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company is touting its new TZ 7000 chipset as the industry's first and highest-performing solution that delivers broadcast-quality video over wireless networks. Tzero claims its TZ 7000 chipset is the only wireless solution that meets the link reliability and packet error rate requirements defined by Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, Sharp and Sony in a presentation to IEEE in 2003. Unlike the 802.11 family of wireless technologies, an industry-wide set of standards for UWB was not agreed upon http://www.reed-electronics.com/electronicnews/article/CA6300611.

While different, 802.11n, the next generation of the 802.11 wireless LAN line, and UWB are often posed as competitors. Both technologies utilize more than one channel to transmit data wirelessly, enabling them to run at high speeds and stream data or video around a home. UWB technology transmits a large amount of digital data through a wide spectrum of frequency bands with very low power. Meanwhile, 802.11n uses multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) technology, the utilization of several antennas for transmitting and receiving data, resulting in added bandwidth.

Tzero said its chipset allows a wireless network for connecting home entertainment systems, computers and other consumer electronic devices within a home or office.

"The goal of Tzero's technology is to give our customer a completely wire-free home," Dan Karr, Tzero's senior VP of sales and marketing, said.

Pointing out the differences between UWB and 802.11n technologies, Karr maintained that UWB technology is superior to 802.11n for home media usage. "Tzero is not trying to sell against Wi-Fi. UWB was defined through video distribution, while 802.11n was defined for data networking," Karr said. "UWB has a high data rate, with a robustness against wireless network problems like signal fading."

Tzero's chipset provides performance up to 10 million times greater than other wireless networks and transmission speeds of up to 480Mbits/sec., the company asserted. The technology is able to carry three or more high-definition video streams across a 20-meter range while running at 100Mbits/sec., allowing for broadcast-quality video.

Production availability of the TZ 7000 UWB chipset solution is slated to begin in July.