We have still not come very far from a past where we connected to everything, with wires. Just ten to fifteen years ago, we connected to the Internet using LAN cables through Ethernet ports. Ethernet was an example of the most common IoT connectivity technology we had back then. Although wired technologies used to be a tangling nuisance compared to today’s wireless technologies, with low power consumption, comparison faster data transfer, and high bandwidth, it was popular in the 90s and the early 2000s. Nevertheless, wired connectivity technology is still not withered as wired networking is still widely used in schools, businesses, and more complex private networks.
Connectivity technologies can be divided into the licensed spectrum and the unlicensed spectrum. In noob language, cellular networks are in the licensed spectrum while your Wi-Fi router uses the unlicensed spectrum.
Wi-Fi: The wireless you know
In the early years, before Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) technology thrive in Sri Lanka, it was a luxurious commodity among Sri Lankan households. But, with the past phased evolution of technology, soon the tables turned to favor the consumers, and Wi-Fi connectivity became less costly and more available. Today most of us, the household internet users, can’t think of any other wireless technological means to connect to our broadband other than Wi-Fi!
Average Wi-Fi users don’t know that Wireless local area network (WLAN) or as they commonly refer to as Wi-Fi, uses radio frequencies. Through that, the network can send and receive signals between devices such as laptops, tablets, smartphones, and other smart devices within the range, establishing a wireless connection.
Bluetooth to Zigbee
For connectivity, our only option cannot be
Wi-Fi. We simply need more flexible options that vary from situation to
situation. And the most popular option we use nowadays in the unlicensed
spectrum is Bluetooth!
As a standard option for battery-powered
connected devices such as smartphones, smartwatches, fitness trackers, wireless
earbuds, and tablets, Bluetooth lets users create a limited range of
connections between the devices, as mentioned earlier. One of those devices is
required to bridge data to an internet connection—the smartphone or the tablet
most of the time.
Zigbee is also a not-so-popular wireless connectivity technology that satiates the unique needs of low-cost, low-power wireless IoT networks. Zigbee is even friendlier for battery-operated devices as it has a low duty cycle. Also, it supports point-to-point networks, point-to-multipoint networks, and even mesh networks.
The future of Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi technology is evolving and growing even today. Wi-Fi 5 was introduced around 2013, and the utilization of 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks has created a broader spectrum of possibilities. But that too started to get old. The latest technology, Wi-Fi 6/6E was introduced in CES 2021, opening a portal to the future.
Wi-Fi 6 standards will facilitate cutting-edge technologies while making more space for today’s tech requirements. For an example, Wi-Fi 6 is 4X better in dense or more congested environments, improving the avarage throughput per user. By using more advanced technology, Wi-Fi 6 can lower the latency like we’ve never seen before. Lower latency means improved load time and little or no disconnections and other similar issues.
As you have already guessed, with Wi-Fi 6
standards the data transmission speed will also be increased. Experts estimate
a more than 60% increase of speed compared to today Wi-Fi 5 standards we use.
And Wi-Fi 6E standards likely to be faster than Wi-Fi 6, according to the Wi-Fi
alliance. Wi-Fi Alliance is the organization that promotes the use and
implementation of Wi-Fi technology worldwide.
The future we expect, the future we deserve
In a way, humankind is slowly becoming
technoids. Our demand and expectations of technologies are rapidly increasing.
With Wi-Fi 6 and upcoming wireless technologies, the tech advancements we have
dreamed of and read off Sci-Fi would become true soon. Most probably it will be
Wi-Fi 6 make humankind truly realize the full potential of the Internet of
Things (IoT)!
Although we have given an uneven focus to the
Wi-Fi technology here, that’s not the only wireless technology grandmaster in
town. When it comes to the licensed connectivity spectrum, fifth-generation
cellular networks, or simply 5G, is the latest wireless technology advancement.
5G wireless is exponentially faster and when it grows to its full potential, it
will likely be a revolution on wireless cellular connectivity.
When the need for an improved limited range
connectivity technologies rises, alternative connectivity technologies too
emerge into the light. Li-Fi is one of those technologies that widely discussed
in recent past. Since Li-Fi uses light to transmit data instead of radio
frequency, the range will be lower. Still, the latency too will be
significantly lower while the speed is considerably higher.
Extraterrestrial
connectivity
It’s been more than half a decade passed after
humankind recording ‘one giant leap.’ And ever since, we are planning to reach
planets far away and explore uncharted space. And for the ‘age of space
colonies,’ humankind will need to develop far better extraterrestrial
connectivity technologies.
In a way, communicating with the mother planet
from outer space is no different than a Wi-Fi router and a networking device in
your home. Only it happens on an enormous scale and at incredible distances.
This task is achieved either as direct-to-Earth communications or as a relay
system communication using space relay satellites.
Extraterrestrial connectivity is no science
fiction, and it’s evolving just like the terrestrial connectivity technologies.
We all have seen the 4K images of planet Mars sent by the Mars rovers!
Today you can be either a technophile or a
Luddite. But like it or not, in the near future, everyone and everything will
be connected, and you and I will be tiny nodes of
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