Fibres For all its strengths, WiFi still has to compete with other promising technologies. Optical fibres carry the vast majority of information traffic around the world and new developments may even increase their role. A research team at the University of Sydney has developed what it calls 'photonic chips', which could be used to replace silicon-based electrical connections, with massive increases in speed and energy efficiency. The wires are one hundred times thinner than existing optical fibre, roughly the diameter of the wavelength of visible light. In the future they could be used to link computers, allowing data to be sent at speeds and volumes even greater than is now possible with WiFi technology. This technology will still be constrained by the fact that it involves a physical connection – a cable – but nevertheless it could play a huge part in future connectivity. WiMAX WiMAX is the term used to describe wireless systems that implement a different industry standard, IEEE 802.16. It was designed originally to provide broadband internet access to stationary devices in the 2–11 GHz radio frequency range, but its proponents are also developing it as a way to service mobile devices in a similar way to WiFi. It can cover a wider area than WiFi (up to 50 km), which makes it an attractive option for providing wireless internet access at a reasonably large, metropolitan-area scale. Related sites
Other boxes Box 2. Remote sensors and their applications Box 3. Security and encryption
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Posted January 2007.
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