Top Wireless Tech Trends to have an Eye on

According to a market research firm, several underlying challenges and opportunities drive wireless communications technology trends.

Fremont, CA: Wireless technology will have a significant impact on the development of components for new products and applications such as robots, drones, self-driving vehicles, and next-generation medical devices. It also implies that product designers may have to improve their skills in new technology areas over the next five years.

According to market research firms, several underlying challenges and opportunities drive wireless communications technology trends. These include wireless protocol longevity, wireless security, system architectures such as edge computing, power consumption, and cost.

• Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi will continue to be the primary high-performance communication network for homes and businesses until 2024. For example, Analysts predict that over 1.5 billion Wi-Fi chips will get shipped in 2020. Wi-Fi will also play new roles, such as components in two-factor authentication systems.

• Wireless sensing

Wireless sensing technology has many applications, ranging from medical diagnostics to smart homes. In applications such as an indoor radar system for robots and drones or virtual assistants to improve the performance when multiple people speak in the same room, wireless signals could be helpful for sensor application.

• 5G cellular

Although 5G cellular systems will deploy in 2019 and 2020, a full rollout will take five to eight years. The technology could be helpful in conjunction with Wi-Fi to provide a more cost-effective option for high-speed data networking in large sites, including ports, airports, and factories. One significant advantage is its ultra-reliable low-latency communications, which has potential in critical analysis control functions and communications, including vehicle-to-vehicle and drone applications.

• Long-range wireless power

First-generation wireless transmission systems did not provide the user experience that manufacturers had hoped for. As several technological advances can charge devices at variations of up to 1 m or over a table or desk surface, the need to place devices on a specific charger point is only marginally better than charging via cable. Long-distance wireless power can eliminate the need for power cables in desktop devices.