The technology is being called ‘Passive WiFi’.
The utility of mobile devices lies in their ability to access the Internet while keeping a synchronized track of relevant user data such as contacts, status updates and more. However, the downside of this always-on connectivity is the tendency for wireless connections to put undue strain on mobile batteries, becoming one of biggest utilizers of device power. WiFi is a known culprit in this case, especially because it is generally left active over the course of the day. This is now poised to change.
Researchers from the University of Washington’s Networks & Mobile Systems Lab led by CSE professor Shyam Gollakota have proved it possible to create WiFi signals that use only a tiny fraction of the power -- one ten thousandth -- compared to the current standard. The technology is being called ‘Passive WiFi’, and could be a boon to extending the battery life of a range of mobile device like cell phones, laptops as well as the multitude of IoT appliances and gadgets making inroads into consumers’ lives.
The trick behind this technology’s minuscule power utilization is in separating the analog and the digital parts of a typical wireless circuit. The digital part of a WiFi component converts binary information from a laptop or smartphone into a signalling standard that conforms to WiFi transmission. The analog part modulates this digital information into high-frequency waves that comprise the wireless signal -- this is the part that utilizes the majority of the overall power drawn by a WiFi card.
In the new system, the researchers relocated this higher-power analog component to a mains-connected device that sends out a wireless signal across a given area. This signal is then absorbed or reflected by digital switches integrated into devices, which serve to propagate the WiFi packets. The efficiency of this approach rises as the number of devices around the transmitting unit increases.
Initial tests clocked data speeds of upto 11Mbps across a 100-foot range, and was also shown to be backward compatible with existing wireless devices like smartphones and tablets. All the while, the test devices functioned using 10,000 times lower power -- levels that make it an order of magnitude more efficient than even Bluetooth.
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