NEC's Device Wire Adapter Chip Enables Connection of Wired USB Peripherals to Wireless USB-Based Host Systems

The primary feature of the uPD720180A DWA chip is that in addition to the conventional frequency range of 3 to 5 gigahertz (GHz), it also supports the 5- to 10-GHz range. This expanded frequency range is expected to help popularize Wireless USB-based systems by solving some of the limitations of conventional systems. For example, the uPD720180A DWA chip increases communication speed when multiple Wireless USB-based hosts communicate with peripherals, and it improves communication quality by avoiding interference.

NEC Electronics’ uPD720171 host controller, which the company recently announced, already supports this wide frequency range, and by combining it with the new uPD720180A DWA chip will enable reliable Wireless USB communication.

NEC Electronics’ new uPD720180A DWA chip is compatible with the company's existing DWA chip, the uPD720180 and its highly reliable driver software. Another benefit of the uPD720180A DWA chip is that it allows consumers to associate their devices wirelessly, without using USB cables, thus making it easier to get systems up and running.

USB 2.0 is a communications protocol enabling bidirectional communication at speeds of 480 megabits per second (Mbps) and is gaining in popularity in a number of applications, including computers and peripherals, digital cameras, portable music players, and more. Wireless USB has the same maximum speed of 480 Mbps as USB 2.0, enabling wireless communication up to a range of 10 meters. It is believed that Wireless USB will become the main protocol for interfaces connecting wireless products, because it enables high-speed communication between directly connected devices, and is compatible with wired USB 2.0 devices, among other reasons.

NEC Electronics has participated in all stages of the creation of USB and Wireless USB protocols since 1996, when it joined the USB Implementers Forum, an organization for the drafting of USB-related specifications. NEC Electronics has developed chips supporting each of these communication protocols, and as a proof point of its leadership in this field, in December 2005 it released the uPD720170, the world's first host-controller for Wireless USB.