WiGig is a technology based on the IEEE 802.11ad specification that can support data transfer speeds of up to 7Gbps (Gigabits per second), which is ten times faster than the 802.11n WiFi standard. WiGig was originally developed by the Wireless Gigabit (WiGig) Alliance and is currently being refined by the Wi-Fi Alliance following a merger of the two organizations in 2013.
Unlike earlier 802.11 specifications such as 802.11ac, which operates in the 5 GHz range, and 802.11n, which operates in both the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz ranges, WiGig operates in the 60GHz frequency band. Because it operates in the higher-frequency 60GHz range, WiGig’s wavelengths are shorter, which limits its effective range to about 30 feet.
Use Applications for WiGig and Launch Timeframe
WiGig’s high data transfer speeds and shorter range make it ideally suited for eliminating the need for wires and cables in situations such as transmitting audio and video from computing devices to HDTVs or other computing devices, as well as for connecting surround-sound speakers to audio systems.
WiGig also offers support for beamforming, dynamic frequency band-switching, low-power and security capabilities. WiGig is expected to begin appearing in computers in mid-2015, first in Intel Core M and Core M vPro chips and later in systems based on the Intel Skylake family of processors.
