WiGig

What does WiGig stand for?

“Wireless Gigabit”, or WiGig for short, is the name given to the WLAN standard 802.11ad. This standard already has a successor –  IEEE 802.11ay – which is designed to correct the existing inaccuracies in the standard definition and ensure a further increase in the data rate. This standard was developed in cooperation with the Wireless Gigabit Alliance which consists of a wide range of computer and computer software manufacturers (Intel, Microsoft, Dell, Panasonic) and the Wi-Fi Alliance.

The aim is to develop a technology that does not require a user license and that increases wireless connectivity speeds to reach the multi-gigabit range. In doing so, the unlicensed 60 GHz frequency is used. However, this standard is not all about a typical WLAN connection with Access Point and many WLAN clients, but rather, it is applied in wireless communication in point-to-point connections between two devices with high data rates in the Gigabit range. To meet these strict requirements in terms of data rates, backward compatibility with all previous WLAN standards is not required.

What are the possible areas of application of WiGig?

Typical applications are point-to-point connections in the area of home entertainment which require high bandwidths without an intermediate router such as for VR (Virtual Reality) headsets, docking stations or 4K video devices. Consequently, the scope of application is not the networking of several computers with each other, but the ad-hoc point-to-point connection between computers and peripheral devices.

The following examples of applications are conceivable:

• Wireless displays
• Transmission of ultra-high-resolution videos from Smartphone or Notebook (e.g. to a Smart TV)
• Connection between Smart TV and Mediaplayer (DVD, blu-ray) or computer and printer
• Automatic synchronization connections with high bandwidth requirements between Smartphones and PCs
• Wireless monitor interfaces on PCs, laptops, smartphones and tablets
• Wireless point-to-point connection between PC and network storage or other storage medium

What exactly are the differences to the “normal” WLAN standard?

The main difference between 802.11ad and the “normal” WLAN standard 802.11ac (use of the 5 GHz frequency band) and 802.11ax (use of the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency band) is the frequency range used.  Due to the switch to a 60 GHz band, which covers a frequency range of 57 to 66 GHz, WiGig uses much wider bandwidth channels compared to the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. Here, an overall bandwidth of approx. 8.5 Gigahertz can be accessed which is divided into 4 channels with a bandwidth of 2.16 GHz each. In comparison, in 802.11ac and 802.11ax, only maximum channel bandwidths of 80 or 160 MHz are available in the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands.

Another major difference lies in the application areas of the WLAN standards described. Unlike 802.11ac and 802.11ax, WiGig is not designed for multi-user-networks spanning several rooms, but offers solutions for broadband, wireless point-to-point connections over short distances. The use of the 60 GHz band results in higher signal attenuation in free space and through objects or walls which severely limits the maximum achievable range of the wireless signals. Oxygen in the atmosphere causes attenuation of approx. 20 dB per km. Objects, barriers (including people, for example), walls and ceilings attenuate the signals even more which means that the best possible signal transmission can only be achieved between units with a direct line-of-sight and without any drop in throughput. As a result, WiGig is used in wireless communication within one room and within a radius of maximum ten meters. This means that, due to the extremely limited range, other WLAN connections can be operated inside a building in the same frequency range without interfering with one another.

As a result, WiGig is not intended to replace the usual “normal” WLAN standards in any way but rather opens up other areas of application with higher data rates. The standard is suitable, for example, for wireless transmission of high-resolution 4K video signals or similar signals from the area of home entertainment, which puts WiGig in direct competition with wireless protocols and standards such as Wireless HDMI (WHDMI).

What are the main technical characteristics of WiGig?

Due to the use of the 60 GHz band and the resulting higher overall bandwidth, as well as the 4 individual channels, the modulation procedures for achieving high data rates are not as complex as with 802.11ac and 802.11ax. WiGig uses the Single Carrier Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex (SC-OFDM) method. In combination with beamforming to align the emission pattern of antennas, 802.11ad achieves data transmission rates of 6.76 Gbps. In order to achieve comparably high data rates in the lower frequency bands (802.11ac and 802.11ax), more sophisticated multiplexing and modulation methods such as OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) and 256-QAM or 1024-QAM are used.

Additional characteristics of WiGig are, on the one hand, energy-saving mode for battery-operated devices, as well as a possible differentiation between two modes (high-performance data transmission with a high data rate and robust data transmission with a lower data rate).

Furthermore, tri-band devices already exist which support all the bands of the various WLAN standards (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 60 GHz) described here.

re the main technical characteristics of WiGig?

Due to the use of the 60 GHz band and the resulting higher overall bandwidth, as well as the 4 individual channels, the modulation procedures for achieving high data rates are not as complex as with 802.11ac and 802.11ax. WiGig uses the Single Carrier Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex (SC-OFDM) method. In combination with beamforming to align the emission pattern of antennas, 802.11ad achieves data transmission rates of 6.76 Gbps. In order to achieve comparably high data rates in the lower frequency bands (802.11ac and 802.11ax), more sophisticated multiplexing and modulation methods such as OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) and 256-QAM or 1024-QAM are used.

Additional characteristics of WiGig are, on the one hand, energy-saving mode for battery-operated devices, as well as a possible differentiation between two modes (high-performance data transmission with a high data rate and robust data transmission with a lower data rate).

Furthermore, tri-band devices already exist which support all the bands of the various WLAN standards (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 60 GHz) described here.