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UStec's Wall Plate Solution Provides Reliable and Convenient Wireless
By TMCnet Special Guest
Few would dispute the advantages of wireless connectivity. The simplicity, convenience and aesthetic appeal of wireless devices speaks for itself. Yet wireless transmission poses certain insurmountable limitations. Bandwidth is limited because wireless signals diminish dramatically with distance. Wireless signals weaken through walls, are disrupted by microwaves, cordless phones, and other wireless signals from neighbors on the same frequency.
Consequently, wireless falls short of the performance of wired connections, especially for higher bandwidth applications such as transporting video, downloading large graphic files, even browsing the Internet.
What if, however, you could combine the convenience of wireless with the reliability of wired solutions? That’s what UStec’s patented wallport approach is all about. Data, video, and voice signals are distributed via cable from a central location to wallports throughout the house.
The wallports then transmit wirelessly to devices in the room. Computers, electronic devises and home controls all operate in an integrated home network. Dead spots are eliminated and bandwidth is maximized. Homeowners enjoy a secure, reliable, high performance network with the flexibility and appeal of wireless connectivity.
One Simple, Digital Network
The emergence of digital television and digital telephone services enables the homeowner to create one digital network for all their communications and entertainment needs—television, computers, telephone, audio, home automation and security. Digital networking technology currently uses both wired and wireless mediums.
The UStec patented solution is open to any digital protocol. The wireless connection from the wallport to electronic devices in the room can be accomplished using any one of several wireless protocols including IEEE 802.11 (a,b,g,n) WiFi ( News - Alert), IEEE 1394 or WiMAX.
Benefits of Combining Wired and Wireless
The UStec patented wallport system combines the best features and benefits of both wired and wireless networks into an integrated solution. The system offers the following benefits:
Convenient connections—wireless devices connect automatically without the need for cables.
Optimal performance—Signal strength and integrity is maintained over longer
distances and through walls via cabling, allowing the last few yards to be delivered wirelessly to the electronic devices within a room.
Maximum reliability—A wireless wallport access point ensures close proximity to wireless devices within the room. The short distance between the wireless device and the transceiver (in the wall port) eliminates interference and makes wireless signals predictable and easy to control.
Neighbor friendliness—The close proximity of devices reduces power requirements for wireless transmitters, reducing potential interference for neighboring wireless networks. (High powered wireless networks are problematic in high density buildings such as condominiums, college dormitories and office parks. The current escalation of power requirements to achieve more reliability only exacerbates the issues.)
Network Topology
Cabling practices for the wired/wireless network are essentially the same as for
standard data networks. All cables are run directly from the central distribution panel to the room wallport location—commonly referred to as “homerun” or “hub and spoke” network topology. The wireless access point (built into the wallport) simply extends the network connection wirelessly to wireless consumer equipment such as laptop computers within the room.
In addition to the wireless wallport feature, devices may be connected directly to the wallport for a secure connection and to achieve much higher bandwidths and greater speeds than possible with the wireless connection. The multi room installation of the wired/wireless wallport throughout the home or office ensures elimination of “dead spots” and optimizes network performance everywhere.
The structured wiring topology allows the wireless access point to be powered from the central distribution panel via the Cat5 cables using Power over Ethernet (PoE). This eliminates the need for in-room “wall warts and bricks” power supplies. The integrated design feature differentiates the installation from typical existing “retail box” solutions.
Product Roadmap
This Ethernet wired/wireless solution the first of several product variations and upgrade products on the product roadmap. UStec’s goal is to provide a wired/wireless network that allows all home electronics to be wirelessly connected to a single converged network with reliability and performance approaching that of hardwired connections.
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William Thompson is founder and president of UStec.
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