Two radio protocols that aim toward short-range cable replacement will work toward interoperability, according to a story at ExtremeTech. The story says the Bluetooth Special Interest Group is discussing a plan to use the Bluetooth protocol stack and interface in conjunction with the Ultra-Wideband (UWB) physical layer (PHY), allowing Bluetooth devices to communicate via the UWB interface.

According to ExtremeTech, integration of the two standards has the potential to simplify wireless standards compliance for device makers, while vastly improving Bluetooth throughput. Bluetooth-over-UWB devices could be several years away, however, due to regulatory and other hurdles.

For example, Bluetooth/UWB would break backwards compatibility with existing implementations. Additionally, Intel-backed wireless protocol Wireless USB also uses UWB as a network transport layer, meaning that Bluetooth/UWB could decrease interest in still-evolving Wireless USB technology.

Find out more about the future of Bluetooth and other short-range networking protocols, by reading the full story at ExtremeTech.

 
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