Wireless Networking INSIDE Of Devices? Sony Sure Thinks So!
Sony is demoing a new wireless communications technology to replace the wiring inside of devices. It’s being called “millimeter wave” because it operates in the 1-10mm wavelength, and it just may one day replace a lot of wires inside of your TV. It has a very high data transfer rate (11 Gb/s so far), and can use incredibly tiny antennae. The only real limitation is its range, a mere 14mm at present. Sony recons though that with a directional antenna it can reach as far as 50mm.
The big questions though is why. Why would you replace perfectly good wired communication with wireless communication inside of a device?
One answer, is money. Wires cost money. Where as a 1mm wireless antenna to reach across 50mm of distance, well that’s potentially a heck of a lot cheaper in materials.
There’s also another consideration as well, and that’s that not all parts in a device work well with wires. Take laptops for example. The monitor hinged to the base has a bunch of tiny wires connecting it for your video signal. Which requires a lot of design consideration and parts testing so that the wires don’t accidentally break during the life of the product and you suddenly find your laptop has a dead black screen. That’d suck. Where as if that video signal were sent from the base to the monitor wirelessly, you’d never have to worry about routing those cables or testing that they won’t break, because there are no cables to route. The more portable and changeable our electronic gadgetry becomes, the more a few wireless connections to replace wired ones makes sense.
Of course it’s rather a security nightmare of sorts to think that, just like your RFIDed passport, someone could snoop goodness knows what by walking by with a listening device while you use your shiny new Sony netbook at the airport. But hopefully that will be addressed.
It should be interesting to see where this “millimeter wave” networking takes us.

