Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology offers unique capabilities for wireless communication. While standards like FiRa, CCC, and Omlox capitalize on UWB's ability to provide accurate ranging for indoor positioning systems, they often overlook its potential for data communication. This is likely due to concerns about UWB's power consumption compared to traditional Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. However, we believe data communication over UWB holds significant promise for specific applications, particularly in healthcare and ultra-secure environments.

In these settings, the commonly used unlicensed 2.4 GHz band can be congested and unreliable. UWB operates in a different frequency range, offering several advantages for data communication. UWB's wide bandwidth allows for signals to spread across a larger frequency spectrum, making it less susceptible to interference from other wireless technologies operating in the crowded 2.4 GHz band. UWB can achieve faster data transfer rates compared to traditional low-power wireless solutions like Bluetooth, enabling the transmission of larger data packets efficiently. While not the focus of data communication, UWB's inherent ranging capabilities can still be valuable in certain healthcare applications, such as asset tracking or patient monitoring within a hospital setting.

Therefore, UWB offers a compelling alternative for secure and reliable short-range data communication.

Publications

K. Reaz et al., Advancements in UWB: Paving the Way for Sovereign Data Networks in Healthcare Facilities, accepted in ACM MobiSys workshop, 2024

K. Reaz et al.,UWB Security and Enhancements,  techrxiv.171085006.63940566/v1