Issue link: https://resources.mouser.com/i/1520712
22 Next-Gen Connectivity for Smart Living As a peer-to-peer network, UWB can hand off signals to adjacent nodes and accurately track movement as tracked objects move into and out of range. This capability enables UWB to be effective in wide-area network applications, utilizing a mesh or baton-passing architecture for expansion. Such an approach covers vast areas, reaching aggregated access points and facilitating optimal node placement. Additionally, it reduces the need for line of sight, enhancing flexibility in various environments. Based on a hierarchy of anchored initiators and responders, UWB allows multiple devices, sensors, actuators, peripherals, and remote machines to create a personal area network with delineated zones and regions. Figure 1: UWB is far superior to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and RFID in many ways, especially location tracking accuracy and latency. (Source: Qorvo) It uses a wider bandwidth of the signal spectrum (from 3.1GHz to 10.6GHz), allowing UWB signals to coexist with other RF technologies with minimal interference. It can penetrate walls and ceilings, so it may be used in many indoor applications. But its most significant near-term use will be within the automotive industry. UWB allows devices to operate within an extensive bandwidth (Figure 2). This allows frequency and band selections that are low noise for any specific application. Various modulation schemes can be used to further enhance reliability, including pulse position modulation, bipolar signaling, pulse amplitude modulation, and on/off keying. UWB can also use orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) by subdividing the bandwidth into broadband channels.