Internet of Things
A local research team has developed a wireless communication system and wireless chipset that can be used for the Internet of Things (IoT).
The new invention, which can support long-range wireless communication over 1 km with less frequency interference, could be used in a Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) or a wireless communication network for utility infrastructure systems such as the IoT, smart grids, electricity, gas, and water supply.
The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) announced on April 24 that wireless communication technology for WPANs using TV White Space (TVWS) frequencies was approved as an international standard by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and that it succeeded in developing a Smart Utility Network (SUN) chipset that supports the IoT.
TVWS WPAN wireless communication technology supports long-distance wireless data communication, since it has a wider service radius with less frequency interference than Zigbee, the current preferred IoT wireless communication standard. The technology allows wireless communication to reach far and to penetrate buildings as well, so that it can be used in various network areas such as smart grids, sensor networks, and home networks. The icing on the cake is that it can resolve the frequency shortage problem, since it uses TVWS, which is an unused TV frequency.
The IoT wireless communication chipset is a system on chip (SoC) device where a central processing unit (CPU) is embedded in a fingernail-sized board. It supports a low electricity and high credibility communication environment suitable for Internal Protocol (IP) communication since its service radius is over 1 km. Therefore, it can be used for automatic wireless transmission of electricity usage, making it handy for real-time electricity usage reading as well as maximum electricity monitoring via big data analysis in the future.
ETRI explains that it can also be used as a wireless sensor that can detect cracks on large bridges. Other potential applications include safety systems for cars in parking lots and wireless gas leak detection systems in apartments.
The institute is planning to transfer the technology to a chip developer so that it can be commercialized next year.
Choi Sang-sung, the organization’s WPAN application research team head, said, “If we fuse wireless communication technology and a wireless communication chipset, we can use it with Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) for utility usage with electricity, water, and gas. The technology also has potential applications for various IoT services and Building Energy Management Systems (BEMSs) that can efficiently manage energy usage in buildings.”