UWB is not Apple’s first foray into new
wireless communication methods. In
2013, the company debuted iBeacon, a
wireless communication protocol that
works using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).
Part of the Bluetooth 4.0 specification,
BLE operates on the same 2.4GHz band
as regular Bluetooth. Data transfer rates
are around 1Mbps, but BLE devices tend
to be in “sleep” mode until a connection
is initiated, and can be woken in a few
milliseconds, making it more energy
efficient than regular Bluetooth.
Due to its high location tracking
accuracy, iBeacon was ideal for retailers
to guide customers around stores and to
send out advertisements based on a
shopper’s location. iBeacon was first
introduced with iOS 7 and adopted early
on by sports stadiums and a few retail
outlets such as Target and Walmart, as
well as Apple Stores. However, 10 yearson and iBeacon support remains limited,
thanks in part to its limited range and
concerns over security — it was designed
to be an open system from the start,
making it vulnerable to spoofing.
For now, BLE technology remains in
limited use, and Bluetooth 4.0 has now
been succeeded by Bluetooth 5.0 in all
the iPhone 11 models.
Apple hasn’t shut down iBeacon,
though. Details are still available on the
developer site, indicating that Apple
could add UWB support to it in future.obstacles like doors. Combined with
a high data–rate transfer ability of
between 460Mbps and 1.6Gbps, it’s ideal
for use with smart home devices or
wireless peripherals such as printers.
Another unique feature of UWB is its
ability to identify the relative position and
movement of a device using a concept
called Time of Flight (ToF). This is the
radar element of the tech; the sender can
tell the position of the receiver by sending
out a signal and measuring the time and
location of the reply. The precise
calculation of physical distance boosts
security, as it cuts out the chances of a
relay station attack — a method used by
hackers to trick devices by feeding them
false location and signal strength data.
UWB broadcasts a precisely timed
pulse across a wide spectrum of channels.
Both sender and receiver must be co–
ordinated to send and receive pulses,
within an accuracy of trillionths of a
second. Again, this makes UWB far more
secure than Wi–Fi or Bluetooth. It also
produces less radio frequency than Wi–Fi
or Bluetooth, allowing it to transfer data
with less noise and degradation in quality;
it’s faster and more eL·cient than Wi–Fi.
APPLE’S PLANS
The U1 chip is being used to power Apple’s
Find My services in the latest iPhones,
making it easier to locate lost devices to
within a few inches. This is more accurate
than in previous versions of Find My,
which used a combination of Bluetooth,
cellular, GPS and WiFi to show a range
anywhere between 6m to 30m.
Thanks to Ultra–wideband, U1–
equipped devices can send signals even
when low on power, making it easier to
Ľnd a lost or stolen device. Apple says
that the U1 chip can also be used to send
notiĽcations to nearby iPhones, enabling
anyone to identify a device and return it
to its owner once it’s placed in Lost mode
through the Find My app.
The U1 chip is currently limited to the
iPhone 11 series, but should make its way
to all Apple devices in 2020. The U1 chip is
also expected to feature in Apple’s plans
for a Tile–like location tracker (dubbed
“AirTag” in internal iOS 13 code). With
UWB built in, these trackers would be able
to survive for months without having to
be recharged. Combined with UWB’s high
accuracy, you could easily track down lost
keys, wallets, and other small items.
If UWB was to become widely adopted,
the large data handling means you could
send sizeable Ľles to a device, or stream
4K Ľlms over AirPlay. And its accuracy
means you could easily Ľnd a friend, auto
lock/unlock a door based on proximity, be
notiĽed of an oļer in a supermarket aisle,
and experience improved augmented
reality apps. SRIVATS LAKSHMANKEY FACTIn 2015, Google launched
it’s own version of iBeacon
called Eddystone.
However, in October 2017,
Google cut support for the
project from Android and
Chrome. Not many people
had heard of Bluetooth
Low Energy, and there
were security concerns
over how the audio
element of the signal
was handled.EXPLAINED Apple iBeacon
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