Brief by Mike Coop of heyCoop, LLC. Presented at the Department of Navy Chief Information Officer Wireless Working Group (DON CIO WWG) conference in Virginia Beach, VA, 11 May 2009

1. Wireless USB…!
and a few other!
PAN Technologies!
Mike Coop!
heyCoop, LLC!
mcoop (at) heycoop.com!
© 2009
heyCoop, LLC
All rights reserved

2. Obligatory Disclaimer Slide!
• Don’t believe anything I say!
• Use this presentation to facilitate your
research, not in lieu of!
• Opinions expressed are solely my own, and
represent no entity other than heyCoop, LLC!
© 2009
heyCoop, LLC
All rights reserved

3. Obligatory Who Am I Slide!
• 20+ years in technology, in roles including systems
engineering, business development, sales, and
marketing!
• Tenure in organizations large (Microsoft, Cisco) and
small (Cranite Systems, Tzero Technologies)!
• Spent 2002-2006 as VP of Consulting Engineering at
Cranite, working through various wireless policies,
including ASD-NII, Army, Navy, and Marine Corps!
• Spent 2006-2007 as VP of Strategic Alliances at Tzero,
working on ultra-wideband PAN standards and
implementation!
• Launched heyCoop, LLC in 2007, focusing primarily on
consumer electronics and digital home standards and
implementation—and on information assurance policy!
• In addition to customer work, heyCoop, LLC is a
member of IEEE 1680.3, UPnP Forum, and Bluetooth SIG! © 2009
heyCoop, LLC
All rights reserved

4. Topics!
• Data-centric wireless PAN technologies!
– Certified Wireless USB!
– Bluetooth!
– Cliffside!
• SuperSpeed USB (one slide, just because)!
• Video-centric wireless PAN technologies!
– WHDI!
– Wireless HD!
– WiGig!
© 2009
heyCoop, LLC
All rights reserved

5. What is Certified Wireless USB?!
• Does what you think it does—allows USB connectivity,
wirelessly!
• More than 100 certified devices; mostly silicon, but
numerous hub & dongle sets, laptops, docking stations,
and other device categories!
• Top speed of 480 mb/s; uses 528 MHz channels in the
3.1-10.6 GHz bands!
• Based on an ultra-wideband specification originally
published by WiMedia Alliance!
© 2009
heyCoop, LLC
All rights reserved

6. What is Ultra-wideband?!
• Ultra-wideband (UWB) is a wireless
transmission technique approved for
unlicensed use in 2002 under FCC Part 15 !
• As defined by the FCC and ITU, UWB is a
transmission whose bandwidth is either!
– 20% of its center frequency!
– At least 500 MHz wide!
© 2009
heyCoop, LLC
All rights reserved

7. Where is Ultra-wideband?!
© 2009
heyCoop, LLC
All rights reserved

8. How is Ultra-wideband?!
• Good news!
– Wicked amounts of bandwidth!
– Security baked in from the start!
– Second generation products now shipping!
• Bad news!
Horrible restrictions on emitted power!
–
First generation products kind of sucked!
–
Still too pricey compared to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth!
–
Industry alliance has shuttered, leaving further
–
development in doubt!
© 2009
heyCoop, LLC
All rights reserved

9. Wireless USB Security!
• Initial setup is called “association”!
– Cable model mandates a first connection via cable; once
associated, devices can communicate wirelessly!
– Numeric model mandates comparison of codes displayed
on both devices, or manual entry of a displayed code
(similar to Bluetooth)!
• Well-designed security architecture!
Mutual authentication!
–
4-way handshake!
–
Pairwise temporal key (PTK)!
–
Group temporal key (GTK)!
–
• Data privacy uses CCM—Counter with CBC-MAC!
• Integrity is a 64-bit MIC for entire packet!
• Much more on wireless USB security at
http://tinyurl.com/wusbsecurity!
© 2009
heyCoop, LLC
All rights reserved

10. Wireless USB’s Future!
• Should you care?!
• Yes and no!
• While possible to have CW-USB products go through
FIPS (due to CCM-based architecture), it’s unlikely!
• Disbanding of WiMedia Alliance, and assignment of
core intellectual property to USB-IF and Bluetooth SIG
make further concerted development unlikely!
• HOWEVER, head-in-sand approach to CW-USB would
risk a repeat of other agencies’ hiccups with policies on
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and other technologies!
– USN/USMC has typically led the way on wireless policy!
– Today, CW-USB looks like a dying technology, based on
high prices, low throughput rates, and significant
competition!
– Pundits once claimed Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Ethernet to be
dead technologies, too!
© 2009
heyCoop, LLC
All rights reserved

11. Bluetooth 3.0 + HS!
• Adopted in April 2009!
• Includes 802.11 protocol adaptation layer as an
Alternate MAC/PHY (AMP)!
– Wi-Fi Alliance performed an enormous amount of work to
win inclusion in Bluetooth 3.0!
– WiMedia UWB was originally the AMP for 3.0, and could
still see the light of day!
• Supports data transfer speeds up to 24 mb/s!
• Products expected in early 2010!
© 2009
heyCoop, LLC
All rights reserved

12. Cliffside!
• Cliffside was the code name for Intel’s My WiFi
technology!
• Uses “split-MAC” technology to enable simultaneous
infrastructure (connection to AP for backhaul) and peer-
to-peer (PAN) modes!
• Enables connection of up to eight devices without an AP
or router!
• Provides 802.11i support on both AP and PAN links!
• Has the potential to be very interesting!
• Much more on Cliffside at http://tinyurl.com/coopcliff!
© 2009
heyCoop, LLC
All rights reserved

13. SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0)!
• 10x performance of USB 2.0 (4.8 gb/s versus 480 mb/s)
—key for flash-based products!
• Provides backwards…!
– Performance compatibility with 2.0 devices (at 2.0 speeds)!
– Connectivity capability, both electrically and physically!
– Driver support—things just work!
• Cables and connectors!
– Standard A cables backwards compatible with 2.0!
– New B and Micro AB receptacles backwards compatible
with 2.0!
Better power efficiency than 2.0!
•
Devices beginning to arrive!
•
Requires separate software drivers currently!
•
OS integration to appear in follow-on to Windows 7
•
launch!
© 2009
heyCoop, LLC
All rights reserved

14. Wireless video approach based on 20 and 40 MHz channels in
•
the unlicensed 5 GHz band!
Promoter members include Amimon, Hitachi, LG, Motorola,
•
Samsung, Sharp, Sony!
Claims!
•
30 meter range!
–
Through-wall operation!
–
<1 ms latency!
–
“No compression”!
–
Link security addressed via use of HDCP!
•
Best known product at this point is Sony’s wireless video
•
extender!
Concern that as more 802.11n high-band (5 GHz) devices
•
enter homes, performance will suffer!
Amimon began shipping pre-standard chipsets in April, 2008;
•
standard (interoperable) products expected imminently!
© 2009
heyCoop, LLC
All rights reserved

15. • Wireless video approach based on 2.5 GHz channels in
the 60 GHz band!
• Promoter members include Broadcom, Intel, LG,
Panasonic, Philips, NEC, Samsung, SiBEAM, Sony,
Toshiba!
• Claims!
10 meter range!
–
In-room operation!
–
<1 ms latency!
–
No compression!
–
• Link security addressed via use of HDCP!
• Few interference concerns!
• SiBEAM began shipping pre-standard chipsets in fall,
2008; standard (interoperable) products expected
imminently!
© 2009
heyCoop, LLC
All rights reserved

16. Wireless video and data networking approach based on 60
•
GHz transmission !
Board members include Atheros, Broadcom, Dell, Intel, LG,
•
Marvell, MediaTek, Microsoft, NEC, Nokia, Panasonic,
Samsung, Wilocity!
Claims!
•
Initial specifications to become available in late 2009!
–
Connectivity of up to 6 gb/s!
–
Will address not just wireless video, but mobile and CE devices!
–
Envision a dual-mode architecture, with Wi-Fi capabilities at 2.4/5
–
GHz and WiGig capabilities at 60 GHz!
Link security will need to be addressed via use of HDCP for
•
video; likely to use variant of WPS/802.11i!
If specifications arrive in early 2010, and C&I is defined later
•
in 2010, the market might see products by CES 2011!
Might!
•
© 2009
heyCoop, LLC
All rights reserved

17. Questions!
Want a copy?!
mcoop (at) heycoop.com!
Thanks for your attention!!
© 2009
heyCoop, LLC
All rights reserved