WATCH transmits data over UHF without interfering with TV
broadcasts
(July 13, 2015) Rice
University engineers have demonstrated the first system that allows wireless
data transmissions over UHF channels during active TV broadcasts. If the
technology were incorporated into next-generation TVs or smart remotes, it
could significantly expand the reach of so-called “super Wi-Fi” networks in
urban areas.
“Due to the popularity of cable, satellite and Internet TV,
the UHF spectrum is one of the most underutilized portions of the wireless
spectrum in the United States,” said lead researcher Edward Knightly. “That’s a
bitter irony because the demand for mobile data services is expected to grow
tenfold in the next five years, and the UHF band is perfectly suited for
wireless data.”
Knightly, professor and department chair of electrical and
computer engineering and director of the Rice Wireless Network Group, said the
UHF spectrum, which ranges from 400 to 700 megahertz, is often called the
“beachfront property” of the wireless spectrum. Unlike the higher frequency
signals used for existing Wi-Fi hotspots, UHF signals carry for miles and are
not blocked by walls or trees. Because of these advantages, wireless data
hotspots that use UHF are often referred to as “super Wi-Fi.”