The New Kid Another wireless technology is moving into the neighborhood.

Just when you thought you had this Wi-Fi/Bluetooth wireless thing figured out, here comes Ultra Wide Band (UWB). Think of it as the wireless technology of the future: Ben Manny, director of Wireless Communications Lab for Intel, likens it to a really high-performance Bluetooth or, more accurately, a wireless USB 2.0.

Technically, UWB is a wireless communication technology that transmits data in short, low-powered pulses over a wide range of frequency spectrums. This differs from current wireless technology such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, which operate under a single bandwidth.

To protect current wireless technology from interference, the FCC has implemented power restrictions on UWB that shorten the communication range to roughly 10 to 15 feet (they may gradually lift restrictions, but no one can predict when). Because of the short range, entrepreneurs who have just installed their Wi-Fi networks can take a deep breath-UWB won't replace Wi-Fi.