WiGig

WiGig, alternatively known as 60 GHz Wi-Fi,^[1] refers to a set of 60 GHz wireless network protocols.^[2] It includes the current IEEE 802.11ad standard and also the IEEE 802.11ay standard.^[3]

The WiGig specification allows devices to communicate without wires at multi-gigabit speeds. It enables high-performance wireless data, display and audio applications that supplement the capabilities of previous wireless LAN devices. WiGig tri-band-enabled devices, which operate in the 2.4, 5 and 60 GHz bands, deliver data transfer rates up to 7 Gbit/s (for 11ad), about as fast as an 8-band 802.11ac transmission, and more than eleven times faster than the highest 802.11n rate, while maintaining compatibility with existing Wi-Fi devices. The 60 GHz millimeter wave signal cannot typically penetrate walls but can propagate by reflection from walls, ceilings, floors and objects using beamforming built into the WiGig system.^[4] When roaming away from 60 GHz coverage, the protocol can switch to make use of the other, lower bands, both of which can propagate through walls, with a much lower data rate where the higher rates are not needed.^[5][6]

802.11ay has a transmission rate of 20 to 40 Gbit/s and an extended transmission distance of 300 to 500 meters.^[7] 802.11ay should not be confused with the similarly named 802.11ax that was released in 2019. The 802.11ay standard is designed to run at much higher frequencies. The lower frequency of 802.11ax enables it to penetrate walls, something that the 11ay standard struggles to do.^[8] The name WiGig comes from Wireless Gigabit Alliance, the original association being formed to promote the adoption of IEEE 802.11ad. However, it is now certified by Wi-Fi Alliance.^[9]

History

• In May 2009, formation of Wireless Gigabit Alliance was announced to promote the IEEE 802.11ad protocol.^{[10][11][12][13][14][15]}
• In December 2009, the completed version 1.0 WiGig specification was announced.^{[16][17][18][19][20]}
• In May 2010, WiGig Alliance announced the publication of its specification, the opening of its Adopter Program, and the liaison agreement with the Wi-Fi Alliance to cooperate on the expansion of Wi-Fi technologies.^[21][22]
• In June 2011, WiGig announced the release of its certification-ready version 1.1 specification.^[21]
• In December 2012, the IEEE Standards Association published IEEE 802.11ad-2012 as an amendment to the overall IEEE 802.11 standard family.^[23]
• In 2016, Wi-Fi Alliance launched certification program for WiGig products.^[24]
• The second generation WiGig standard, IEEE 802.11ay, was published on July 28, 2021. ^[25]

Specification

The WiGig MAC and PHY Specification, version 1.1 includes the following capabilities:^[26][27]

• Supports data transmission rates up to 7 Gbit/s – a bit over eleven times faster than the highest 802.11n rate
• Supplements and extends the 802.11 Media Access Control (MAC) layer and is backward compatible with the IEEE 802.11 standard
• Physical layer enables low power and high performance WiGig devices, guaranteeing interoperability and communication at gigabit per second rates
• Protocol adaptation layers are being developed to support specific system interfaces including data buses for PC peripherals and display interfaces for HDTVs, monitors and projectors
• Support for beamforming, enabling robust communication at up to 10 meters. The beams can move within the coverage area through modification of the transmission phase of individual antenna elements, which is called phased array antenna beamforming.
• Widely used advanced security and power management for WiGig devices

Applications

On November 3, 2010, WiGig Alliance announced the WiGig version 1.0 A/V and I/O protocol adaptation layer (PAL) specifications.^[21] The application specifications have been developed to support specific system interfaces including extensions for PC peripherals and display interfaces for HDTVs, monitors and projectors.

WiGig Display Extension

• Supports wireless transmission of audio/visual data
• Enables wireless DisplayPort and other display interfaces that include the High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection 2.0 feature.
• Offers key A/V applications, such as the transmission of lightly compressed or uncompressed video from a computer or digital camera to an HDTV, monitor or projector

WiGig Bus Extension and WiGig Serial Extension. The WiGig Bus Extension (WBE) was available to members in 2011.^[28]

• Define high-performance wireless implementations of widely used computer interfaces over 60 GHz
• Enable multi-gigabit wireless connectivity between any two devices, such as connection to storage and other high-speed peripherals

Competition

WiGig competes with other 60 GHz frequency band transmission standards like WirelessHD in some applications.

Channels

60 GHz WiGig channels v t e
Channel 2.16 GHz	Frequency (GHz)			Channel 4.32 GHz		Channel 6.48 GHz			Channel 8.64 GHz					Channel 1.08 GHz	Frequency (GHz)
	Center	Min.	Max.												Center	Min.	Max.
1	58.32	57.24	59.40	9	—	17	—	—	25	—	—	—		33	57.78	57.24	58.32
2	60.48	59.40	61.56		10		18			26		34		58.86	58.32	59.40
3	62.64	61.56	63.72	11				19			27	35		59.94	59.40	60.48
4	64.80	63.72	65.88		12	20						28		36	61.02	60.48	61.56
5	66.96	65.88	68.04	13			21		29					37	62.10	61.56	62.64
6	69.12	68.04	70.20		14			22		—				38	63.18	62.64	63.72
7	71.28	70.20	72.36	15		—					—			39	64.26	63.72	64.80
8	73.44	72.36	74.52		—		—					—		40	65.34	64.80	65.88

Regional spectrum allocations vary by region limiting the available number of channels in some regions. As of October 2016 the US is the only region supporting all six channels, while other regions are considering to follow suit.^[29]

Single-carrier and Control-PHY data rates

MCS index	Modulation type	Coding rate	Phy rate (Mbit/s)	Sensitivity power (dBm)	Tx EVM (dB)
0 (Control-PHY)	DSSS with 32 π⁄2-BPSK chips per bit	1/2	27.5	−78	−6
1	π⁄2-BPSK (with each bit repeated twice)	1/2	385	−68	−6
2	π⁄2-BPSK	1/2	770	−66	−7
3		5/8	962.5	−65	−9
4		3/4	1155	−64	−10
5		13/16	1251.25	−62	−12
6	π⁄2-QPSK	1/2	1540	−63	−11
7		5/8	1925	−62	−12
8		3/4	2310	−61	−13
9		13/16	2502.5	−59	−15
10	π⁄2-16-QAM	1/2	3080	−55	−19
11		5/8	3850	−54	−20
12		3/4	4620	−53	−21

OFDM data rates

The use of the OFDM mode is obsolete and removed in 802.11-2020.

MCS index	Modulation type	Coding rate	Phy rate (Mbit/s)	Sensitivity (dBm)	EVM (dB)
13	SQPSK	1/2	693	−66	−7
14		5/8	866.25	−64	−9
15	QPSK	1/2	1386	−63	−10
16		5/8	1732.5	−62	−11
17		3/4	2079	−60	−13
18	16-QAM	1/2	2772	−58	−15
19		5/8	3465	−56	−17
20		3/4	4158	−54	−19
21		13/16	4504.5	−53	−20
22	64-QAM	5/8	5197.5	−51	−22
23		3/4	6237	−49	−24
24		13/16	6756.75	−47	−26

Low-power single-carrier data rates

MCS index	Modulation type	Coding rate	Phy rate (Mbit/s)	Sensitivity (dBm)	EVM (dB)
25	π⁄2-BPSK	13/28	626	−64	−7
26		13/21	834	−60	−9
27		52/63	1112	−57	−10
28	π⁄2-QPSK	13/28	1251		−12
29		13/21	1668		−12
30		52/63	2224		−13
31		13/14	2503		−15

See also

• IEEE 802.11ad
• IEEE 802.11ay
• IEEE 802.11aj
• Gi-Fi
• Bluetooth
• IEEE 802.15
• Media Agnostic USB
• Ultra-wideband (UWB)
• Wireless HDMI:
  • WiDi version 3.5 to 6.0 supports Miracast; discontinued
  • Miracast (wireless display technology)
  • WirelessHD
  • Wireless Home Digital Interface (WHDI)
• Wireless USB
• Zigbee
• LTE-WLAN Aggregation
• Wi-Fi Direct

ip based:

• Chromecast (proprietary media broadcast over ip: Google Cast for audio or audiovisual playback)
• AirPlay (proprietary ip based)
• Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) (ip based)

port / cable standard for mobile equipment

• Mobile High-Definition Link - MHL
• SlimPort (Mobility DisplayPort), also known as MyDP

References

1. "IEEE 802.11ad 60GHz Microwave Wi-Fi".
2. "Understanding 60 GHz Wireless Network Protocols".
3. "Wi-Fi Alliance rebrands 802.11ac as Wi-Fi 5, picks 802.11ax as Wi-Fi 6". 3 October 2018.
4. Smulders, Peter (August 18, 2009). "Statistical Characterization of 60-GHz Indoor Radio Channels [Invited Paper]". IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation. 57 (12): 2820–2829. doi:10.1109/TAP.2009.2030524.
5. "Is 802.11ad the Ultimate Cable Replacement?". Broadband Technology Report (BTR).
6. "Millimeter Wave Propagation: Spectrum Management Implications" (PDF). FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION OFFICE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY, Bulletin Number 70 July, 1997).
7. "IEEE 802.11ay / NG60 - Next Generation 60 GHz". www.elektronik-kompendium.de (in German). Retrieved 2021-04-24.
8. "802.11ay wireless technology: Next-gen 60GHz WiFi".
9. "What is WiGig". 5g.co.uk.
10. Nitsche, Thomas; Cordeiro, Carlos; Flores, Adriana; Knightly, Edward; Perahia, Eldad; Widmer, Joerg (December 11, 2014). "IEEE 802.11ad: directional 60 GHz communication for multi-Gigabit-per-second Wi-Fi [Invited Paper]". IEEE Communications Magazine. 52 (12): 132–141. doi:10.1109/MCOM.2014.6979964.
11. Higginbotham, Stacey (May 6, 2009). "WiGig Alliance to Push 6 Gbps Wireless in the Home". GigaOm. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
12. Takahash, Dean (2009-05-06). "WiGig Alliance seeks to bring super-fast wireless video transfer to homes". VentureBeat.
13. "WiGig Unites 60 GHz Wireless Development". Wi-Fi Net News.
14. Higgins, Tim (2009-05-08). "Why WiGig?". Small Net Builder.
15. Reardon, Marguerite (2009-05-07). "Tech giants back superfast WiGig standard". CNET.
16. Murph, Darren (2009-12-10). "WiGig Alliance completes multi-gigabit 60 GHz wireless specification: let the streaming begin". Engadget.
17. Merritt, Rick (2009-12-10). "WiGig group gives first peak at 60 GHz spec". EE Times.
18. Hachman, Mark (2009-12-10). "WiGig Alliance Finalizes Spec, Tri-Band Wi-Fi in 2010?". PC Mag.
19. Takahashi, Dean (2009-12-10). "WiGig Alliance creates next-generation wireless networking standard". Venture Beat.
20. Lawson, Stephen (2009-12-10). "WiGig Fast Wireless Group Finishes Standard". PC Mag.
21. "WiGig Alliance Announces Completion of its Multi-Gigabit Wireless Specification". Businesswire.
22. "Wi-Fi Alliance and WiGig Alliance to Cooperate on Expansion of Wi-Fi Technologies". PR Newswire (Press release).
23. IEEE Standard for Information technology--Telecommunications and information exchange between systems—Local and metropolitan area networks—Specific requirements-Part 11: Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications Amendment 3: Enhancements for Very High Throughput in the 60 GHz Band. IEEE SA. December 24, 2012. doi:10.1109/IEEESTD.2012.6392842. ISBN 978-0-7381-8096-0.
24. "Wi-Fi Alliance makes WiGig official for 60 GHz multi-gigabit networking". www.cablinginstall.com.
25. "IEEE 802.11, The Working Group Setting the Standards for Wireless LANs". www.ieee802.org. Retrieved 2021-11-01.
26. "WiGig Alliance Announces Completion of its Multi-Gigabit Wireless Specification". BusinessWire. 10 December 2009. Archived from the original on February 6, 2010.
27. "WiGig Alliance Specifications Page". WiGig Alliance.
28. Robinson, Daniel (2011-06-28). "WiGig Alliance issues 1.1 update for next-generation wireless". V3.co.
29. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED WiGig™: Wi-Fi® expands to 60 GHz , Wi-Fi Alliance, October 2016 wp_Wi-Fi_CERTIFIED_WiGig_20161024.pdf