UNLOCKING THE FUTURE: HOW ULTRA-WIDEBAND BRINGS YOUR CAR KEY TO YOUR SMARTPHONE

Ten years ago, trying to unlock your car with a swipe, a wave or a beep of your smartphone would have been something for a sci-fi novel. Today, it’s your reality. The digital galaxy has merged with our physical world. In part, that’s thanks to Ultra-Wideband (UWB) tech.

THE GALAXY OF ULTRA-WIDEBAND (UWB) TECHNOLOGY

So, then, what is UWB? Ultra-wideband (UWB) is a short-range wireless communication protocol that can determine locations with an astonishing precision of less than one-quarter of an inch. Originally developed for data transmission, the real utility of UWB stems from its ability to measure the time it takes a radio pulse to propagate between devices – making it perfect for tracking and positioning. In a way, it is a whole galaxy unto itself.

BEYONG LOCATON TRACKIG: UWB AND THE AUTOMOTIVE REVOLUTION

When you think of using UWB, your mind might wander to Apple’s AirTags, a piece of hardware that gives you a trampoline into this topic. But with the applications showing up in how you unlock your cars and connect with your smart home environments, it offers a hint as to what the future of embedded connectivity looks like. Just thinking about a fleet of automobiles – BMW, Audi and Ford, for instance – bending to UWB signals to open and close at your beck and call, in this case, doesn’t feel that farfetched. At this juncture, this galaxy of automotive allies might start to feel like it’s onto something, where embedded connectivity superpowers a new human perspective in digital space.

A UNIVERSE OF DEVICES: THE EXPANDING GALAXY OF UWB

Cars are just the start here. UWB’s guidance accuracy means that it’s a gift for everything from home security to manufacturing, logistics, sport and locating assets. But it’s your handset that matters and it too has to be part of a select planet that embraces UWB. Apple, Google, Samsung and many others have UWB incorporated into their phone designs – iPhone 11 and onwards, Galaxy Note 20 Ultra (and earlier models), Galaxy S21 series, and so on. The runway has been built. It’s now up to the airports to land.

HOW TO ACTIVATE YOUR PORTAL TO UWB

For anyone who wants to tap into this universe of one, enabling the UWB function is simple on at least those Android devices. If you’re on a Galaxy or Pixel that supports UWB, go into Settings > Connected Devices > Connection Preferences, and turn on your UWB feature. You’ll soon see that UWB opens your door – well, actually unlock it – to a new dimension in digital engagement.

TROUBLESHOOTING YOUR TREK THROUGH THE GALAXY

You might also encounter an asteroid, some small frustrations like finding the UWB setting not there or not working. In the blink of a likely software update, UWB settings might have updated, moved or disappeared from your device’s menu, buried in a dark corner of a ‘Wireless and networks’ submenu or the like, and it might take a few minutes to search them out, or else a software update is required to reveal its sunlit placement.

EMBRACING THE GALAXY OF UWB: WHAT LIES AHEAD

As more and more devices and cars embed the technology, UWB’s potential will accelerate even further. Whip out your bag as you head towards your car and watch it unlock as you approach. Here’s just a taste of a galaxy of conveniences and security, in which the dramas of lost keys and forgotten lock codes become relics of the past.

UNDERSTANDING THE GALAXY OF UWB

Ultimately, UWB is more than a technical specification, it is the manifestation of the digital world in physical space. It can breathe precision, ease and a bit of sci-fi allure into tasks that we already undertake, all without us having to think about it. Such encounters are a taste of what it could be like in an emerging galaxy of UWB. Once we have accustomed our expectations to this, perhaps then daily life can start to feature technology that serves more and more invisibly, more and more seamlessly, and more and more accurately. The journey through the galaxy of UWB is only beginning. It is already being applied to a huge array of tasks, and it is far from exhausting its potential.