Nokia’s Wibree

Wibree – a new digital radio technology, for small devices. Wibree is intended to compliment bluetooth communications. (Operates in 2.4GHz ISM Band) Since it uses the same radio frequency as bluetooth, and uses the same basic mechanism for wireless communication it is much easier for devices to build in both bluetooth and wibree compatibility.

The important point to be noted here is Wibree-enabled devices will be much smaller and more energy efficient than their blue-tooth counterparts. It does all the almost all the functions of bluetooth using very very less power. It’s main applications includes devices such as wrist watches, wireless keyboards, toys and sports sensors where low power consumption is an important factor. Wibree chips are also very small compared to bluetooth chips making it easier to use in applications where size of the device is an important factor.

However wibree( 1 megabit per second) transmits data slower compared to bluetooth( 3 megabits per second). Wibree enabled devices will hit the market in the next few years. Nokia claims that the technology is up to “ten times more efficient than bluetooth”(developed by the Ericsson Groups). The name “Wibree” though Nokia hasn’t offered any information its portmanteau of “Wi” Wireless “Bree” Crossroads.