IDF: Intel's Cliffside Wireless Technology Transforms a Laptop in an Access Point

Intel has demonstrated its Cliffside wireless technology during the day of Intel Developer Forum. The new method of interconnecting wireless devices allows a single wireless adapter to act as two distinct devices and to preserve connectivity while switching from a network to another.

The new wireless technology can maintain two simultaneous network connections with other Wi-Fi-aware devices, such as printers, photo cameras and mobile phones.

The two connections can be used at will, and the notebook owner is allowed to use one connection for linking the laptop to a wireless Internet source, while the other will be used for creating a personal area network (PAN) of Wi-Fi-enabled devices.

Cliffside is more than an average software access point, and Ashish Gupta, Intel's Product Manager described the new technology as being a combination between the hassle-free operation mode of Bluetooth and the high transfer rates delivered by Wi-Fi.

The notebooks rigged with the Cliffside technology will be able to autodetect the nearby wireless devices. Upon detection, the user is prompted by the software to accept or reject the association request. If the user fails to respond before the time-out occurs, the software would automatically deny the device's request.

The security features are also inherited from the wireless technology. Cliffside is able to use any available protection scheme, including WEP or WPA. However, the maximum security level for the connection is set by the lowest device in the network. Gupta claims that Cliffside will not be able to connect to the devices that cannot understand its security protocols.

"If your laptop uses WEP and the camera doesn't, then they won't connect," Gupta concluded.

The new technology will open new opportunities in connectivity. For instance, Cliffside notebook users will be able to connect to the Internet, while sending files between miscellaneous devices connected via the second link, or even stream high-definition movies to other clients in the PAN network.

Intel did not announce a specific date for the Cliffside technology, but Gupta suggested that the Centrino notebooks will be available within 12 months.