Connectivity standards

Connectivity standards are agreed, published rules for how devices connect and exchange data, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet and USB. Every chip that claims to support a standard must follow the same rules. That is why earbuds from one maker connect to a phone from another, and why any laptop can join any Wi-Fi router.

Here is how it works in general. Companies that make chips and devices join a standards body. Wi-Fi is defined by the IEEE, an international engineering organisation, in its 802.11 standards, and devices are certified by an industry group called the Wi-Fi Alliance. Bluetooth is defined by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, and Ethernet by the IEEE in its 802.3 standards. The members agree on a written specification. It sets the radio frequencies or wires to use, how data is packed into small pieces called packets, how two devices find each other, and how they check that the data arrived. Chip makers then build chips that follow the specification. Devices are tested and certified before they may carry the standard's name and logo. New versions, such as Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7, are usually designed so that older devices can still connect, at the older speed.

Each standard makes a different trade-off. Wi-Fi is fast, but it covers a short range and uses more power. Bluetooth uses little power over a short range. Some low-power radios reach several kilometres, but carry only small amounts of data, such as a meter reading.

Take, for example, wireless earbuds pairing with a phone. The phone's Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip and the chip in the earbuds come from different companies, but both follow the Bluetooth standard.

Consider a smart lock on a flat's front door, which must run for a year on small batteries. IoT wireless chips use low-power standards, so that the lock can reach the home's hub without draining its batteries. Every device in a smart home depends on such standards.

For instance, an electric-car charger from one maker can be managed by software from another company, because both follow OCPP, a shared standard for chargers.

Standards also join the largest machines. Inside a data centre, Ethernet connects the servers, and chip interconnect links join thousands of AI processors.

How is a standard different from a proprietary link? A proprietary link is designed and controlled by one company. It may be faster or better suited to that company's products, but buyers can then use only that company's parts. A standard lets many makers compete, so buyers can mix devices from different makers and replace one without replacing the rest.