Wireless internet is arguably one of the more important inventions of recent times. The internet has certainly brought about many wonders, however for the longest time we were restricted to using our computers wherever the phone or ethernet jack was located. The advent of the wireless router and Wi-Fi changed everything. Now we can binge-watch Netflix shows in our beds, pretend we are cool while doing work at Starbucks, and even aimlessly browse Reddit when we are sitting in our backyard. Wireless internet and Wi-Fi routers have freed us from cables, well almost. All our electronic devices are still dependent on using battery power, and when we run out, we have to plug them back in. We all know how annoying it is to use or cellphones while they’re plugged in, and it seems like there’s no other solution right? Well as it turns out, it might not be that long before we have Wi-Fi routers that can wirelessly charge our electronic devices.
Back in the late 1880’s and early 1900’s, scientist Nikola Tesla envisioned what the future could potentially look like. Over the course of his life, he created many different experiments and inventions that related to energy. He envisioned a world where instead of traditional power lines, electricity could be transferred over the air, wirelessly. Tesla experimented with electricity, atmospheric energy, radio waves, and X-rays throughout his career and he figured that we could potentially move electricity wirelessly. However his experiments and the inventions that related to that technology never panned out, as he could never find a way to make that dream a reality. He was a brilliant mind that was limited by the technology of his time. Now years later, scientists and researchers at the University of Washington are working effortlessly to make that technology work, this time in the form of Wi-Fi.
They call it “Power over Wi-Fi”, and it’s extremely groundbreaking and a worlds first. While they are just beginning their research and have not released a completed product just yet, it could be here sooner than you might think. Essentially their system will be able to wireless charge batteries on Wi-Fi enabled devices up to 28-feet away. They figure that this technology would be comprised of just two components. The first is a wireless router that will act as the access point and transmitter. The second component is a special sensor that will hopefully be able to collect radio frequency power and then convert it into DC power. The real kicker here is that this technology can be applied to existing systems. Researcher on the project, Vamsi Talla, explains that they have “actually developed a custom solution on it, just a software modification that would enable the access point to act both as a good power delivery source and, simultaneously, also as a good Wi-Fi router”. So we would theoretically be able to get both power and Wi-Fi over our current routers, although I’d imagine routers developed specifically for this technology would perform a lot better.
A device, of sorts, that is similar to this actually already exists. The company known as Energous currently sells a system and a device that can transmit electricity through the air over radio frequency signals. However their system requires the device that you want to charge to have a specific hardware element, and their device cannot stream Wi-Fi as well. Without getting too technical, essentially the router would need to balance both wireless internet signals and energy outputs. If you transmit too much Wi-Fi, you can’t beam power and vice-versa. Researchers at the University of Washington that are working on this system have come up with a unique workaround for this. Instead of compromising access to Wi-Fi because of transferring power all at once, the group on the project will transmit the energy on three different Wi-Fi channels. This allows your device to consistently receive power while also remaining connected wirelessly to the internet. It’s absolutely brilliant.
So far their findings have been very interesting, and it seems like this could actually work. They have already successfully beamed energy over Wi-Fi, however the output isn’t high enough to be practical. For some reason this is due to the FCC placing limitations on routers that only allow them to emit up to just one-watt of energy. The research team isn’t quite sure why this is, however they have successfully charged a camera and some rechargeable batteries wirelessly from ranges between 17- and 28-feet. They have also formed a startup company and are looking to further this technology. It’s also important to note that the routers they used to successfully beam power are fairly old and common placed routers, so again, their system could work with most current wireless routers. Theoretically all it could take is a firmware upgrade for your router.
There’s no indication as to when this technology will become feasible and available for the market, however the current findings are promising. Given the fact that they have already successfully beamed energy over Wi-Fi to electronic devices and the rate at which technology improves, I would imagine that we will be charging our phones and tablets with Wi-Fi sometime within the next five years. The future of technology is certainly very promising.
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