Laptop users could soon have a more convenient way to dock with desktop peripherals, thanks to ultra-wideband (UWB) wireless communications. The technology promises to do away with the cables for devices such as the mouse and keyboard, and at least one vendor is using it in a wireless docking station.

UWB is a short-range wireless technology and chiefly refers to the WiMedia radio that underpins the new Wireless USB standard. The first products certified for Wireless USB have recently been unveiled in the US, including laptops from Dell and Lenovo. Meanwhile, Toshiba has also made available a docking station that connects whenever the laptop is close to the device.

UWB offers high data throughput by spreading communication across a broad range of frequencies, but its low power means it can only achieve high speed – up to 480Mbit/s – over a distance of a couple of metres. Low power transmission also means that although it overlaps with other wireless standards, it should not cause interference.

The WiMedia radio is being used in a number of wireless standards. Wireless USB uses it as a channel to carry USB signals, so devices such as a wireless mouse will work with existing drivers, according to the USB Implementers Forum. It will also be used in future Bluetooth devices that need an extra high-speed channel for large data transfers.

Dell’s Inspiron 1720 and Lenovo’s Thinkpad T61 and T61p are the first laptops to be certified for Wireless USB, enabling them to be used with wireless peripherals.

A Dell spokesperson said that the company plans to make the technology available as an option across its consumer laptops this year, but would not say when it may appear in the firm’s Latitude business range. Lenovo said its ThinkPads already have a built-in UWB antenna and that it will ship an add-in card later in the year for UK customers.

Meanwhile, Toshiba is using the basic radio to provide a wireless docking station for its Portégé R400 Tablet PC. This is now shipping in the US as an option, and connects the laptop to a wired Ethernet connection and a desktop monitor, as well as providing desktop USB ports.

“Using the UWB standard, we are docking automatically whenever the notebook is in range, supporting Ethernet as well as video,” said Toshiba’s product manager for portables, Ken Chan.

Toshiba does not yet have a date set for when UK buyers will be able to purchase the wireless docking station. The UK version of the Portégé R400 is also currently shipping without UWB, and the technology may not be added until it can be supported across Europe, according to Chan.