RFID to simplify home networking

Apple plans to develop a wireless networking solution that will make it easy to pair and connect close-range devices in an effort to simplify home networking, reports Gottabemobile.

In a patent application called Local Device Awareness, Apple seems to be exploring home networking protocols, such as WiFi, Bluetooth, and radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies.

The patent describes a number of electronic devices within close proximity being able to communicate with each other with very little to no user input, Apple Insider reveals.

With the new patent in place, Apple expects it could make device connections simpler, as well as less restrictive, with the current need for devices to be on the same wireless connection in order to communicate.

IT Pro Portal says iPhones and Macs, as well as WiFi-compatible printers could communicate with each other over wireless or Bluetooth technology. The patent also makes a reference to RFID, a short-ranged wireless standard.

According to O'Grady's Powerpage, the system could even use GPS to locate the exact position of a piece of hardware and display it on a map, for instance letting a user know where a printer or projector is located.

In addition to more practical functions like connecting to a printer, Apple's patent application notes that this method could also be used for playing multiplayer games.

It describes a game where users shake an accelerometer-equipped device like an iPhone or an iPad to roll a set of virtual dice, or even use physical dice equipped with RFID.