Broadcom Delivers Wi-Fi Solutions Based On IEEE 802.11n Draft Specification
"Broadcom is pleased that the IEEE has confirmed the 802.11n draft specification," said Dr. Henry Samueli, Broadcom's Co-founder and Chief Technical Officer. "We have been active participants in the standards process and are very happy to see the industry achieve technical consensus. With today's announcement, Broadcom is excited to deliver on our promise of interoperable, next generation wireless products for our customers and consumers."
Intensi-fi technology incorporates all mandatory elements of the IEEE 802.11n draft specification and is designed to be software upgradable once the standard is finalized. Adherence to industry standards is a priority for Broadcom, because it eliminates the compatibility and performance issues that plague users of proprietary, non-standard products. Broadcom will continue to participate in the standards process through ratification, ensuring that its solutions will comply with the final 802.11n specification.
"Now that we have the technical foundation for the 802.11n standard, the Wi-Fi market will begin to experience renewed growth as vendors deliver next- generation wireless devices," said Philip Solis, Senior Analyst at ABI Research. "We expect suppliers like Broadcom to capitalize on this opportunity by introducing advanced solutions that promise interoperability and upgradability when the standard is completed, just as it did with its draft 802.11g solutions."
Broadcom is working closely with other companies to demonstrate interoperability among brands as draft-802.11n products become available. Broadcom is also providing technical resources to the Wi-Fi Alliance to accelerate an industry-wide 802.11n interoperability test procedure. Broadcom anticipates that the creation of the 802.11n standard will clarify the high-end of the wireless LAN market, alleviating consumer confusion caused by the non-compatible, proprietary solutions that have been previously introduced.
Intensi-fi technology supports multiple simultaneous data (or "spatial") streams over multiple transmit and receive antennas to provide data rates of over 300 Mbps and more coverage than legacy 802.11 products -- which use one transmitter and one receiver to support a single data stream. This provides sufficient bandwidth, range and reliability to deliver high definition (HD) video to each room of a typical home. Intensi-fi technology will extend beyond traditional PCs and networking gear into consumer electronics and entertainment devices -- providing the infrastructure necessary to send movies, photos, music, voice calls and data among cable/DSL/satellite set-top boxes, personal video recorders, DVD players, gaming systems, audio equipment, cameras, cell phones and other handheld devices.
"The forthcoming 802.11n standard will drive unprecedented growth for the Wi-Fi market and become the next mainstream WLAN technology," said Michael Hurlston, General Manager of Broadcom's Home and Wireless Business Unit. "This is the first of many Broadcom products that will enable our partners to create an ecosystem of interoperable products that satisfy the requirements of next generation wireless networks."
Intensi-fi products will also enhance the experience of users of the nearly 75 million existing products based on Broadcom's Wi-Fi technologies. Intensi-fi products employ maximum ratio combining (MRC) techniques that enable legacy devices to achieve greater performance and range. Intensi-fi maximizes the customers' investment and protects their networks from immediate obsolescence.
Like all of Broadcom's Wi-Fi solutions, Intensi-fi chipsets utilize an all-CMOS architecture. This sets forth a path to single-chip solutions for high-volume manufacturing. Intensi-fi chipsets operate in both the 2.4 and 5 GHz frequency bands, which allows them to work with 802.11a/b/g devices already on the market. In addition, Intensi-fi solutions leverage Broadcom's OneDriver software to deliver performance, ease-of-use and security features. This includes SecureEasySetup software, technology that allows consumers to install and secure a complete wireless network with the push of a button and the click of a mouse. The OneDriver implementation also supports Wireless Multimedia (WMM, which provides quality of service and improves the user experience by prioritizing audio, video and voice traffic on a Wi-Fi network.
SOURCE: Broadcom Corporation