Advanced Integration of 2-stream 11n Designs Enables No-Compromise, Full MIMO Performance in a Wider Array of Wireless Devices
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 5, 2009 - Atheros Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATHR), a global leader in innovative technologies for wireless and wired communications, today announced the industry''s most integrated 2-stream 11n solutions, the AR9287 PCIe and the AR9227 PCI, which deliver no-compromise, full MIMO transmit and receive performance. Atheros has taken system integration to a new level, driving refinements in XSPAN, the industry''s most widely deployed 11n technology, to make the high-performance WLAN solution accessible in an even wider array of wireless products.
The two new designs, which target the PC and broadband consumer premises equipment (CPE) markets, integrate the MAC/baseband and radio transceiver, two enhanced MIMO power amplifiers and low noise amplifiers, and the transmit/receive switch, all onto a single chip. As a result of this extraordinary integration, these highly optimized and cost-effective designs will enable a new class of 11n products.
No-Compromise, Full MIMO Transmit and Receive Performance for Mid-Tier PCs
The Atheros AR9287 single-chip PCIe solution for mid-tier notebook and netbook PCs offers greater performance and value over alternative value-class and mid-tier 11n solutions, including 1x2 designs. Atheros'' new MIMO design for PCs delivers up to 300 Mbps PHY rates in both transmit and receive modes.
With more entry-level and mid-tier notebooks and netbooks supporting peer-to-peer networking applications, transmit performance is just as important as receive to support simultaneous connections between the PC and a variety of clients. With Atheros Direct Connect(TM) technology, which is forward compatible to the forthcoming Wi-Fi Alliance® P2P standard and featured in all Atheros'' 11n client solutions, notebooks and netbooks can, in effect, establish a direct link with each other without the use of an access point (AP).
Given this newly expanded role in the network, PCs offering symmetrical performance on transmit and receive offer significant benefits over asymmetrical systems. For this reason, Atheros'' entire 11n portfolio now offers symmetrical designs consisting of the Align(TM) 1x1, and XSPAN 2x2 single and dual-band configurations.
Industry''s Most Optimized 11n 2x2 Design for Broadband CPE
The AR9227 single-chip PCI solution for the broadband networking market has been expressly designed for entry-level and mid-tier DSL, PON and other broadband-enabled APs, such as residential gateways and cable modems. It features more than a 50 percent reduction in rest of bill of materials (RBOM) costs over competing 11n 2x2, single-band solutions. This extraordinary RBOM advantage enables carrier equipment manufacturers to provide customers with robust, wireless-enabled residential gateways that meet the increasing demands for design and cost efficiencies.
Carriers can pair the new 2-stream PCI solution with either the AR9280 dual-band PCIe or the AR9220 dual-band PCI designs to create highly optimized 2.4/5GHz dual-band, dual-concurrent solutions for advanced multimedia networking in the home.