Atheros Communications Inc., developer of wireless LAN chipsets, today released its IEEE 802.11a/b/g WLAN solution, the Atheros AR5006X, saying it is the world’s first complete single chip. The chip integrates an entire 802.11a/b/g solution – Media Access Controller, baseband processor, and a radio with both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz capabilities -- in a digital CMOS design. Atheros says the chip connects seamlessly to all Wi-Fi networks worldwide, provides full support for the IEEE 802.11i security standard, and supports the Atheros XR (eXtended Range) and Super AG performance enhancements.
Craig Mathias, a principal with the wireless advisory firm Farpoint Group in Massachusetts, calls today’s release “one of the most impressive and important announcements in the history of wireless LANs. A low-cost, single-chip a/b/g implementation is key to the expansion of traditional WLAN markets, but also enables new, high-growth applications in a broad range of mobile devices.”
The AR5006X eliminates one chip of a previous two-chip solution, and incorporates design approaches that eliminate the need for up to 24 discrete components. As a result, Atheros says, it enables 802.11a/b/g reference designs that have 15 percent fewer parts and a correspondingly less expensive bill of materials. List price for the AR5006X chip is under $12 in 10,000 unit quantities.
The company says its new wireless designs fit applications including aftermarket PC cards, embedded PCI and mini-PCI cards, WLAN-on-motherboard solutions for personal computers, access points, home gateways, set-top boxes, digital media adapters, handheld consumer electronics and VoIP handsets.
