Wi-Fi upgrade is imminent, single data stream 11n chip challenges 11g products

The vast majority of current 802.11n products use 2x2 MIMO (multi-end input, multi-end output) antennas, and their throughput is 10 times higher than the previous 11g devices. However, because its cost has also increased by about two times, although the Wi-Fi Alliance began to certify 11n products based on the 11n standard draft as early as June 2007, the current market share of 11n devices is only about three times that of 11g devices. One in one.

Victoria Fodale, senior analyst and market observer at In-Stat, said: In the second quarter of 2008, sales of 11n products based on the 11n draft accounted for about 21% of total sales, while 802.11g accounted for 64%, and multi-mode b / g / a 15%.

Todd Antes, vice president of marketing at Atheros, said: "There are OEMs contacting us. They have plans to launch Wi-Fi products in 2009-10, but they plan to use .11g chips." "Obviously, the next development goal of .11n is to become a more efficient standard than .11g."

By stripping multi-channel wireless support, Atheros plans to launch a series of 11n devices with better performance, larger capacity, and price expectations of $ 3-5.

Fodale from In-Stat believes that "the price-performance ratio of products is easy to compare, but it is possible that many consumers will confuse product compatibility. Because the 11n specification allows 1, 2, 3 or even 4 spatial streams (spaTIal streams)" .

In fact, Quantenna also recently launched its first 11n chip with a powerful MIMO configuration, designed to support all home Wi-Fi and high-definition video. Antes suggested that the Wi-Fi Alliance set out to develop a solution that allows users to mix and match different 11n parts.

"The 11n standard is richer than any previous standard, covering products from 1 to 4 data streams," Antes said. "We believe that 11n products with 3 and 4 data streams will have great potential in the future, but at the same time, high-performance client and router products that match them are also needed. We believe that it will take about a year or so until all conditions are mature Longer time ".

11g is the end of the road?

At the same time, analysts believe that other Wi-Fi supporters, such as Broadcom and Marvell, may also launch their own 1-channel data streaming products in the future. "The industry's initial shift from 1 data stream product to 2 data stream product is very reasonable, because the performance of the product has been greatly improved, but it is clear that 1 data stream product still has a market in lower-end applications."

Redpine Signals recently introduced an 802.11n single stream module for mobile phones and other small-sized devices. Fodale said, "Considering the fierce competition in this market, it is normal for other chipset suppliers to launch similar products later."

Antes did not disclose the price of Atheros chips, but he said that OEMs can use Align devices to build systems that are close to the current 11g routers and gateways.

"The price difference between 11n and 11g products was far away, but in the future, the price difference between the two will shrink rapidly," said Craig Mathias, head of consulting and investigation at Farpoint Group. "The 11g product is exhausted because its price has no advantage. Now. "

Mathias said, "We look forward to the single-channel data stream 11n product market blossoming, because this is very important for low-end notebooks and mobile phones."

Atheros said that while maintaining low power consumption, the Align device has increased its throughput by 2 to 4 times compared with 11g products when transmitting at the same or longer distances.

Specifically, the Align chip can transmit TCP data streams (107 Mbits / s @ 40 MHz channel) at a rate of 50 Mbits / s through a 20 MHz channel at a close range, while the 11g chip is only 24 Mbits / s; when the transmission distance At 150 meters, the transmission speed of Align products is 10 Mbits / s, while the transmission speed of 11g products is only 5 Mbits / s.

According to Atheros, the 11n chip consumes 1500Mw in normal transmission mode and 140mW in standby mode. And the power consumption of 11g chip in working mode and standby mode is 1750mW and 185mW respectively.

Atheros will initially launch three 11n chips for PC and consumer customer systems as well as routers and gateways.

The AR9285 is available in an 8x8mm package and can be used for two layers of PCI Express mini-cards, mainly for low-end desktops and notebooks. The AR9271 uses embedded USB and is designed to cover low-cost consumer devices including gateways, set-top boxes, printers and TVs.

Both chips integrate baseband and wireless components, including power amplifiers and low-noise amplifiers. The USB version of the AR9271 also includes an on-board processor that can handle the Wi-Fi software stack.

AR9002AP-IS is a 2-chip chipset designed for access points and routers. It uses the same integrated baseband and wireless components as the client chip. It is linked to the network processor via Express. It has a 5-port high-speed Ethernet switch and power Management functions.

Antes said that Atheros plans to further launch other members of the Align series, which should include chip products for mobile phones.

Routers and PC devices are currently sampling. USB device samples will be launched before the end of the year.

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