Atheros Introduces Smart-Antenna MIMO Wireless Chipset

Atheros Communications introduced a wireless chipset that employs multiple-radio, smart-antenna technologies to deliver MIMO (multiple-input, multiple-output) performance and throughput to standard 802.11 WLAN products. The new chipset uses phased array beamforming, cyclic delay diversity, and optimal receive combining to deliver higher performance even when the new chipset is only on one end of a wireless connection.



Atheros said its design is unique in its ability to boost performance when on both ends of a wireless link (multiple input and multiple output), on the transmit side only (multiple output), or on the receive side only (multiple input). As a result, home routers, enterprise access points, or public hot spots that use the Atheros technology to deliver higher performance with a wide array of non-MIMO wireless LAN devices, including end users' existing network interface cards, laptops with embedded wireless LAN, and digital media adapters.



The chipset is available in both 802.11g and 802.11a/g versions, supporting configurations with up to four antennas. The 802.11a/g version of the costs under $23 in 10,000-unit quantities.
http://www.atheros.com/