Atheros Debuts XSPAN Dual-Concurrent Wireless Router

Atheros Communications launched its highest performance 802.11n solution to date -- a chipset that combines its XSPAN draft 802.11n technology with its Wireless Network Processor Unit (WNPU). The chipset offers concurrent operation in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz wireless LAN (WLAN) frequency bands, delivering up to 600 Mbps aggregate physical data rates and the flexibility to segregate application content into the channels that provide the best user experience.
The solution provides up to 27 non-overlapping channels, enabling end users to run numerous WLAN applications simultaneously while avoiding interference which often plagues networks operating solely in the 2.4 GHz frequency band.



Atheros said its new AR5008AP-3NX2 chipset targets retail, SOHO and enterprise networking customers that want to provide the highest wireless throughput, coverage and capacity. Specifically, the combined 2.4 and 5 GHz channel capacity supports jitter-free transmission of multimedia applications.



For instance, the 2.4 GHz band could be used for applications less sensitive to bandwidth limitations and interference, such as Internet data traffic, streaming MP3s and wireless printing. The 5 GHz band with 24 channels, fewer legacy devices and virtually no interferers, could be used for high-bandwidth, latency-sensitive applications that require uninterrupted throughput: HD video streaming, VoIP calls and multi-player online gaming.



Atheros also noted that the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system advocates use of dual-concurrent networks and the allocation of applications onto separate frequency bands based on throughput requirement, latency-sensitivity and interference in the network.



The new Atheros AR5008AP-3NX2 chipset consists of dual AR5416 MAC/baseband ICs, the AR2133 and AR5133 radios and the AR7161 wireless network processor. The solution is based on Atheros' XSPAN with Signal-Sustain Technology, a 3x3 MIMO architecture. The wireless network processor features dual 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet ports, dual USB 2.0 and additional interfaces for video, audio and voice applications.

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