Qualcomm Atheros Integrates Wireless Controller in GigE Switching Chip

Qualcomm Atheros introduced a high port-count Gigabit Ethernet switching chip that integrates wireless controller functions into the switch silicon for the first time.  This enables the solution to process and forward both wired Ethernet 802.3 and Wi-Fi 802.11 packets simultaneously at wire speed.

The new chipsets are designed for automated, end-to-end switch and access points with cloud management capabilities for small business networks.

Qualcomm Atheros' new QCA871x series chip supports the Control and Provisioning of Wireless Access Points Protocol (CAPWAP), allowing remote access point control and management.  It also eliminates the need for an external multi-core CPU commonly employed in traditional Wi-Fi Access Controller architectures, replacing it with an integrated, high-performance CPU, thus providing a competitive cost structure to address SMB requirements.

Qualcomm Atheros' QCA871x/QCA851x  switch series also offers rich managed Layer 2/Layer 3 (L2/L3) features in an easy to use solution with reduced complexity and cost structure relative to the traditional enterprise switch, thus bringing a high-performance, yet cost-effective solution to the SMB segment. Sampling is under way.

http://www.qualcomm.com