Single board is basis for two-frequency networking

Platform leverages the efficiencies of single-chip 11n technologies to significantly reduce the cost of dual-radio networking products.

New from Atheros Communications, the Xspan AR9002AP is billed as the industry's first single-board dual-radio router platform featuring single-chip 802.11n technology.

The AR9002AP platform provides up to 600Mbit/s of wireless networking capacity to support the growing number of devices on the home network - simultaneously.

It features the highest level of chip and system integration to significantly lower the cost of dual-concurrent routers and provides access to the complete Wi-Fi spectrum.

The AR9002AP platform leverages the efficiencies of single-chip 11n technologies to significantly reduce the cost of dual-radio networking products.

It features the AR9220 and AR9223 11n single-chip radio/MAC/BB designs to support the 5 and 2.4GHz bands, respectively.

At the core of the AR9002AP platform is Atheros' AR7161 high-performance, 680MHz wireless networking CPU - engineered to maximise 802.11n performance.

The platform also offers Atheros Ethos AR8216 Fast Ethernet or AR8316 Gigabit Ethernet switch options.

The system has been integrated on a single, compact circuit board that requires up to 50% fewer components than competing solutions on the market.

The AR9002AP delivers on the promise of 802.11n by efficiently distributing bandwidth-hungry multimedia content while also supporting data applications on the home network.

This capability is achieved through concurrent operation in both the 2.4 and 5GHz bands, which each provide 300Mbit/s PHY rates.

The combined bands also enable access to the full spectrum of 27 nonoverlapping WLAN channels.

With simultaneous operation in both bands, the router can rely on the relatively interference-free 5GHz band to support latency-sensitive, high-bandwidth applications like HD video streaming, while offloading latency-tolerant data transmissions such as e-mail and Internet browsing to the more interference-prone 2.4GHz band.

This delegation of applications also allows the 2.4GHz band to support legacy 802.11g Wi-Fi devices, which can slow down 11n networks, leaving the 5GHz band free to provide the optimised 11n performance required for smooth media transmissions.

Today the home wireless network supports an increasing number of devices, including multiple PCs, set-top boxes and PVRs, Wi-Fi-enabled gaming products, mobile handsets, PMPs and even wireless cameras, picture frames and printers.

This growing demand requires that the home router offer universal connectivity to any 802.11-enabled device and broad networking capacity to support multiple users and applications simultaneously.

The AR9002AP readily addresses these evolving WLAN requirements in a highly cost-effective design.

"Dual-band 802.11n implementations are essential to the future of wireless LAN", says Craig Mathias, a Principal with the wireless and mobile advisory firm Farpoint Group.

"Coming from the company that pioneered 5GHz and dual-radio WLANs, the AR9002AP capitalises on Atheros' long history and expertise in building highly-integrated and complete system solutions that are also remarkably cost-effective".

"As the variety and number of devices on the home network expand, it is important that wireless LANs be future-proofed for high-capacity, universal connectivity", says Todd Antes, Vice President of Wireless Networking and Computing for Atheros.

"The AR9002AP will enable a new generation of dual-radio products which can efficiently multi-task, sharing capacity for media content and data applications throughout the home".

The AR9002AP platform is the first to offer iQUE, Atheros' new quality of service technology suite designed to enhance wireless networking in the home.

iQUE intelligently manages and prioritises network traffic from the wide area network (WAN) and on the WLAN to optimise the use of network capacity.

The enhanced throughput of typical 11n routers is only part of the picture: the effective management of that capacity is required to ensure a quality user experience.

On the WAN, Atheros iQUE technology employs classification and prioritisation algorithms, which analyse packets transmitted or received over broadband to optimise the flow of content in the home network.

On the WLAN, the AR9002AP uses several advanced quality-of-service techniques including video transmission control algorithms and multicast-to-unicast translation to ensure fluid delivery of video and other digital content.

The AR9002AP platform complies with industry standards 802.11e, WMM (Wi-Fi Multimedia) and WMM PowerSave.

It also features Atheros UAPSD (Universal Advanced Power Save) technology, which enhances the battery life of mobile devices connected to the AR9002AP-based routers.

Atheros complies with all government regulations for dynamic frequency selection (DFS) as required by countries around the world.

Atheros has implemented state-of-regulatory DFS in all of its 5GHz AP platforms, including the new AR9002AP solution.

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