Contributors: Bob Wheeler, Jag Bolaria, Joseph Byrne In This Issue Intel Kedron Supports 802.11n Following the 802.11n specification achieving stability and working group approval, Intel has advanced the date when its 4965AGN "Kedron" wireless LAN adapter would become available to consumers. Originally slated to ship with its next notebook PC platform (microprocessor-chipset combination), Intel has made it available as an upgrade to the existing platform. PCs incorporating the adapter will become available in late January. Kedron is a pre-standard 802.11n adapter. The dual-band adapter supports two spatial streams, and its integration is similar to that of competing pre-802.11n chip sets. Intel promises superior rate and range—who doesn't—but output power is similar to that of an Atheros-based adapter and less than that of Broadcom's solution. Intel mainly touts its better power dissipation in standby mode, a logical optimization for Intel to emphasize because, as a platform supplier, the company is so closely associated with PCs' power and performance. Dual-band capability is not new or unique to Intel, but we expect it to finally become widely used in the 11n generation. For compatibility with legacy WLAN equipment, 11n access points are unlikely in practice to use double-wide (40MHz) channels in the 2.4GHz band and Intel has disabled 40MHz in the 2.4GHz band in Kedron. The underutilized 5GHz spectrum, though, is far friendlier for 40MHz operation, and customers seeking the maximum peak bandwidth will use this band. Intel was late with 802.11b and 802.11g chips, but Kedron is well timed with the approval of the 11n draft. Called Version 1.1, the draft was approved unanimously at the working group level. It resolves the numerous issues raised about the 1.0 revision in ways that will require only firmware updates to pre-standard products in the field. Chip vendors will not re-spin their designs to achieve compliance with 1.1, eliminating the cost and delay of further silicon development and allowing Intel to release Kedron earlier. The next step in the IEEE process is for the full 11n committee to approve the spec. The spec then goes through further levels of balloting and is likely to be officially ratified as a standard in October 2008 (!). The 1.1 spec is stable and unlikely to undergo significant modification. With pre-standard chips in the field and Intel's influence and participation in the 11n market, further standards work is moot. Once the Wi-Fi Alliance begins 11n certification, 11n products will be suitable for widespread adoption. —Joe Additional
coverage of 802.11 products appears in our report A
Guide to SOHO Gateway Processors. RMI Improves Alchemy Processor Earlier this month, Raza Microelectronics (RMI) announced its first new products in the Alchemy processor family that it acquired from AMD last summer. The Au1210 and Au1250 are improved versions of the Au1200, which has been in production since 2005. Although the new parts continue to use 130nm CMOS, RMI has tightened up the physical layout to improve the clock speed from 500MHz to 600MHz while reducing power dissipation by an impressive 30% to 60%. While the Au1250 operates at the full 600MHz and can decode video at full D1 or VGA resolution, the Au1210 is a lower-cost version that runs at 400MHz and decodes video at wide-CIF resolution. Both new products maintain the same feature set as the Au1200 and are pin- and software-compatible with that chip, providing easy upgrades for existing designs. The new devices are slated to sample in March. Pricing is similar to the Au1200; the Au1210 lists for less than $20, while the Au1250 lists for less than $30. These processors target portable media players but can also be used in GPS devices, in-dash equipment, and other mobile applications. This announcement shows that RMI is continuing to invest in the Alchemy product line. The company is also working on an upgrade to the Au1550 that will boost its encryption capabilities; this device could sample as early as 2Q07. With these improvements, the Alchemy products serve as a strong low-end offering to complement the more powerful XLR family at the high end. —Linley Additional
coverage of the Alchemy products appears in our report A
Guide to High-Speed Embedded Processors.
Earlier this month, Conexant announced availability of highly integrated VDSL2 chip for CPE. This CPE chip integrates a VoIP engine for two voice channels and a network processor (NPU) for features such as QoS. In most cases, the embedded NPU should eliminate the need for an external services processor. Conexant offers one version for VDSL2 profiles up to 30a (100Mbps upstream and downstream) and another version for VDSL2 profiles up to 17a. Although Conexant is not the first vendor to announce an integrated DSL gateway processor, it is the first to offer such a product for all VDSL2 profiles. The device offers interfaces to support most home networking technologies, including 802.11a/b/g/n, MOCA (Multimedia Over Coax Alliance), HomePNA, Gigabit Ethernet, and HomePlug A/V. The company has also taken the lead by offering versions that support channel bonding. Bonding allows telcos to offer high bandwidth over longer loops, allowing them to service more customers. With integrated VoIP and QoS engines and support for all VDSL2 profiles, Conexant offers the most-integrated and highest-performance gateway processor for VDSL2. The company also offers a corresponding device, Accelity 2, for central-office (DSLAM) equipment. The combination of a proven CO product and a leading CPE product should put Conexant among the leading VDSL2 suppliers. —Jag Additional coverage of VDSL2 processors appears in our report A Guide to SOHO Gateway Processors. To receive Linley on CE via e-mail, you must register on our web site
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