Wavion today announced the general availability of the WS410, a spatially adaptive Wi-Fi access point said to improve the economics and performance of metro Wi-Fi deployments by quadrupling the coverage of existing access points in metro Wi-Fi deployments.
Wavion uses “beamforming,” to increase range. It sends the same signal, at different phases and amplitudes, to client devices from six different antennas on the access point. The signals are coherently assembled at the client to form a more powerful and penetrating signal.
Wavion is hardly the first company to use MIMO, explains Unstrung. Ruckus Wireless uses a related technology called “BeamFlex” to automatically select the highest quality signal path and optimum data rate for each client, based on environmental factors.
While conventional access points are limited to 36 dBm in effective radiated power, Wavion’s system is allowed to deliver up to 42 dBm.
A typical mesh set-up, says Wavion vice president Alan Menezes, uses 25 to 30 nodes per square mile. With the six-antenna WS410s using beamforming, the same level of coverage can be achieved using eight to 10 nodes, he claims.
The WS410 intelligence resides in customized ASICs, which tightly integrate beamforming signal processing with the PHY and MAC network layers, incorporating advanced algorithms that continually compensate for dynamic outdoor conditions.
While each individual access point will be more expensive than conventional equipment, because fewer will be needed, on a per-square-mile basis Wavion networks says they will be half the cost of current technology.
The closest comparison might be Vivato, which used an expensive phased array panel. The company went belly up last year but is now back in business under new ownership. Vivato’s first commercial 802.11b product, the VP1210 Outdoor Wi-Fi Base Station, was shipped in May 2003. Vivato can use different channels on multiple beams, so it can support more simultaneous users.
Both Atheros and Broadcom made announcements today about their high-speed pre-802.11n chipsets. Broadcom and laptop maker Acer are teaming up with Broadcom’s Intensi-fi. Atheros claims that it has three as-yet unnamed notebook makers lined up to use its pre-n XSPAN. Laptops are expected to ship before the end of this year. Atheros has developed a mini-card that is the first in the industry to achieve PCIe compatibility.
Atheros says their XSPAN family including the AR5008, demonstrated at CES 2006, are the first to be based on the draft 802.11n specification. The Atheros chipset will use three antennas. Atheros and Broadcom said they have achieved interoperability with their next-generation 802.11n chipsets. Both the Atheros XSPAN and the Broadcom Intensi-fi 802.11n chipsets were shown to be compatible at speeds greater than 100-Mbits/s.- Broadcom says their Intensi-fi technology incorporates all mandatory elements of the IEEE 802.11n draft specification and is designed to be software upgradable once the standard is finalized. Broadcom’s H-264 chips are also used in DirecTV and Echostar boxes.
- Marvell says their TopDog™ branded family of 802.11n IEEE draft compliant products are targeting consumer, enterprise, and mobile markets. They support multiple antenna configurations including 3×3, 2×3, 2×2 and 1×2; for applications like wireless streaming of HDTV and multimedia content throughout the home.
- Airgo Networks says their True MIMO Media technology will be able to stream live TV and movies, including high definition, throughout a home. Early “Draft N” products have not rallyed around Airgo’s current 3rd Generation chips. The company has stated it will not go to a 4th generation until 802.11n is in a far more completed state.
Related DailyWireless articles include Broadcom Ships 802.11n Chips, RangeMax 240 Tested, MIMO USB, Intel Moves On UWB/USB & 802.11n, MIMO Reviews, Fast Track for Fast Wi-Fi, Merging UWB/802.11n?, Raising Ruckus, Airgo MIMO Goes Dual Band, MIMO Expanded, Finding MIMO, D-Link’s MIMO, Netgear’s MIMO, Belkin’s MIMO and the Linksys MIMO, MIMO Reviews, AT&T’s IPTV Pricing, Intelsat Does Home Delivery, AT&T’s WiFi TV, NAB 2006, IPTV: Is It Soup Yet?, IPTV Networking, PBS + MovieBeam, WorldView, Cuban: Broadcasting Not Dead, Wireless IP-TV Box, IP-TV End Game and Cisco Buying Scientific Atlanta.
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