Vendors Claim Speed Breakthrough For Current Wi-Fi Products

Two vendors, Samsung and Athena Semiconductors, claimed Tuesday they have new technology that will dramatically increase the range and bandwidth of current-generation wireless LAN equipment.

The companies said in a statement that they have developed a single-chip Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) product that WLAN equipment manufacturers can put into 802.11a and g hardware. MIMO is a technology that extends the range and speed of wireless LAN connections and is expected to be part of the 802.11n standard, which isn't expected to be ratified for at least two years.

Current MIMO equipment requires multiple chips but the vendors said their TRINI solution would provide MIMO capabilities to current-generation products without increasing their cost or size. A handful of other vendors, such as Airgo, already are providing MIMO technology, although only a handful of WLAN equipment vendors are using it.

Samsung and Athena claimed that their chipset can increase speeds of 802.11a/g equipment from 54 Mbps to more than 200 Mbps.

"The high levels of integration we've achieved enable extremely competitive pricing that make this solution viable today, even rivaling price points of existing WLAN access devices," Pratap Reddy, President and COO of Athena Semiconductors, said in a statement.The companies said they would demonstrate the technology at this week's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.