802.11ac Wave 2 WiFi chip/SoC portfolio is expanded

Broadcom's 5G WiFi portfolio includes the superfast 4x4 5G WiFi MU-MIMO chip for home gateways and STBs. The BCM4366 incorporates multiple 802.11ac Wave 2 features, including a MU-MIMO implementation, which is able to boost speed by a factor of four. Multiple radio optimisations enable the delivery of broadcast-quality video over a wireless network.

For retail WiFi access point routers, the BCM4366 is coupled with the BCM47094 network processor SoC which utilises a powerful 1.4GHz dual core ARM processor, enabling unprecedented wireless and video streaming performance.

The portfolio also includes the BCM53573 and BCM47189 dual-band 2x2 5G WiFi SoCs for affordable and mid-tier residential routers, wireless repeaters, power line and MOCA WiFi bridges. The two SoCs are the first to integrate a 2x2 802.11ac radio on a single chip with a CPU and Ethernet switch, reducing cost while delivering 5G WiFi to the entry-level segment.

“Broadcom continues to deliver the industry's highest performing 5G WiFi solutions,” said Manny Patel, Director, Wireless Connectivity, Broadcom. “The 4x4 5G WiFi MU-MIMO architecture enables our customers to design faster, higher capacity, longer range access points that are equipped to address the growing number of connected devices in the home and continued demand for high quality wireless video streaming.”

“802.11ac access points are expected to reach nearly 60% of consumer WiFi equipment shipments in 2016,” added Philip Solis, Research Director, ABI. “Broadcom has captured a leading position with Wave 1 802.11ac. With Wave 2, Broadcom is enabling its customers to bring next-gen 802.11ac products to market.”

The BCM4366, BCM53573, BCM47189 and BCM47094 are currently sampling.