CSR chip powers world’s first demo of a next-gen WI-FI standard

As the deployment of Wi-Fi hotspots in public spaces accelerates, users will increasingly demand the ability to connect their mobile devices quickly and securely, said Filomena Berardi, senior analyst at IMS Research. The Fast Initial Link Setup demonstration by CSR and Root is an important milestone in the development of a much improved wireless LAN experience for a variety of public spaces, and offers a peek at the kinds of new applications this technology may foster.

According to IMS Research, the market for mobile devices with embedded Wi-Fi is forecast to grow to over 1.3 billion units by 2016.

“We are excited to be working with Root and the other members of this Task Group to develop this next-generation Wi-Fi standard, and to be contributing our expertise and technology to make this demonstration a success,” said Klaus Buehring, senior vice president of technology and development at CSR. “When finalized, the IEEE 802.11ai standard will significantly change the way mobile Wi-Fi is used by reducing the time it takes to associate with a hotspot from tens of seconds to less than a second while greatly reducing the energy required. This will extend battery life and enable instant access to hotspots through a variety of devices as people travel about in airports, train stations, shopping malls and other densely populated areas.”

CSR is an active member of the Task Group developing the IEEE 802.11ai Fast Initial Link Setup (FILS) standard with CSR’s Standards Architect, Tom Siep, serving as the Task Group’s technical editor. CSR has worked closely with Root, Inc., which chairs the Task Group, on developing the standard and updating the firmware and software of the CSR6026 Wi-Fi to implement the new protocol for this demonstration.

Still in the early stages of development, IEEE 802.11ai defines a MAC layer protocol designed to significantly speed up the authentication and association of mobile devices with Wi-Fi access points, or hotspots. It will also enable access points to handle hundreds of such links simultaneously as mobile devices enter and leave their Wi-Fi domains. As IEEE 802.11ai is a MAC layer protocol it can be used with any current or future PHY layer Wi-Fi standard, such as today’s IEEE 802.11 b/g/n and the next-generation 802.11ac.