Qualcomm brings high end WiFi performance to the mainstream

Qualcomm Technologies' new three radio solutions combine two 5GHz radios and a 2.4GHz radio to provide greater flexibility in the way that routers or repeaters use wireless spectrum and capacity, which can improve connectivity in a variety of network configurations. In homes using a mix of WiFi technologies, the router can dedicate a radio (typically the 2.4GHz radio) for legacy devices, which can alleviate network congestion and ensure more robust bandwidth for newer 802.11ac devices. Furthermore, when used in distributed networks, the third radio can provide a dedicated link to range extenders or help extend the range of mesh nodes.

"As people rely on their home network to support more devices accessing the internet and streaming media, WiFi is being stretched to the limit," said Gopi Sirineni, vice president of product management, Qualcomm Atheros, Inc. "We are changing the game with features designed to deliver the best possible Wi-Fi experiences and now, uniquely, we are driving those technologies into more cost-effective products to extend the benefits to a wider swath of consumers."

Qualcomm Technologies is offering two new tri-radio platforms – both of which use its latest 802.11ac System-on-Chip (SoC), the IPQ40x9, which integrates the Qualcomm Internet Processor with 2-stream 802.11ac and Gigabit Ethernet. The platforms can be combined with Qualcomm Technologies' new 2-stream 802.11ac radio, the QCA9886, to enable a new class of mainstream routers offering an unprecedented 2.2Gbps of aggregate capacity, or its popular 4-stream 802.11ac radio, the QCA9984, to boost the capabilities of the premium routers and repeaters to up to 3.1Gbps.

These new platforms, along with our dual-band platforms, also offer our advanced connectivity features, which had been previously aimed at the premium tier, to a wider mainstream audience. Through Qualcomm Wi-Fi SON technology, home networks are becoming simpler to install, more secure and automatically optimised. The self-configuring features make onboarding and configuring new devices, including Bluetooth devices, on a WiFi network much easier. The technology also includes self-managing features, which is designed to eliminate the guesswork from allocating capacity with tri-band products by automatically shifting traffic between bands and radios depending on real-time conditions. WiFi SON now supports Qualcomm Technologies' HomePlug AV2 powerline solutions, which allows for seamless roaming between a home's wireless and wired networks.

With the demands required of today's home networks, additional speed is no longer a convenience, but a necessity. Qualcomm Technologies' Wave 2 802.11ac features meet this demand through its industry-leading MU-MIMO technology to provide two to three times faster connections. It also offers support for 160 MHz channels, which doubles connection speeds at close range.

"Staying in front of innovation is a priority for us at Amped Wireless," said Jason Owen, chief executive officer, Amped Wireless. "We have been thrilled to work with Qualcomm Technologies for the past few years to bring many, long range, high power, whole-home WiFi solutions to our customers. We continue to blaze the trail with them and can't wait for our next big announcements."

"As more and more devices connect to a home WiFi network, it is critical to ensure consumers enjoy a seamless and joyful WiFi experience," said Tenlong Deng, Vice President of networking and wireless devices business unit, ASUSTEK COMPTER INC. "Qualcomm Technologies' 802.11ac Wave 2 advanced technologies and features allow us to continue to deliver a superior Wi-Fi experience to our customers."

"Tri-radio technology in conjunction with MU-MIMO is becoming more important for a seamless home Wi-Fi experience. In today's connected home, there are more devices simultaneously connecting to Wi-Fi and consuming massive amounts of bandwidth driven by video streaming and online gaming," said Justin Doucette, senior director of product management, Linksys. "As demand increases for Wi-Fi performance including speed, coverage, and reliability, our continued collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies enables Linksys to deliver on consumer needs."

"At TP-LINK, in-home Wi-Fi continues to be a top priority for us and for our customers," said Andy Chen, vice president of oversea networking business unit, TP-LINK. "With 802.11ac Wave 2 enabled devices and cutting edge features such as Qualcomm Wi-Fi SON, we are able to bring virtually uninterrupted connectivity to consumers who rely on our products to connect their devices at home."

This new family of tri-radio 802.11ac platforms is sampling to customers now.