News and New Products

Wi-Fi chip attaches via PCI Express

By Jeff Berman, News Editor -- EDN, 4/28/2005

Broadcom has released what it claims is the first 802.11 wireless-LAN chip that supports the PCI Express bus architecture. The BCM4311 is an 802.11a/g baseband processor with an integrated MAC (media access controller). The chip's all-CMOS design, high integration, and small footprint provide design flexibility for wireless-enabled notebook PCs, printers, and other client devices, according to Broadcom. "This is a wireless-LAN chip set with our BroadRange technology, which allows devices to hear better in noisier environments with 2- and 5-GHz-band radios," said Brian Bedrosian, Broadcom's senior product line manager for wireless-LAN clients. BroadRange is a DSP technique that allows devices to stay connected at distances up to 50 percent farther from a wireless router than previous-generation technologies, Broadcom stated.

The chip's lead-free package and more efficient footprint are make it a good fit for next-generation PC designs, Bedrosian stated. The device works with the company's OneDriver software, which offers various features designed to augment Wi-Fi networks, including SecureEasySetUp software, which aims to make setup and configuration user-friendly, and 125 High Speed Mode, which Broadcom claims delivers up to 40 percent greater throughput than most 802.11g and 802.11a/g systems. Broadcom's BCM4311, available now in sample quantities, costs $10 (10,000).

Broadcom, www.broadcom.com.