Bluetooth :: AR9004WB-1NG
Technology Overview
WLAN is ubiquitous in notebook and netbook PCs, meeting user demand for mobile wireless connectivity. Many PCs are shipping with 11n technology, and a large proportion of value-class notebooks and netbooks now feature Atheros’ popular 1-stream 11n configuration, Align®. Bluetooth®, a popular personal area network technology, is contained in more than half of netbook PCs shipping today, enabling wireless connectivity with peripherals such as keyboards, mice and headsets. As a result, many portable PC platforms contain both WLAN and Bluetooth capabilities. However, these two wireless technologies are commonly located on separate PCIe & USB cards within the same system, posing size and cost design challenges.
Building upon Atheros’ historic leadership in the computing market, Atheros has re-designed its WLAN and Bluetooth architecture to deliver even greater benefits for PC manufacturers and consumers alike. By cutting the power consumption of legacy standalone and combination solutions in half, Atheros is enabling best-in-class wireless features with a greatly-reduced impact on the battery life of mobile PCs.
Product Overview
With the growing demand for both WLAN and Bluetooth in portable PCs, Atheros has combined its latest 1-stream 11n and Bluetooth solutions, which is software-upgradable to Bluetooth 4.0. The AR9004WB-1NG delivers the WLAN performance of its AR9485 (the greenest 1-stream 11n solution) and the robust personal are connectivity of its AR3012 Bluetooth solution (supporting Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, 3.0+High Speed, and 4.0 +Low Energy. It is the industry’s first combo solution to support Bluetooth 4.0, which extends Bluetooth connectivity to sensors and other coin battery-powered devices.
Atheros Universal Wireless Cooperation™
Atheros new WLAN and Bluetooth combo solution goes beyond coexistence to enable cooperation between WLAN, Bluetooth and even 3G technologies co-located on PC platforms. To support this new level of radio coexistence, Atheros has engineered a suite of advanced wireless techniques to deliver Atheros Universal Wireless Cooperation, consisting of channel protection and timesharing mechanisms, custom 3G coexistence optimization, and Atheros’ proprietary WLAN/Bluetooth Coexistence Agent™. By facilitating greater cooperation between the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios to minimize interference, Atheros’ innovative coexistence technology ensures glitch-free audio with Bluetooth headsets and smooth operation of Bluetooth keyboards and mice, as well as faster Web downloads and flawless media streaming over Wi-Fi.
Cost Effective, Highly Integrated Technology
AR9004WB-1NG slashes the costs of adding Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to computing platforms. By combining WLAN and Bluetooth on a single board, the AR9004WB-1NG offers RBOM reduction vs. separate WLAN and Bluetooth boards. The single board design enables sharing of elements such as the PCB and antennas to reduce duplication. The unmatched silicon integration of AR9485 and AR3012 eliminates the need for external power amplifiers, low-noise amplifiers (LNAs), a transmit/receive switch and several other components to reduce bill of material (BOM) costs by up to 30 percent, compared to previous solutions.
Greenest Power Combo Solution
AR9004WB-1NG offers the industry’s lowest power consumption – 30 to 50 percent lower than comparable solutions. Such significant power savings are the result of Atheros’ enhanced PHY architecture, 55nm design and efficient power amplifiers. The new products also use a unique Green Transmission mode, which dynamically adjusts the system’s Wi-Fi transmitting power depending on the distance between the router and the client device.
Wi-Fi Direct Support
AR9004WB-1NG also includes Atheros Direct Connect™ peer-to-peer technology, which enables PCs to easily connect with Wi-Fi enabled printers, cameras, and other peripherals – without an access point or broadband connection. Direct Connect brings unprecedented convenience and simplicity to Wi-Fi devices and lets people do more with their wireless products.
Solution Highlights
- Combines AR9485 single chip 1-stream 11n and AR3012 single chip Bluetooth solutions on a single card
- Atheros Universal Wireless CooperationTM for maximum performance
- Simultaneous WLAN and BT operation
- Better end-user experience than standalone solutions
- Compact WLAN and BT solution for small PC designs
- Optimal low cost RBOM
- Supports up to 150 Mbps WLAN PHY rates
- Supports Bluetooth 2.1+EDR/3.0+HS/BT4.0+HS (Software upgradable)
- Supports Wake on Wireless LAN (WoW)
- Optional HID pre-boot support
- Optional 3G coexistence and filtering
- BQB and Wi-Fi Alliance CERTIFIED
