Qualcomm Atheros has extended its range of 802.11ac 2.0 multi-user multi-input/multi-output (Mu-Mimo) Wi-Fi products by launching a new chipset that extends connectivity to the likes of notebooks, TVs and other consumer electronics.
The QCA9377 is a single stream 11ac and Bluetooth combination chip that offers lower power consumption. It is part of Qualcomm’s Vive range of solutions, which is aimed at supporting multiple devices across a Wi-Fi network. The vendor said the Vive range offers up to three times faster connections than other 802.11ac products.
Networking company AVM will release the first product featuring the new chip. Its FRITZ! Box router will be aimed at retail and operator customers and features Qualcomm’s IPQ internet processor technology and four stream 802.11ac with Mu-Mimo.
The company is showing the first over-the-air demonstration of the technology at this week’s Broadband World Forum in Amsterdam.
Cristiano Amon, Executive Vice-President and Co-President of Qualcomm Technologies, commented: “Qualcomm and companies like AVM are working to ensure that consumers can easily access and enjoy 4k video, gaming and other latency-sensitive activities by delivering reliable high performance connectivity.”
The new product is the latest innovation in the Wi-Fi sector. Last week, Samsung said it was developing 60GHz Wi-Fi technology, which it said would eventually deliver speeds 10 times faster than existing 2.4GHz and 5GHz products.
The manufacturer used millimetre wave circuit design and new modem technology on the tests to overcome line of sight issues.
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