Atheros offers single-chip 802.11g

Wi-Fi chipset developer Atheros Communications has announced what it says is the first single-chip 802.11g wireless LAN solution, integrating a media access controller (MAC), baseband processor, and a 2.4 GHz radio in a digital complementary metal-oxide semiconductor design.

The new single-chip AR5005G is the company’s third-generation 802.11g silicon having been preceded by a three-chip solution launched in February 2003, and a two-chip solution launched in June 2003.

In addition to combining the MAC, baseband processor, and 2.4 GHz radio on a single chip, Atheros said it has engineered a 35% part count reduction from products based on two-chip solutions by integrating discrete components from the previous designs. This also provides for a similar reduction in other bill-of-materials costs.

Like the vendor’s earlier 802.11g solutions, the AR5005G uses a multi-phase approach to signal processing, which extends the battery life of mobile devices by controlling the power of different sections of the wireless device according to the level of system and network activity. This allows the chip to consume up to 98% less power than multi-chip WLAN solutions, according to Atheros.

The AR5005G supports the latest security standards, including Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA and WPA2) and 802.11i Enhanced Security using Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). The AR5005G also supports Cisco Compatible Extensions (CCX).

802.11g products typically offer data rates of up to 54 Mb.s, though Atheros said it intends to expand its family of single-chip solutions to enable throughput rates of more 70 Mb/s, as well as extended range.

The single-chip solution is currently in sampling, and expected to be in volume production by the second quarter.