Intersil Corp. and Cisco Systems Inc. are working together to speed the adoption of wireless LAN systems that comply with the 802.11g specification. The companies said Thursday (Feb. 21) that they will jointly develop an 802.11g reference design that will help companies develop client adapters for enterprise and residential networking applications.
Cisco's backing could accelerate the adoption of 802.11g, the recently adopted spec that extends the data rate capabilities of 2.4-GHz WLAN systems to 54 Mbits/second. Intersil's leadership as a WLAN chip set supplier complements Cisco's position on the systems side. "This joint development agreement really shows that both companies are committed to 802.11g," said Jim Zyren, director of strategic marketing at Intersil.
The reference design will allow OEMs to build client adapters, such as network interface cards and PC cards, that work with Cisco's enterprise WLAN access points, Zyren said. The companies anticipate that the same client adapters will also be targeted at home networking designs, he said.
The reference design will include three ICs from Intersil's recently announced 802.11g chip set — a power amplifier, a direct downconversion transceiver, and a baseband processor. It will also include Cisco's home-grown 802.11-compliant media-access controller IC.
Intersil obtained MAC technology when it acquired Choice and No Wires Needed with an eye on providing complete 802.11b-compliant chip sets. But the agreement with Cisco shows that Intersil is putting its weight behind Cisco's 802.11g MAC, and Zyren affirmed that commitment.
Intersil said it plans to continue its MAC work in the 802.11b and 802.11a areas.
Further integration of the four ICs in the reference design is under consideration, and the companies are exploring ways to integrate their respective baseband and MAC technologies into a single chip, Zyren said.
The reference design will make it easier for third parties to develop adapters for the enterprise market. It will also give OEMs access to an 802.11g solution that can penetrate the residential market, Zyren said. The reference platform will allow the development of a single card that can access a set of features in the enterprise environment while still upping performance in the residential sector, he said.
Intersil currently offers its 802.11b Prism 3 chip set for $35. Zyren said the four-piece 802.11g chip set will offered be at a premium over the 802.11b solution, but below upcoming 802.11a solutions.
The four-piece 802.11g chip set will be available late in the second quarter. The reference platform should be available in the third quarter, Zyren said.
