Qualcomm® Align™ :: AR9002WB-1NGCD

Technology Overview

WLAN is ubiquitous in notebooks and netbooks, a standard feature especially in portable computing platforms, meeting user demand for mobile wireless connectivity. Many computers are shipping with 11n technology, and a large proportion of value-class notebooks and netbooks now feature Atheros’ popular 1-stream 11n technology, Align.® Bluetooth, the most popular personal area network technology, is contained in nearly half of netbooks shipping today, enabling wireless connectivity with peripherals such as keyboards, mice and headsets. As a result, many portable computing platforms contain both WLAN and Bluetooth capabilities. However, these two wireless technologies are commonly located on separate PCIe cards within the same system, posing size and cost design challenges.

Product Overview

With the growing demand for both WLAN and Bluetooth in portable PCs, Atheros has developed the industry’s first 1-stream 11n plus Bluetooth combo solution on a Half-Mini Card. The AR9002WB-1NGCD delivers the 11n performance of Atheros Align’s AR9285, the popular single-chip 11n 1-stream PCIe solution featured in notebooks and netbooks of seven of the top 10 PC OEMs (as of Q309). This market-leading 11n solution combines with Atheros’ single-chip Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and 3.0 + HS solution optimized for PCs.

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.™

Single-board efficiency

By combining WLAN and Bluetooth on a single board, the AR9002UB-1NGCD offers a 20% 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 AR9285 integrates the MAC/baseband and radio transceiver, as well as the power amplifier, low noise amplifiers and antenna switch – the entire RF front end.

Solution Highlights

  • Combines AR9285 single-chip 1-stream 11n and AR3011 single-chip Bluetooth solutions on a single card
  • Atheros Universal Wireless Cooperation™ support for maximum coexistence performance
  • Simultaneous WLAN and BT operation
  • Seamless end user experience from standalone solutions
  • Compact WLAN and BT solution for small computing designs
  • Optimal low-cost RBOM
  • Supports up to 150 Mbps for WLAN portion
  • Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and Bluetooth 3.0 + HS
  • Optional 3G coexistence and filtering
  • BQB and Wi-Fi Alliance certified

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