AR5006EXS Technology Overview
Introducing the Atheros AR5006EXS, the world’s first single-chip IEEE 802.11a/b/g WLAN solution with support for PCI Express. AR5006EXS integrates a complete WLAN solution-media access controller (MAC), baseband processor, and a high-performance 2.4/5-GHz radio in a low-cost digital CMOS design.

With the highest level of integration, the AR5006EXS enables the entire WLAN solution to fit on a single-sided Mini Card or ExpressCard design, creating the ideal choice for embedded and aftermarket WLAN solutions for personal computers. This design exploits the ability of the PCI
Express bus architecture to support high-performance computing with up to 2.5-gigabit-per-second transmit and receive rates – a 150 percent improvement over the existing PCI architecture.

AR5006EXS Solution Highlights

• Uses digital CMOS technology exclusively, minimizing power
  consumption and cost while maximizing reliability
• Highly integrated single chip PCI Express CMOS solution with
  MAC/baseband processor and 2.4 GHz radio
• Compliant with IEEE 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11d, 802.11h,
  802.11i and 802.11j standards
• Supports draft 802.11e Quality of Service (QoS) standard
• Super AG® mode delivers up to 108 Mbps data link rate with
  typical end user throughput exceeding 60 Mbps
• Atheros XR™ eXtended Range technology gives Wi-Fi products
  twice the range of existing designs
• Hardware encryption for security provides Advanced Encryption
  Standard (AES), Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) and Wired
  Equivalent Privacy (WEP) without performance degradation
• Extended tuning range (2.300-2.500 & 4.900-5.580 GHz) enables worldwide use

AR5424 Single-Chip 802.11a/b/g PCI Express CMOS MAC/Baseband/Radio

• PCI Express Base specification 1.0a compliant
• Operates from 4.900 to 5.580 GHz and 2.300 to 2.500 GHz
• Dynamic Frequency Selection/Transmit Power Control (DFS/TPC) support
• Industrial temperature version (-40 to 85˚C) option available
• Super AG mode includes dynamic turbo capability, real-time hardware
  data compression, Fast Frames and standards-compliant bursting
• Advanced wideband receiver with best path sequencer for better range
  and multipath resistance than conventional equalizer-based designs
• Eliminates all IF filters and most RF filters; no external voltage-controlled
  oscillators (VCOs) or surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters needed
• Rx filter supports blocking specifications for half & quarter rate channels
• No external FLASH or RAM memory needed
• Serial EEPROM, LEDs, GPIOs peripheral interfaces
• Low power sleep modes

Reference Design Highlights

• PCI Express Mini Card 1.0 specification compliant single sided board
  design delivers lowest RBOM cost
• Worldwide regulatory compliant (country list available on request)
• Single worldwide SKU
• Integrated WPA supplicant supports Windows® drivers for
  Windows XP, Windows 2000
• A single driver and firmware code base supports previous generation
  Atheros chipsets, providing backward compatibility with legacy designs
• Client utility supports configuration profiles, current link status,
  statistics and diagnostics