WLAN :: AR6004

Qualcomm Atheros Mobile Platform Solutions

The combination of Qualcomm Atheros 802.11n wireless solutions for mobile WLAN, Bluetooth® and Location, with our dominant position in the home, office and Metro Wi-Fi networking markets enables a worldwide wireless ecosystem based on the company’s technologies. Qualcomm Atheros-engineered 11n technologies provide the most reliable wireless performance and connectivity anywhere you go. Our mobile platform solutions give customers the unsurpassed ability to:

  • Build the most power-efficient devices
  • Design for the smallest form factor applications
  • Achieve the most cost-effective designs
  • Deliver Atheros-class performance in a wide array of mobile devices, all featuring a high level of design and integration ease.

AR6004 Technology Overview

The AR6004 is our fourth-generation Wi-Fi chip optimized for the throughput, size, and energy efficiency requirements of mobile and portable CE devices. In addition to its tiny footprint and energy-saving qualities, the AR6004 is the world's first dual-band, 2-stream 802.11n solution, which enables unprecedented wireless performance in smartphones, tablets, mobile gaming and portable CE devices.

Throughput and Range

The AR6004 brings the full throughput and range benefits of 11n to mobile devices -- achieving throughput up to 90 Mbps in the 2.4 GHz band (in 20 MHz mode), and up to 170 Mbps in the 5 GHz band (in 40 MHz mode). It also enhances rate-over-range by leveraging Atheros' Signal Sustain Technology™ (SST), a set of optional 11n features that include STBC, LDPC, TxBF, MRC and Maximum Likelihood (ML). Such throughput and coverage improvements enable mobile devices to support flawless media streaming, content sharing and fast synch and-go. This provides consumers with the same wireless experience at home, at work and on-the-go.

The AR6004 offers ultra-low current consumption to significantly extend the battery life of mobile devices. It employs the company's on-chip Efficient Power Amplifier™ (EPA) to reduce the power typically consumed by internal PAs, while delivering the output power of an external PA. This results in the industry's lowest average receive current consumption (at 11n rates).

Qualcomm Atheros has taken integration to a new level with the AR6004 to enable true 11n performance in a wider variety of mobile handhelds and portable CE products. The AR6004 eliminates many external components compared to competitive mobile WLAN solutions, including a linearized, high-efficiency power amplifier and LNAs. This high level of integration results in the industry's most compact 2-stream 11n solution, measuring a miniscule 6 mm x 6 mm.

AR6004 Solution Highlights

  • Most power-efficient 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN implementation for high speed media applications
  • Dual-band, 2-stream 802.11n provides highest throughput and superior RF performance for mobile devices
  • Advanced 802.11n features
    • HT20 (2.4/5 GHz) and HT40 (5 GHz only)
    • Full/Half guard interval
    • Frame aggregation
    • Space time block coding (STBC)
    • Low density parity check (LDPC)
    • Maximum Ratio Combining (MRC)
    • Transmit Beamforming (TxBF)
    • Spatial Multiplexing: Maximum Likelihood (ML)
  • Optimized for maximum throughput and low power consumption
  • Highest level of on-chip integration using CMOS technology
    • Radio/MAC/Baseband
    • Patented Atheros Efficient Power Amplifier (EPA™) for high transmitter output power
    • Power management unit
    • LNA
  • Superior coexistence with Bluetooth co-located devices
    • Support for 2-, 3-, and 4-wire handshaking protocols
    • Enhanced PTA schemes and algorithms for optimal throughput at range
    • Atheros proprietary Bluetooth coexistence
  • Supports popular interfaces used in low power embedded designs
    • USB High-Speed Interconnect (HSIC)
    • SDIO 2.0
    • GSPI