MIMO

Quantenna Announces: 4x4 MIMO .11n Arrives

Craig Mathias — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 07:51:25 -0400

WLAN chipset newcomer Quantenna today announced the first 4x4 MIMO 802.11n chip family, which extends raw throughput to 600 Mbps. I had not expected to see such capability for another year or so, but, let's face it, more throughput is always a good thing and startups tend to provide the innovation that produces such great leaps forward. And note here we are talking about 4x4 radios, not 4x4 streams or some other metric of chip configuration or performance.

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802.11n - What's the Problem?

Craig Mathias — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:47:04 -0400

OK, there's a chance I‘ve been a tiny bit irrationally exuberant when it comes to 802.11n, but I really don't think so. I first learned about MIMO in the mid-90's (yes, it sounded like magic the first time a Ph.D. explained it to me), and started working on MIMO-based systems in 2003. I published my first White Paper on this topic in December of 2003, and I've since spent countless hours working on and with many types of MIMO-based systems, including many of the Draft .11n products available today. My advice has been uniform and consistent - buy it. Now.

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MIMO man

Alpha Doggs — Thu, 08 May 2008 11:28:03 -0400

University of California at San Diego Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineer Bhaskar Rao has been named the inaugural holder of the Ericsson Endowed Chair in Wireless Access Networks in the UCSC Jacobs School of Engineering. An expert in MIMO and other wireless technologies, Rao has worked for Qualcomm, Microsoft Research and AT&T Bell Labs. Rao's work has helped to advance WiMAX standards , among other things.

Cisco shows off one of its first WiMAX wins

Cisco Subnet — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:40:36 -0400

Six months after buying its way into WiMAX via an acquisition of WiMAX radio vendor Navini Networks, Cisco is showing off Navini's beamforming technology at work at service provider Xanadoo, reports Computworld. Cisco mixes beamforming with MIMO to boost wireless signals, according to the story.

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The Whip Antenna is Dead

Craig Mathias — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 18:06:39 -0500

With the 700 MHz. auctions now underway (and about $11.5B bid so far), I've been asked a number of times if the introduction of 700 MHz. subscriber units will mean the return of the telescoping, pull-up "whip" antenna typical on early 800 MHz. handsets and still a fixture on some devices today. I must confess that the retro appeal of these antennas is certainly there, but, let's face it, the sleek looks of no visible antenna is certainly more in keeping with modern fashion trends.

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Cisco close to buying Navini WiMAX maker, report suggests

Cisco Subnet — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 16:20:33 -0400

Navini Networks has emerged as the favorite of the WiMAX vendors likely to be acquired by Cisco. An Unstrung.com story cites sources as saying Cisco is expected to purchase Navini within the next few weeks.

According to Unstrung, ThinkEquity Partners has issue a report saying that Navini is the favorite because of the vendor's use of "beamforming" technology, which can increase directional signal strength from WiMAX.

Another Unstrung story previously linked Cisco with Alvarion, Aperto Networks, and Redline Communications, all with established products and a number of deployments.

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MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output)

Inbox — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 16:40:54 -0400

A technique for boosting wireless bandwidth and range by taking advantage of multiplexing.

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless uses different waveforms on typically two, but sometimes three or more transmitting antennas inputting to the channel carrying radio waves from Point A to Point B. Multiple antennas and radios (typically, two or three) also are applied to the output of the radio channel at the receiver, along with a lot of signal processing, which ideally improves range and throughput compared with simpler or traditional radio designs operating under similar conditions.

MIMO is at the heart of the 802.11n draft specification for 100Mbps wireless.

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Lenovo adds MIMO to N100 notebooks

Keith Shaw — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 14:17:55 -0400

Lenovo this week updated its N100 widescreen notebook this week, including putting the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors, making the notebook "Vista Premium-ready" and adding MIMO wireless LAN technologies (based on the draft 802.11n specifications). The notebooks begin at $799 and will be available at the Lenovo Web site and through its business channels. The N100 includes a 15.4-inch VibrantView LCD screen, which lets users view high-end graphics and video content in low-lit environments, Lenovo says. Other features include the NVIDIA GeForce Go 7300 graphics cards with either 64MB or 128MB of memory on certain models. The system also includes the Lenovo Care tools, which include one-button system recovery, automatic updates that download and install critical updates, and a connectivity configuration utility for wired or wireless, as well as profile configuration (home, office or vacation, for example).

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Linksys offers "pre-n" gear to SMBs

Keith Shaw — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 11:55:30 -0400

Linksys today announced new wireless LAN equipment (based on the 802.11n draft specification) in its Small Business Series. The Wireless-N Access Point (model WAP4400N, $169, pictured), Wireless-N Gigabit Security Router with VPN (WRVS440N, $229, available in September) and Wireless-N CardBus Adapter (WPC4400N, $129) all include "improved range and throughput," as well as "robust security features." Features found in the new equipment not found in Linksys' other wireless-n products include Gigabit Ethernet ports (four in the router, one in the access point); an intrusion prevention system and IPSec VPN support (router only); 802.1x client authentication; Power over Ethernet and Roaming (access point only); and Wireless Multimedia support. The systems also offer WPA-PSK/ENT and WPA2-PSK2/ENT security support, and have a Linksys-developed Wireless Security Monitor on its access point and PC Card. The monitor provides rogue access point and client detection on the network, alerting IT managers when "un-welcomed clients or access points show up on their network."

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MIMO for Mac users

Keith Shaw — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 11:38:37 -0400

Attention Macintosh owners – feeling left out of the MIMO wireless market? Hawking Technologies has some news for you. The company this week says it's shipping its new Hi-Gain Wireless 108G MIMO Router with AMP Technology (model HWRGM1A), designed specifically for Mac users. The router is available for $99.99 through retailers, direct marketers, online sites and distribution channels. Hawking says its router amplifies MIMO wireless signals to achieve greater distance and performance for applications such as streaming video, audio and media in the home or office. The router includes a Mac-based setup wizard and "has also been elegantly designed to please even the most critical eye among Mac users," the company adds. The router includes three removable antennas, and also works with Hawkin's Hi-Gain 24 Series Wi-Fi Antenna line, which can help increase the distance of 802.11b and 802.11g wireless LANs. The router also supports WPA encryptions, and includes a stateful packet inspection firewall, as well as management features. More details on the new router are available at the Hawking Technologies Web site.

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Alienware adds MIMO to new notebooks

Keith Shaw — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 15:07:41 -0400

At least one notebook vendor isn't worried about whether the 802.11n standard ends up changing or not – Alienware has announced Airgo Networks True MIMO wireless technology on its Aurora m9700 (17-inch, starts at $1,999) and mALX (19-inch, starts at $4,499) mobile systems. The company says that the True MIMO technology can deliver "speeds up to 240Mbps," and is backward compatible with existing 802.11b/g networks and routers. In order to achieve these rates, however, one would need a True MIMO-based router, and also be standing in a vacuum – realistically those rates would be in the 100+Mbps range. And without an Airgo-based MIMO router, the system would likely drop to 802.11g speeds (and don't forget distance between the router and notebook!). More details on the new notebooks are located here.

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