Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Mobile

    Finding MIMO, Airgo Fishes for 100-Mbps Wi-Fi

    By
    eWEEK EDITORS
    -
    August 20, 2003
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      In the race to push Wi-Fi even faster than existing standards can take it or than many people need it, Airgo Networks has enlisted big money and big names, attracting $52 million in funding and former executives from such networking companies as Agere and Cisco.

      Airgo claims it has doubled the speed achieved with even 802.11a technology, boosting Wi-Fi to 108 Mbps when its chips are used in both the client and access point. In addition, the company claims that it has dramatically extended the range of Wi-Fi up to six fold, “pushing out” the curve to provide better performance as the signal degrades. Only independent benchmarks will be able to verify whether the company has taken liberties with its speed claims.

      The secret sauce behind Airgos approach is MIMO (Multiple Input, Multiple Output), an advanced signal processing method of combining multiple, inexpensive antennas to achieve greater throughput. MIMO (pronounced “my-mo”) is so new that a Google search for “MIMO wireless” yields mostly academic papers on theory. Airgo engineers have been working on the technology, which can be extended to any kind of wireless network, since 1995, and have been the first to produce it at a practical cost. Airgos chipset will be compatible with all three major flavors of 802.11 WLAN technology. Ultimately, though, the company believes that every wireless device will use MIMO technology from it or another vendor.

      So, will Airgos packets fly?

      One potential barrier for customers is the proprietary nature of Airgos approach. The company, while working with the 802.11n working group toward 100-Mbps Wi-Fi, claims that it sees that standard as five years off, and that it is on a much different (and faster) project cycle. Covering its bets, it is compatible with all the headers in the draft standard.

      Furthermore, Airgo is striving to play especially well with current standards; it claims having an Airgo chipset in your access point will improve the efficiency of all client devices for what it claims should translate to a $20 to $50 premium.

      Still, jumping the gun is always risky, even if it wont be fired for a while. Before the widespread release of 802.11g, Texas Instruments introduced a 22-Mbps standard via its DSP technology that ultimately proved incompatible with 802.11g. TI found support with at least one major volume vendor in D-Link, but benchmarks found that the Wi-Fi extension fell far short of its speed claims and had inferior range.

      Theres also competition. Airgo is clearly targeting whole-home video applications where Quality of Service is important. Canadian chipset vendor ViXS Systems has developed solutions to deliver smooth video over todays 54 Mbps networks. Ultimately, many experts believe that Ultra Wideband (UWB) will provide the best wireless solution for video distribution in the home. Airgo dismisses UWB as “too little, too late” and with too little range but concedes that a lot can happen in five years; thats around the time others predict UWB will be viable.

      While Airgo says it already has some design wins, it hasnt yet announced customers. However, it plans to sell directly to end-user device companies that sell products like access points and PCs. If it lives up to its claims, Airgos MIMO technology can be a real differentiator, but may not be enough to stand out in a volatile commodity marketplace. Since its technology must be at both ends of the network to reach its full potential, Airgo may ultimately find better success in more controlled wireless markets, such as cellular, where there isnt such brutal retail pricing pressure.

      Does Airgo sound like the key to high-speed Wi-Fi or are you willing to wait for new standards? E-mail me.

      Wireless Supersite Editor Ross Rubin is a senior analyst at eMarketer. He has researched wireless communications since 1994 and has been covering technology since 1989.

      More from Ross Rubin:

      eWEEK EDITORS
      eWeek editors publish top thought leaders and leading experts in emerging technology across a wide variety of Enterprise B2B sectors. Our focus is providing actionable information for today’s technology decision makers.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×