Close
  • Latest News
  • 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
  • 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

    Improved WiFi Repeaters Due in 2005

    By
    Mark Hachman
    -
    April 1, 2004
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      A Florida-based WiFi startup is developing chips to enable full-duplex WiFi repeaters, a step up from the half-duplex repeaters in use today.

      WiDeFi Inc. of Satellite Beach, Fla., said Thursday it has raised $6.8 million in venture capital that it will use to further develop its repeater chips, which are due to enter production about April 2005, a WiDeFi executive said. WiDeFis funding was led by The Aurora Funds Inc. of Research Triangle Park, N.C., and Axiom Venture Partners of Hartford, Conn.

      Depending on the signal strength, sources of interference and other variables, a WiFi access points range averages about 100 meters. WiFi repeaters, from companies such as Buffalo Technology Inc., Cisco Systems Inc.s Linksys division and D-Link Inc., are common and can extend the range of a wireless network still farther, using chips from Broadcom Corp. and Texas Instruments Inc.

      But todays repeaters have a weakness: They work only in “half-duplex” mode, in which the radio listens for part of the time and broadcasts for part of the time on the same frequency, according to Brian Verenkoff, a marketing engineer for Buffalo Technology in Austin, Texas. Until recently, the repeaters, which serve as a Layer 2 bridge, couldnt maintain the WPA security protocol. If theres any interference, the repeater may simply drop the packet, Verenkoff said.

      WiDeFis technology includes two radios on the same chip that can both listen to and transmit information. The technology works as a Layer 1 bridge, simply repeating what the chip hears on a slightly offset frequency to avoid interference, according to Ken Gainey, vice president of engineering at WiDeFi. Thats especially important for technologies such as voice over IP (VOIP), where random jitter can add latency to a voice conversation.

      The two radios also mean that the chip will be standards-agnostic, Gainey said. “Our product doesnt care if its 802.11b or [802.11]g, or if theres some new standard for wireless LAN,” Gainey said.

      WiDeFis technology also will be able to be used with WiMAX, the broadband wireless standard expected to roll out in chips from Intel Corp. and others late this year.

      WiDeFis repeater does inject some delay into the signal, but that delay is constant, a critical element for quality-of-service broadcasts, Gainey said. WiDeFi hopes to ship its first sample chips in December to router manufacturers in the United States and Taiwan, he said.

      /zimages/4/28571.gifCheck out eWEEKs Mobile & Wireless Center at http://wireless.eweek.com for the latest news, reviews and analysis. Be sure to add our eWEEK.com mobile and wireless news feed to your RSS newsreader or My Yahoo page: /zimages/4/19420.gif http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/my/addtomyyahoo2.gif

      Mark Hachman

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      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

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – 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.
      © 2021 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.

      ×