Atheros unveils new family of hybrid home networking service

Semiconductor company Atheros Communications has unveiled a new family of hybrid home networking services. Atheros' combination of Wi-Fi, HomePlug AV powerline and Ethernet technologies boosts network bandwidth. Atheros is enabling a new class of hybrid networking products that allow consumers to build a home network. Atheros' hybrid services combine the global networking standards IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 1901 (HomePlug AV) and IEEE 802.3 (Ethernet). Atheros is launching four new reference designs, including a router and three adapters that use various combinations of its XSPAN wireless LAN, AMP powerline and ETHOS Ethernet technologies. The designs provide networking manufacturers with hardware and software services for a variety of hybrid products, which consumers can mix-and-match to suit the characteristics of their home and the bandwidth requirements of their network applications. Atheros' hybrid services unifies the wired and wireless networks with a single user interface and also enables push-button pairing and security between the router and all Atheros-based adapters on the network, whether installed now or added in the future. The combination of Wi-Fi and powerline also provides a platform that will support future home area networking and smart energy applications. Both standards are expected to play integral roles in connecting homes to the smart grid, and will work with smart grid products that use low-power Wi-Fi and HomePlug GreenPHY-enabled devices. The new family of designs includes Hybrid Router Reference Design. Routers based on Atheros' first hybrid service can unleash more than 500 Mbps of network capacity to wired and wireless devices, which can deliver access to the internet and networked media content throughout the home. The new designs also include Powerline/Ethernet Adapter Reference Designs. Available in single-port and four-port versions, Atheros' PLC adapters connect the home's media centre, with broadband access for up to four non-wireless devices such as televisions, Blu-ray disc players, set-top boxes and storage devices. The plug-and-play adapters use the home's existing electrical circuitry to transmit data at up to 200 Mbps. Atheros also unveiled the Wi-Fi/Powerline Range Extender Reference Design. By plugging the range extender into an electrical outlet, consumers can extend their wireless network to reach mobile Wi-Fi products in the far corners and other trouble-spots in the home. Like the PLC adapters, range extenders can also connect non-wireless devices that have an Ethernet port. All of Atheros' hybrid reference designs will be available in the fourth quarter of this year.