Qualcomm uses 6GHz home mesh network backhaul
Qualcomm Technologies has launched a tri-band WiFi chip that uses the new 6GHz band to provide the backhaul to expand a gigabit mesh network.
One of the challenges with using a mesh network to expand coverage is that the nodes have to carry more data, reducing the overall bandwidth. Using the new 6GHz band in WiFi 6E for the backhaul allows the mesh network to maintain high data rate connections on the 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands. It can be used for direct links with a latency under 3ms as new smartphones, laptops VR and gaming systems are launched that support the 6E bands.
This creates that Qualcomm calls an ‘Immersive Home Platform’ that is are cost-effective enough to target low consumer price points by using the mesh network and advancements in network packet processing technology. The modular system start with the 310 series tri0band chips for WiFi 6E, and the 210 dual band for WiFi6
“Before COVID-19, the proliferation of Wi-Fi-enabled products in the home and increasingly HD, 4k, and soon 8k video meant an increasing focus on more capable Wi-Fi access points by consumers and service providers,” said Phil Solis, research director at IDC. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, network needs became even more pronounced with many Wi-Fi networks stressed by the shift to more work, education, and entertainment from home. Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E mesh network solutions such as the Qualcomm Immersive Home Platforms are critical to enabling Wi-Fi access point vendors to be provide the range, data rates, and capacity now required in many homes.”
“Wi-Fi’s popularity has created increasingly diverse and densely populated Wi-Fi environments, including home networks which must now support many demanding applications simultaneously,” said Kevin Robinson, senior vice president of Marketing, Wi-Fi Alliance. “The capabilities of Wi-Fi 6E, such as gigabit speeds, low latency, and high capacity, will benefit users where they now need it most and allow Wi-Fi devices to operate efficiently in the most dynamic home connectivity settings.”
The Immersive Home 318 Platform is an 8-stream Tri-Band WiFi SoC in a 2×2 (2.4GHz) + 2×2 (5GHz) + 4×4 (6GHz) configuration, for a total of 7.8 Gbit/s total available PHY rate and supports 160 MHz channels in the 5/6GHz bands. The 316 is a 6-stream Tri-Band chip in a 2×2 (2.4GHz) + 2×2 (5GHz) + 2×2 (6GHz) configuration, for a total of 5.4 Gbit/s total available PHY rate.
For dual band chips, the 218 supports six streams in a 2×2 (2.4GHz) + 4×4 (5GHz) configuration, for a total of 5.4 Gbit/s total available PHY rate, while the 214 is a 4-stream Wi-Fi 6 device in a 2×2 (2.4GHz) + 2×2 (5GHz) configuration, for a total of 3.0 Gbps total available PHY rate.
The launch was supported by most of the home WiFI router makers, including Netgear, Belkin/Linksys, TP-Link, Xiaomi, Askey, AVM, Cognitive Systems, EnGenius, eero, Plume and WNC.
The Immersive Home Platforms are sampling now to customers.
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