Skyworks Connectivity Modules Powering Next Generation Wi-Fi 6 Applications

Skyworks Solutions announced that its advanced connectivity solutions are powering next generation Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) devices from the world’s leading connected home and mesh network providers, including Arris, Asus, D-Link, Netgear, Ruckus and TP-Link. Specifically, Skyworks’ modules are being leveraged in all of the latest best-selling Wi-Fi 6 routers.

Cypress Semiconductor announced the expansion of its wireless connectivity portfolio for automotive infotainment with a trio of new products. The Wi-Fi and Bluetooth combo chipsets and supporting software serve as application development platforms that enable multiple users to connect and seamlessly stream unique content to as many as 10 mobile devices simultaneously. The new Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 combo solutions deliver more than 1Gbps throughput and feature Cypress' Real Simultaneous Dual Band (RSDB) architecture to enable high-performance audio and video concurrent operation.

The Wi-Fi Alliance introduced Wi-Fi 6 as the industry designation for products and networks that support the next generation of Wi-Fi, based on 802.11ax technology. Wi-Fi 6 is part of a new naming approach by Wi-Fi Alliance that provides users with an easy-to-understand designation for both the Wi-Fi technology supported by their device and used in a connection the device makes with a Wi-Fi network. Multiple chip companies already announced enthusiastic support.

Following earlier demonstrations at CES 2018, Qualcomm introduced a series of new platforms, SoC and development kits targeting new advanced audio applications and smart speakers, including the support of key wireless technologies, voice and cloud ecosystems. Solutions include its Smart Audio Platform optimized for smart speakers, a 6-microphone far field voice platform qualified for Amazon AVS, Dolby Audio implementations for wireless speakers and much more.

Audio and voice signal processing specialists CEVA announced that the complete RivieraWaves suite of Bluetooth 5 (low energy and dual mode) and Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax intellectual property (IP) platforms are now offered with an optional integrated open-source RISC-V MCU. These integration-ready system solutions are ideal for those manufacturers seeking freedom from standard 3rd party processor architectures.

National Instruments (NI) announced an early access version of the WLAN Measurement Suite with support for the IEEE 802.11ax (draft 0.1) high-efficiency wireless draft standard. The WLAN Measurement Suite, combined with NI’s RF vector signal transceiver (VST), allows engineers to measure the performance of their 802.11ax designs confidently in the presence of significant new changes to the 802.11 physical layer specification.