Rahul Patel, Broadcom's vice president of mobile and wireless told press at a recent briefing that 802.11ac would almost double the range of 802.11n systems, increase the available bandwidth, improved device battery life and exist on the currently far less congested 5Gz spectrum.
 |
The 802.11ac standard also purportedly has better beam forming capabilities, which would make it easier to send content through physical obstacles |
Early data on 802.11ac purports that the standard would offer faster throughput, much broader coverage and higher capacity for content streaming, as well as allowing more devices to be simultaneously connected to the network, reducing connectivity deadspots and allowing devices to work for longer without needing to be plugged in.
"802.11ac allows you to take the link budget to new heights," said Patel, explaining that Broadcom believed the standard would take the WiFi experience to a new level, especially in terms of being able to digitally beam HD 1080p content from one's PC, tablet or phone to the TV.
The 802.11ac standard also purportedly has better beam forming capabilities, which would make it easier to send content through physical obstacles like walls. "It allows for better coverage, less interference and higher channel width," he said adding that it was the "much needed plumbing for tomorrow's internet home."
The system, which would apparently be backwards compatible with 802.11n systems, would use a three-by-three antenna operating at 80MHz, allowing for download speeds of around 1.3Gbit/s. This, said Patel, would rise to about 2.6Gbit/s if the channel bandwidth was increased to 160MHz.
Patel posited that 802.11ac would certainly be more beneficial than competing standards like wirelessHDMI or WiGig, owing to limitations in terms of range and being too costly for the mass market.
Broadcom is developing several types of 802.11ac chipsets, which it says will address a broad set of customer segments and CE devices.
