Broadcom expands networking portfolio

IRVINE, USA: Broadcom Corp. has expanded its network switching portfolio with an end-to-end solution for businesses deploying 802.11n Wi-Fi networks. The new solution combines Broadcom's industry leading Intensi-fi silicon with its proven FASTPATH networking software, which extends the business-critical features from the company's popular StrataXGS enterprise switches.

As a result, enterprise Wi-Fi access points can deliver superior performance and scalability across a customer's entire network. This integrated platform provides significant cost and time-to-market advantages for manufacturers compared to other silicon solutions that do not include the software features that IT managers require.

Broadcom announced the BCM4342 single-chip 802.11n solution and the BCM954342EAP enterprise access point reference design. The new solutions leverage FASTPATH Unified Access Point software to deliver the features that IT managers require across their wireless networks including robust security, quality of service (QoS), dynamic channel planning, and support for multiple basic service set identifiers (BSSIDs).

The flexible design can be used for standalone access points, as well as for "thin" access points that are managed by a wireless switch or controller running Broadcom's FASTPATH Unified Wireless Switching software. This end-to-end platform provides centralized RF management, seamless mobility and wireless threat detection and prevention across the entire network. FASTPATH UAP eliminates the need for third-party software or in-house development, which can shave months off a manufacturer's development time.

Solving PoE issues to drive enterprise adoption of 802.11n

Broadcom's BCM4342 Wi-Fi solution is also the first to successfully address power consumption issues that have slowed business adoption of 802.11n to date. Although dual-band 802.11n access points offer greater bandwidth and capacity than previous products, simultaneous operation of both radios has traditionally exceeded the power limits of the Power over Ethernet (PoE) equipment used in nearly all large networks. This forced IT managers to use two PoE ports for each access point, or upgrade their entire network to support the new PoE+ standard (IEEE 802.3at).

Using 65nm CMOS process technology, Broadcom's single-chip BCM4342 Wi-Fi solution consumes half the power of competing 802.11n chipsets, allowing access points to operate simultaneously on the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands while being powered by a company's existing PoE infrastructure. This can reduce the cost of deploying or upgrading enterprise networks to support advanced wireless applications such as (HD video surveillance, VoIP and videoconferencing.

In addition to reducing implementation costs, access points based on the BCM4342 will bring significant performance benefits to corporate Wi-Fi users. Broadcom's unique architecture delivers data rates of 300Mbps and maintains wireless connections over a larger coverage area than other 802.11n solutions.

Intensi-fi solutions also offer the greatest wireless capacity -- with three non-overlapping channels in the 2.4 GHz band and 24 non-overlapping channels in the 5 GHz band. This is especially important in enterprise networks, where IT managers rely on dual-band infrastructure to serve a large number of Wi-Fi users and accommodate latency-sensitive applications.