Wifi Revolution

Atheros (News - Alert) Communications, Inc., a developer of advanced wireless solutions, has expanded its ROCm family of Bluetooth wireless solutions with the launch of the Atheros AR3031. This system-on-chip (SoC) fulfills the need for Bluetooth wireless mono headsets by providing a powerful combination of power-efficiency and design flexibility.

 

The solution leverages Atheros' RF CMOS and systems engineering expertise to deliver the industry's lowest bill-of-materials (BOM) cost using an economical, single-chip, 5mm x 5mm QFN package. The AR3031 also features an integrated, high-density Read-Only Memory, which provides greater cost-efficiencies over higher-priced, competitive Flash-based solutions.

 

The AR3031 accomplishes 20 percent greater power efficiency in active mode than competitive solutions. The SoC utilizes Atheros' proprietary Direct Memory Access (DMA) protocol, a power-savings mechanism which allows devices to transfer data with minimal CPU involvement.

 

The AR3031 architecture also features power refinements achieved through circuit design techniques, including fine-grained clock gating and use of voltage islands, and also features an integrated low-power oscillator. Additional power savings are derived with the design's 1.2V power supply, which offers greater battery efficiency than that found in competitive solutions.

 

In addition, the AR3031 SoC supports standard codec interfaces, so that designers can utilize the solution in virtually any Bluetooth wireless headset design. The solution offers a PC-based design platform, Atheros Headset Studio, which allows OEMs to create product differentiation with custom ring tones, button function configurations, LED light patterns and other consumer-friendly product attributes.

 

The solution features all the necessary profiles and software integrated into the chipset's firmware and also supports a range of external codecs with DSP capabilities for advanced audio processing. The solution's comprehensiveness facilitates simplicity of porting to provide manufacturers with significant time-to-market advantage.

 

"With Atheros' AR3031, the company is addressing the second-largest Bluetooth market, significantly expanding our presence in the Bluetooth arena," said Sam Endy, vice president and general manager of the Mobile Wireless Business Unit for Atheros. "The AR3031 delivers unprecedented levels of power-efficiency and design flexibility, while driving a highly aggressive price point to give our customers a competitive edge."

Niladri Sekhar Nath is a contributing writer for TMCnet covering telecommunications, service providers and networking.

 

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