Intersil Corporation of
Irvine, California, lays claim to the industry’s first complete
access point-on-a-chip reference design for wireless networking that
combines an ARM9®-based Medium Access Controller (MAC) with an Open
Source Linux operating system.
The new PRISM ISL36356A enables "our customers to build and
market affordable, compact and easy-to-install wireless gateways for
the home and office," said Larry Ciaccia, vice president and
general manager for Intersil’s Wireless Networking Business.
"This will make it significantly easier for OEMs to add unique
and innovative features to satisfy the growing demand for
wireless-capable gateway products that offer the freedom to access
full broadband services – anywhere in the home or office."
Features
The ARM9 processor easily handles the Wi-Fi and Ethernet
traffic, with processing power reserved for customer applications as
well as future standards such as Quality of Service (IEEE 802.11e)
and enhanced security extensions (IEEE 802.11i).
The open source Linux platform provides basic building blocks
that extend AP functionality and enables OEMs to quickly develop
customized feature sets to a variety of user applications. In
addition, manufacturers can easily develop a layered security
system, Internet sharing, NAT, DHCP, user tracking, public
utilities, and remote access and control.
PRISM is a highly integrated, low-cost solution for designing
Wi-Fi-compliant, embedded wireless networking capability into small,
portable computing devices such as laptop PCs, PDAs, home gateways
and next generation Web Pad Internet appliance devices. Optimized
for high data rate (11 Mbps) performance, PRISM-based systems are
feature-rich and provide fast, reliable performance in all types of
networking environments.
In addition, Intersil has introduced its AP Developer’s Kit
that contains all the necessary components for OEMs to bring
customized products to market.
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