Vision - January/February 2008 - (Page 18) tech speak Mbps over a distance of 6 miles or more. By providing network access to buildings via subscriber stations typically mounted on a rooftop, WiMAX has enough bandwidth to simultaneously support hundreds of businesses with T-1 speed connectivity and thousands of residences with DSL speed connectivity. Intel, one of the driving forces behind WiMAX, is on record as intending to deliver its latest 45nm processors and WiMAX to notebooks, as well as mobile Internet devices (MIDs) in 2008. ZigBee is a wireless connection using sensors (security, rain gauges, lights) and control devices to give consumers new ways to control lighting, HVAC, water, appliances and security systems from anywhere. It is low in cost, has a low power requirement but also a relatively low data rate (250 Kbps) communicating over the globally available 2.4-GHz frequency. The ecosystem of companies creating wireless Zigbee applications do so under the guidance of the ZigBee Alliance. Right now there are different chipsets used for Wi-Fi, UWB, Bluetooth, etc. and clearly manufacturers can’t economically put this many different radios in a marketable product. It is generally accepted that before too long the same piece of silicon used to handle one wireless format will have to reconfigure itself to handle another, whether that be Bluetooth, UWB, Wi-Fi or another wireless protocol. The technology to do so is broadly called software defined radio (SDR) and although the concept has been around for more than a decade, the promise is finally being realized across multiple industries, led by defense, but followed by commercial wireless, public safety and soon, consumer application. In fact, almost every 3G base station being deployed today is, at some level, an SDR, though the functionality may be disguised in terms such as “multi-mode” or “common platform” base station. There are good consumer market examples of SDR devices, too, such as the Sony Ericsson J200i cell phone. The relatively small premium in power and cost for the flexibility of SDR is still a limiting factor in devices today, although the gap is narrowing. Since SDR fundamentally requires a reconfigurable or reprogrammable hardware platform to support these changes in functionality, programmable logic suppliers such as Xilinx, through its reconfigurable processing devices, can provide the basis for such a platform. The Small Form Factor SDR Development Platform (www.xilinx. com/products/devkits/SFF-SDR-DP.htm) is just one example of an offering consisting of hardware, software and tools that can speed time-to-market for prospective developers. Want to learn more about wireless technology? CES is the place, with TechZones on Mobile Internet and WiMAX, USB, WiMedia and Zigbee. Also on hand is a slate of wireless-specific conference sessions, including the Wireless Retail Knowledge Track to help dealers obtain a better understanding of trends and develop fresh approaches to attracting consumers. • 18 January/February 2008 www.ce.org http://www.xilinx.com/products/devkits/sff-sdr-dp.htm http://www.xilinx.xom/products/devkits/sff-sdr-dp.htm http://www.digitalantenna.com http://www.digitalantenna.com
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