Intel integrates 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi onto a single chip

Today Intel announced details of their new all-in-one wireless chip — integrating 802.11a/b/g and ready-for the yet to be ratified +100Mbps 802.11n — something that currently requires several chips. They even figured out a way to integrate formerly extraneous bits like power amplifiers. Neato, but really, why should you care? Well, using a single chip reduces the manufacturing costs and extends the battery life of our portable electronics. And since these CMOS-based chips use the same manufacturing technology as their microprocessors, Intel will be able to quickly saturate the market once production begins. Now, Intel won't be pinned down for an availability date, but there's little doubt that we'll see the new chips packaged in Centrino systems. And as consumers demand Centrino like Pentium in days of yore, Broadcom and Texas Instruments will be left wondering what the hell happened to their market share. Intel, a WiFi company…my my.

[Nick @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Uh huh. Well, when they've integrated the RATIFIED 802.11n, g, b, a, bluetooth 1.2, Wireless USB, terrestrial HDTV, digital FM, Sirius/XM radio, and gps onto one chip, call me.

Still, it is a pretty noble achievement. Wonder what will happen if their un-certified 802.11n isn't compatible with certified devices in a year?

[ajprice @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Nick, Make that Bluetooth 2.0 and you got a deal!

[Rus @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Intel's chip technology will benefit Apple in more ways than just CPUs

[mike @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Intel's chip technology will benefit Apple in more ways than just CPUs
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Exactly, Apple saw this stuff.. okay what have you got 3 months down the line, a year down the line..

IBM should not be immune to consequence. They had setbacks.. when you are in a business, you can't expect your customers to stick around if the ONE thing you do for them isn't being done..

[danton @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Intel should probably fix their existing wireless stuff first. Intel 2200BG is over a year in the market, but Intel still is not able to produce reliable drivers for it. Unlike TI, Broadcom and Atheros, whose cards run rock-solid. A sad story about marketing and OEM relations being much more important than technical quality :(

[untel @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

#4 danton:

I've had luck installing the Proset utility from 9.0.1.0 (from Intel's site) BUT using the drivers from 9.0.1.21 (from IBM's support site).

The reception is a little better than using Intel's official 9.0.1.0 release by itself.

[Titanas @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

kind out of topic but Single-Chip CMOS-based RF Tuner for Mobile TV Applications
http://www.athenasemi.com/news7.htm is more interesting (no more streaming :) ), plus 802.11n, g, b, a, whould be cool.

[Eric @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Looks like Apple is gonna win out with 'yonah' now!

[Michel @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Considering Intel is the wireless vendor to get if you want to run Linux on a laptop (Broadcomm is uncooperative, and alas, another Linux-friendly wireless manufacturer was taken over by them recently), this is good news.

One wonders if Apple would use this chip next year for their Intel-powered laptops. The last stumbling block to using Linux on-the-go on an Apple laptop right now is, you guess it, wireless support.

[naren @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Couple of points to note -
This is just a technology implementation presentation from their research labs at a techonology conference, not yet a product. Second, this is just the integration of the various Radios. so the full wireless solution will still require additional chips for the MAC/BB etc. So still not yet truely the single chip wonder to solve all wifi implementation problems.

[Nick @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

How could they not advertised this as 802.11bang