Continuing to build up its portfolio of products, WiQuest
Communications, Inc., the leader in complete Wireless USB solutions,
today announced availability of its eighth reference design kit that
integrates both Wireless USB and Bluetooth radio technologies into a
single combo module. The new Wireless USB + Bluetooth mini card design
gives OEMs the ability to quickly deploy Wireless USB technology while
also supporting simultaneous connectivity to Bluetooth 2.1 devices, all
within a single, highly integrated wireless module.
WiQuest’s new reference design allows OEM
designers to easily embed Wireless USB and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR utilizing
the PCI Express mini card form factor. Since this combo card has already
achieved FCC modular certification, new products incorporating this
radio and antenna combination may leverage this certification. Customers
directly benefit with lower product development costs and faster
time-to-market.
The Wireless USB + Bluetooth mini card reference design is based on
WiQuest’s advanced ultrawideband technology,
the most widely used Wireless USB solution available today. WiQuest
solutions have been chosen by leading PC and PC peripheral manufacturers
including Belkin, Dell, D-Link, Lenovo, Toshiba and others.
“UWB is an important extension of the wireless
personal area network and the ability to conveniently add UWB and
Bluetooth to PCs with a single card will help drive this trend,”
said Ron Wong, Senior Product Line Manager for Broadcom’s
Bluetooth products. “Broadcom is pleased to
provide advanced Bluetooth technology for this new WiQuest reference
design, showcasing the flexibility of our solutions and helping enable
the convergence of these two wireless technologies.”
“This design kit will save manufacturers
substantial time and significantly reduce cost as they will be able to
offer both Bluetooth and Wireless USB without having to utilize an
additional mini card slot,” explained Greg
Christison, WiQuest CTO. “For wireless PAN
convergence within a single product, Wireless USB and Bluetooth are the
natural mix. Both have a similar range. Bluetooth supports connections
to low speed, low power devices while Wireless USB enables connectivity
to legacy USB peripherals and new applications with its much higher
performance.”
In addition to the Wireless USB + Bluetooth combo card, WiQuest’s
product line consists of five additional reference design kits based on
Certified Wireless USB from the USB Implementers Forum. The Wireless USB
host and device Mini Cards, Half Mini Card, 4-port Hub and Adapter
Reference Design Kits are shipping today. WiQuest reference designs for
wireless digital video include the Wireless Docking®
Station and Mini Card with WiDV®. All of
these reference design kits enable equipment manufacturers to build
complete solutions from pairs of robust reference platforms. Wireless
USB technology offers advantages that neither Bluetooth nor Wi-Fi
optimally provides. Bluetooth is commonly used for wireless headsets,
mice and peripheral devices. By contrast, Wireless USB offers
unparalleled file transfer speeds and multimedia features while being 10
times more power efficient than Wi-Fi.
About WiQuest Communications
WiQuest Communications, Inc. is the leading consumer solutions company
designing and developing complete WiMedia-based ultra high speed,
ultrawideband (UWB) platforms. WiQuest’s
complete solution portfolio includes chipset, software and manufacturing
designs. WiQuest’s world class technology and
technical support enable a new class of “off-the-shelf-production”
wireless connectivity to PC, digital entertainment, consumer electronics
and mobile systems – enabling The New
Frontier of Wireless™.
Founded in September 2003, WiQuest’s strong
team comprises hundreds of years of collective industry semiconductor
and systems experience, resulting in dozens of successful high-volume
product implementations including Wireless LAN, DSL and Ethernet
solutions. To learn more about WiQuest, please visit www.WiQuest.com.
WiQuest™, WiDV®,
and Wireless Docking® are trademarks of
WiQuest Communications, Inc. All other trademarks and copyrights are the
property of the respective owners.
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