MediaTek reveals 2x2 802.11ac Wi-Fi chipset

MediaTek Inc. has uncloaked what it touts as the industry's first 2x2 802.11ac WiFi chipset solutions that include fully integrated 2.4GHz and 5GHz power amplifiers (PAs) supporting calibration free capability and delivering high output power. The MT7612x series features radio, baseband and PA all contained on a single die and promise higher speed, better range and lower power consumption at minimum BOM cost, added the company.

The MT7612x chipsets feature dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz radios with integrated PA, LNA and T/R switches and support up to 867Mb/s of physical layer data rate (256 QAM), offering performance of near 600Mb/s throughput for bandwidth-intensive applications such as smooth HD video viewing and low latency online gaming.

Complete with MediaTek's field proven beam-forming technology , the solutions are capable of intelligently determining a receiver's distance and location, controlling various transmission parameters, and optimising the WiFi signals to maximise throughput and range throughout the home.

Also beneficial for the home are the MT7612x solutions' Multi Channel Concurrent (MCC) and Dynamic Radio Control features, which help maximise performance in complex indoor environments. Moreover, the MT7612x chipsets can be augmented with WiFi offload intelligent NIC (iNIC) functionality that allows manufacturers to easily incorporate wireless connectivity into products that previously lacked such capability, thus eliminating the need to upgrade host processors.

Sample MT7612x solutions will be available this quarter, with high-volume production commence in 3Q13. The product will be offered in two versions, the MT7612E, which offers a PCIe 2.0 interface, and the MT7612U, which offers a USB 3.0 interface.