Atheros Offers HomePlug AV and Wi-Fi Feference Designs

It’s almost a year since Atheros Communication acquired Intellon Corporation, a supplier of HomePlug and other powerline communication solutions, and today Atheros announced the release of four new reference designs based on Wi-Fi, HomePlug AV Powerline and Ethernet technologies. The reference designs comprises of a router and three adapters that use various combinations of its XSPAN wireless LAN, AMP™ powerline and ETHOS Ethernet technologies.

Atheros’ new reference designs are the industry’s first solutions to feature Wi-Fi, HomePlug AV and Ethernet silicon from a single vendor, and are optimized to deliver the best possible wired and wireless experience. The new family of designs includes:

Hybrid Router Reference Design– Designed to be the hub of the digital home, routers based on Atheros’ first hybrid solution can unleash more than 500 Mbps of network capacity to wired and wireless devices – which can deliver reliable access to the Internet and networked media content throughout the home.

Powerline/Ethernet Adapter Reference Designs – Available in single-port and four-port versions, Atheros’ PLC adapters are ideal for connecting the home’s media center, with broadband access for up to four non-wireless devices (such as televisions, Blu-ray disc players, set-top boxes and storage devices). The plug-and-play adapters offer effortless setup and use the home’s existing electrical circuitry to transmit data at up to 200 Mbps.

Wi-Fi/Powerline Range Extender Reference Design – By simply plugging the range extender into an electrical outlet, consumers can extend their wireless network to reach mobile Wi-Fi products in the far corners and other trouble-spots in the home. Like the PLC adapters, range extenders can also connect non-wireless devices that have an Ethernet port.