The most advanced form of smart antenna technology currently available--and the technology that is likely to be integral to the next generation of faster WLANs--is known as MIMO (multiple-input-multiple-output). MIMO is not a single specific technology or standard. Rather, it is an approach that can be applied in many ways. One of the most interesting applications of MIMO technology is found in new chipsets and reference systems from Airgo Networks. Airgo's MIMO implementation goes well beyond minimizing the negative effects of multipath. In fact, its system actually relies on multipath to increase signal level and range, thereby enabling Airgo to deliver a 108 Mbps data rate in a single 20 MHz 802.11 channel.
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While there's reason to be excited about Airgo's technology, it's highly unlikely that its system will be adopted by the 802.11n working group as the foundation for a next-generation WLAN standard. Understanding that reality, Airgo has gone to great lengths to ensure backward compatibility with legacy standards using creative approaches similar to those
employed by Motia. In a recent demo in our labs, Airgo's products not only
delivered the fastest TCP throughput we've ever seen in a single-channel WLAN (in
excess of 40 Mbps), it also provided the best range of any 802.11a-compliant
access point we've ever tested--significantly outperforming Cisco's 1200 AP as
well as others from Airespace and Aruba.
-- Dave Molta, [email protected]
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