There is a lot of room for improvement regarding the present Wi-Fi solutions and everybody who's been in a lousy hotspot can confirm it. There's also some new proof about this, as Broadcom revealed a new single-chip solution at Computex, which comes packed with features that are superior to other similar Wi-Fi technologies out there. The BCM4331 is part of this company's Intensi-fi family and it's best described as an 802.11n dual-band 3x3 wireless solution.

Kevin Mukai, Senior Product Line Manager for Broadcom's WLAN line of business, said: "We are driving the growth of the wireless market by introducing a solution that addresses the need for performance across multiple demanding applications. Broadcom's BCM4331 3x3 802.11n further enhances the overall user experience by providing substantially improved throughput and range. As a result, products using Broadcom's newest Intensi-fi solution will better address the growing consumer demand to share and distribute HD video content between multiple screens throughout the home, thereby improving the utility of every display device."

Dual-band is due to the chip's ability to support 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radio streaming and, no, it does not have a 3-wheel drive, but rather a 3-antenna architecture, hence the “3x3” in its description. This allows for data rates of up to 450 Mbps and an extended working range, meaning less chips can cover larger distances. Also related to the architecture of this chip, the 65 nanometer CMOS PCIe design will assure low power consumption and facilitate the integration of this solution. BCM4331 can easily be paired with another Broadcom product, the BCM4718, through a dual-band AP or router in order to hastily deliver over-the-air HD video content.

"The expanding use of video over Wi-Fi in game consoles, Blu-ray players, and TVs will impose new requirements for Wi-Fi access points. 3x3 Wi-Fi solutions provide the bandwidth and quality of service necessary to stream HD video reliably throughout an entire home, share media content with wireless enabled consumer electronics devices, and utilize Internet-based applications. This is important as consumers migrate to services that require their entertainment devices to be connected and to support their lifestyles wirelessly," stated Phil Solis, practice director for Wireless Connectivity at ABI Research.


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