SkyCross, one global antenna designer and manufacturer, has announced today that it will expand personal connectivity and enhance end-user satisfaction by enabling Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to operate simultaneously in netbooks. The problem is this, the two protocols work at the same frequency, namely 2.4GHz, therefore interference between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth made the two nearly impossible to run at the same time, although I do remember using my roommate's laptop with Wi-Fi enabled (I was actually on YouTube) and I did send a couple of files via Bluetooth to my phone.

The press release tells that nowadays' chipsets and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth combo Mini-cards are capable of supporting both operation simultaneously so what kept developers from improving was the industry's roadblock, namely the antenna. Clearly, this is the point where SkyCross jumps in, and unveils the iMat antenna, the first in the industry single-antenna solution that provides more than 38dB of isolation between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, thus enabling coexistence even in compact devices such as netbooks.

“Chip makers are very encouraged by this breakthrough, and manufacturers are already planning to use the SkyCross iMAT solution in their future products,” said Joe Gifford, Vice President of SkyCross. “Our antennas differentiate netbook brands by maximizing their connectivity range and enabling optimal simultaneous functionality at an equivalent price, which pleases consumers. Seamless Wi-Fi and Bluetooth coexistence opens the door for new applications and a user experience that will propel netbook brand loyalty.”

If many designers tried to relieve the device of the Wi-Fi - Bluetooth problem by physically separating the two, then SkyCross approached the whole scenario completely differently, via the iMAT antenna that is a design technique enabling a single antenna element with multiple feed points to behave like multiple antennas, while also maintaining very high isolation, just like they were physically not just decoupled, but even very wide apart. Among the other benefits of the iMAT, we find included reduction of specific absorption rate (SAR), elimination of RF components and more.

Also, SkyCross' solution demonstrated an improvement in data throughput, further range and nearly perfect Bluetooth audio, when showcased using 802.11n Bluetooth Mini-Card modules in several brands of netbooks in an office environment.


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