Atheros – A Leader in Wireless Technology

Atheros is a company that manufactures many different wireless products, and this includes Bluetooth network devices, GPS solutions and chipsets, wireless network adapters, ethernet products, and Personal Access Systems technologies, also known as PAS. The company started in 1998, with a focus on the 5GHz technology. In ten years, Atheros has become a technological leader in the wireless systems space.

Atheros products are popular with wireless home users because of superior throughput and range, plus the fact that the products are extremely easy to use. JumpStart for Wireless can be purchased by users, and this program can set up an Atheros-based network with one easy button. After the JumpStart for Wireless network has been created, the user has the ability to add any certified Wi-Fi Protected Setup device to the network, including cell phones, digital cameras, digital media players, VoIP phones, MP3 players, set-top boxes, and gaming devices. The Microsoft operating system Windows Vista uses the Atheros WLAN technology.

As the WiFi standards evolve, Atheros drivers and products continue to be at the front lines of innovation. Because newer devices require greater bandwidth, the requirements for enhanced wireless technology has risen. VoIP, which is the Microsoft Media Center standard TV stream, and the format MPEG 2 HDTV are quickly becoming more desired. The bandwidth requirements can really add up, with VoIP adding a minimum of 1Mbps requirement, Microsoft Media Center TV stream adding between 8-10 Mbps required, and MPEG 2 HDTV adding around 20 Mbps per channel. Products like the Atheros XSPAN have the ability to provide up to 300 Mbps of actual data throughput.

Atheros introduced the Radio-On-Chip Mobile (ROCm) technology, and the result is a new generation of smart phones that are just like a multimedia computer. The solutions provided by Atheros ROCm feature high performance, and low power Wi-Fi connectivity. ROCm products from Atheros use seventy percent less power in their active mode and almost no power in Standby mode than other products from competitors. This power efficiency is done without sacrificing throughput. Atheros continues to be an innovator in products that combine hardware, software, and GPS technology.