Atheros today launched a new 802.11n product family using three streams to provide 450 Mbps maximum link rates.
The AR9300 family uses new techniques dubbed "Signal Sustain Technology-3" (SST3) that are aimed at providing higher throughput at a given distance at short, medium and long ranges. SST3 also includes Low Density Parity Check (LDPC)—a form of forward error correction—to reduce packet loss and provide more stable wireless throughput.
Products included in the AR9300 family include the AR9380/81 single-band/dual-band Gigabit Ethernet AP / Router platforms for "Digital Home" and Carrier Gateway and CPE applications and AR9390 dual-band Gigabit Ethernet POE platform for Enterprise and SMB applications. The AR9380 can also be used in PCIe-based client designs.
Atheros said it will begin sampling the XSPAN with SST3 devices in the first quarter of next year.
The company also announced the single-chip AR6133, which combines technology from the single-stream 11n AR6003 family with Bluetooth 3.0. Also available is the AR6103, without Bluetooth. Both products are currently sampling.