Worldwide Wireless USB Chipset Covers Entire UWB Spectrum from 3.1–10.6 GHz over PCIe Interface
High Integration
Alereon's highly integrated AL5000 Family of Worldwide Wireless USB chipsets integrates the RF transceiver, BBP/MAC, and firmware/software, to implement a complete WiMedia Ultra Wideband (UWB) product that supports all protocol adaptation layers, including Certified Wireless USB device and dual-role device technology. The Alereon AL5000 family covers worldwide Band Groups 1, 3, 4, and 6, from 3.1–10.6 GHz and was designed for desktop and laptop PCs; after market hubs, adapters, and cards; and embedded devices including PC peripherals, mobile handsets, and digital cameras, where space and power consumption are at a premium.
AL5100 RF Transceiver
The Alereon AL5100 RF transceiver adds worldwide coverage and additional integration to the AL4100 RF transceiver. The AL5100 transceiver integrates sensitive analog front-end components including synthesizer VCO/PLL, anti-alias filters, LNAs, PAs, and transmit/receive (T/R) switches, and supports a single-ended connection to the antenna eliminating external baluns. When combined with the Alereon AL5300 BBP/MAC, the AL5100 RF transceiver supports all current mandatory WiMedia specifications for worldwide Band Groups 1, 3, 4, and 6, including all TFCs 1–10.
AL5350 BBP/MAC
The Alereon AL5350 BBP/MAC integrates all digital and mixed-signal circuitry for a WiMedia UWB system providing high-speed wireless connectivity using Certified Wireless USB, WiMedia Link Layer Protocol, and next-generation high-speed Bluetooth. The AL5350 BBP/MAC uses a low-power, highly efficient RISC processor combined with high-precision hardware timers and specialized hardware for accelerating encryption, packet processing, and memory management. A programmable flexible host interface supports any one of multiple industry standards.
Programmable Host Interface
PCIe
- Single layer PCIe v1.1
CF+/General Purpose Parallel
- Supports CF+ Memory and I/O Modes
- Supports Memory Mapped Interface
- 8-Bit or 16-Bit Word Selectable
- Read and Write times as short as 60 ns
SDIO
- 1-Bit and 4-Bit Mode
USB ULPI
- Compatible with USB 2.0
- Configurable as host or device
Firmware/Software
Alereon's firmware/software partitioning minimizes the memory and processing demands on the host application. Software drivers are available for PC operating systems including Windows XP/Vista and Linux, and popular embedded O/S including Windows CE/WM5.0 and embedded Linux. Development kits are available to support custom software development.
Wireless-on-the-Go™ Technology
Alereon's innovative Wireless-on-the-Go™ technology enables peer-to-peer file sharing based on the AL5350 dual role device capability. Selected applications include:
- Printer hosted by a PC that simultaneously hosts a digital still camera/cell phone for image printing
- Cell phone communicating directly with another cell phone
- Personal media player communicating directly with another personal media player
- Digital video camera or cell phone communicating to a TV
- Set-top box communicating to a TV
AL5000 Family Key Specifications
|
Chipset |
AL5100 RF Transceiver, AL5350 BBP/MAC |
| WiMedia Protocols | Wireless USB Host, Wireless USB Device Wireless USB Dual-Role Device WLP, High Speed Bluetooth |
| Data Rates (Mbps) | 53.3, 80, 106.7, 160, 200, 320, 400, 480 |
| WiMedia Channels | TFC 1–10 (TFI, FFI, TFI2) |
| WiMedia Band Groups | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 (3.1–10.6 GHz) |
| Host Interface | CF+/Generic Parallel, SDIO, USB, ULPI, PCIe |