Intel Working on Agile Wireless Chip

Rob writes "Computer Business Review is reporting that Intel has announced that its scientists had invented a new type of chip that can process signals from different types of wireless networks. The chip also could handle upcoming WiMax technology, that promises wireless internet connectivity for up to 30 miles, and future flavors of WiFi."

Comments

Nothing to see here...

[Anonymous Coward]

"It is more of a proof of concept rather than a device that will see the light of day," he said. That's because the chip integrates only analogue and not digital circuitry and WiFi chip would require both types to make it usable by a digital device.

Re:Nothing to see here...

[TomorrowPlusX]

Doesn't seem like a "Nothing to see here" situation. They're just admitting it's R&D.

I mean, obviously, they also hope to stir up investors and get good press, but, who wouldn't want to do that?

Holy Grail

[markild]

This type of agile chip is the "holy grail for Intel," said Sam Lucero, an analyst at research shop IDC.

Let's see if they manages to find it then :P

Re:Holy Grail

[pizen]

I told them we've already got one.
</AMD in horrible French accent>

Woo hoo!

[mister_llah]

Now I can see every wireless network for 10 miles, I'll have all sorts of crazy names to sift through!

===

I'm on a college campus, so if I walk down the street, I can see almost dozens of seperate wireless networks (from apartments to different college wireless zones) ...

If they expanded wireless to 10 miles... oh my!

[not that I'd torment anybody, but it's always fun to look around :) ]

Re:Woo hoo!

[justforaday]

I'm on a college campus, so if I walk down the street, I can see almost dozens of seperate wireless networks

Does one of those happen to be called "linksys"?

Intel invents firmware!

[RealProgrammer]

Hot on the heels of its stunning disclosure of the "heat sink", which someday may allow computers to have processors that never overheat no matter how far they're overclocked, Intel has invented "firmware".

Firmware will allow the electronics giant to reprogram its chips when new standards are developed. That should help Intel avoid a replay of the wireless Centrino debacle, in which they were shipping 10Mhz mobile chips into a market driven by 54Mhz base stations.

30 mile range?

[jamescford]

That 30 mile (48 km?) range sounds awfully nice, but I would guess it's not a figure to be relied on for regular use. The WiMAX forum's home page provides some more realistic range figures:

In a typical cell radius deployment of three to ten kilometers, WiMAX Forum Certified(TM) systems can be expected to deliver capacity of up to 40 Mbps per channel, for fixed and portable access applications. This is enough bandwidth to simultaneously support hundreds of businesses with T-1 speed connectivity and thousands of residences with DSL speed connectivity. Mobile network deployments are expected to provide up to 15 Mbps of capacity within a typical cell radius deployment of up to three kilometers.

It sounds like 3 km (under 2 miles) from a tower is best, with up to 10 km (just over 6 miles) plausible.

Jamie

HotSpot lackey - manager

[Iriel]

"Won't we have to beef up network security?"

I'm not claiming to be an expert here, but if they could deliver this gargantuan wireless range, won't that provoke more crackers to break through the security so they can leech net access off of the Starbucks HotSpot a few miles away?

It just seems logical to me that with such an impressive possible range of operation, there would be a greater tempation to pickpocket with telekinesis, so to speak.

That's just my thought on it.

Re:Wacky Names

[mister_llah]

I think if I wind up setting up a WiFi network, I will name it WORKGROUP, just for old time's sake... :)