Intel Demos Software Defined WiFi/WiMAX/DVB-H Chip

Doc Ruby writes "Electronics Weekly is reporting that Intel has developed a new prototype chip for software defined radio. The new chip will be able to handle WiFi, WiMAX and DVB-H digital TV all on the same chip. 'This kind of chip would allow equipment to access the WiFi network in the home, automatically handover to a WiMAX network when you leave the house and also access digital TV on the move, all through one chip.' It's also a proof that the entire class of SW radios that could possibly converge CDMA, GSM and various other radio networks for opportunistic handoffs by a single device, a 'universal radio' that could use content formerly locked into a single radio type."

Comments

Closed drivers

[CRCulver]

And presumably the drivers for this will be closed source because of that dumb FCC rule that end-users shouldn't be able to tinker with wi-fi chips because they are a dangerous radio device.

Re:Closed drivers

[JK_the_Slacker]

No worries, mate. I'm a ham radio op... and a programmer... I'll have an open source control program along shortly.

Alternatively, I could write support into GNU Radio.

Re:Closed drivers

[MBCook]

I should point out that I'm almost positive that there is no rule that says this. The companies take that position then try to back it up that way ("well the FCC might pull the device's license if..."). There are valid reasons for this (it would be easy to cause interference for only the purpose of being annoying) and good reasons against (my device means my responsibility, it's an unlicensed part of the spectrum).

However that only applies to transmitting. The is no valid reason why there would be a problem letting you configure the thing however you wanted to receive things. There are a few little bands that you aren't supposed to listen to, but if the analog part was designed correctly that would be impossible (I don't know if any of those bands are that high up). It would be simple to make it so that it's impossible (without modification of the physical circuits) to get RF though the amplifier unless it is within a little frequency set that the device is allowed in.

It IS illegal to make a device in such a way that it can be easily modified to transmit on other frequencies (seen with CBs) and I think it may be illegal for receiving too (like to listen into cell frequencies). Note that there is no solid definition on this as far as I know. You can't make it so it's "cut jumper B3 and you're set", but you don't have to go all the way to "install 12 wires, a chip, flash the firmware, hold the radio upside-down and...". Someone who is more familiar with this rules will surely point out the specifics.

Excellent!

[JK_the_Slacker]

But the real question is, can I change software modes and nuke a burrito with my wireless card?

Or, even better, my roommate?

Re:Excellent!

[TheRaven64]

Why would you want to nuke a burrito with your roommate?

Re:Excellent!

[Chabil Ha']

So that's what they're calling it these days...

Winmodem?

[solafide]

Will these chips end up like Winmodems? no intelligence in the chip and impossible to get drivers for?

Uh, not quite

[Ancient_Hacker]

Uh, not quite.

There are still a few stages in the receiving chain that have to be analog.

In particular the first few stages of input filtering, RF amplification, and mixing all HAVE to be analog, and delicate, tricky analog at that.

Someday we may have 5Gig sample/second 32-bit floating-point A/D converters with microvolt sensitivity, but until then radio receivers can't be quite as flexible as the term "software defined radio" implies.

awesome!

[spiffmastercow]

Now I'll be able to open and close people's garage doors while accessing their wifi, all with one device!

Mid-tex cellular uses software defined radios

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't know a lot about them, but I've read that Mid-Tex Cellular uses software defined radios from Vanu, Inc. From what I've read they updated from TDMA (using conventional hardware) to GSM (using quite unconventional hardware) in early 2005. Instead of installing GSM hardware at each site, they installed this software defined radio hardware. So, now they've decided to add in CDMA also for roamers; instead of having to add expensive and specialized CDMA base station hardware to each site, they just add software to the control computers (and, possibly add an extra computer to a site if it needs more processing power.)

          This sounds like something Alltel could use, given in the west they run AMPS, TDMA, GSM, CDMA, and EVDO. (Western Wireless, which Alltel bought, provides the only coverage in a lot of the rural desert, and so they found the more standards they supported, the more roaming money they made... since it's desert, they didn't have problems with network congestion or whatever, so they just decided to run all standards 8-) They run CDMA + EVDO for themselves, and the rest for roamers.)

Re:Sounds great but...

[MBCook]

You don't. You put 3 antennas in the device and switch between them. This would be problematic for other things, but in high frequencies the antennas aren't that big. If all three things use nearby pieces of spectrum (say different parts of 2.4 GHz) then you can tune the antenna for the center and put up with the losses for frequencies near the edges.

q.v. onechiptorulethemall

[Inf0phreak]

Why would you want a chip to rule a mall?

There. It's been a while since I made a stupid joke here. Quota fulfilled for the next couple of months I guess :)

Not Really Software-Defined

[LowSNR]

FTFA:

This provides all the digital signal processing and forward error correction for these three protocols and the area is still comparable to three fixed function Asics This isn't really software-defined radio. Software-defined implies that the protocol level processing (i.e. DSP, FEC, etc.) are performed in software or firmware rather than in silicon (and hence changeable on the fly). While it is a pretty neat chip that has the potential to ease the convergence of these wireless standards, software radio it's not.