October 4, 2000

Perfect match
Wireless LANs and DSL: Happily ever after

Despite being portrayed as adversaries, wireless and wired data-transmission schemes could prove to be a match made in heaven.

Alcatel and Intersil expect just such matchmaking success, and have pared a wired broadband DSL link with a wireless LAN for shared broadband access throughout a home. Alcatel's SpeedTouch DSL-based home gateway leverages Intersil's PRISM II chip set, offering 11-Mbps wireless LAN access to any computer or even entertainment device equipped with an 802.11b network interface. Consumers can use the wireless LAN to share files and printers, bridge computer and entertainment networks, and share the multi-megabit Internet-access rates afforded by DSL.

In other PRISM-related news, Intersil partner AbsoluteValue Systems has targeted the burgeoning Linux community with a wireless LAN access point. Clients with different operating systems can share access to a single wireless LAN, although each client may require an OS-specific driver. AbsoluteValue will offer the needed software support. The market for Linux-based wireless systems could boom, based on recent announcements that show Linux making its way into handheld systems, which are prime candidates for wireless access.

Wireless LANs are also making an impact beyond data applications. For instance, SpectraLink has been a leader in the Ethernet-based telephone market, supporting VoIP (voice over internet protocol) in business environments. Now, the company is bringing VoIP to wireless networks. Based, again, on Intersil's PRISM chip set, the company's NetLink wireless telephone system allows mobile users to make and receive telephone calls over a shared voice/data wireless Internet infrastructure.

Given the data and voice activity, it's clear that wireless networking is capturing the imagination of enterprise, small-office, and home users alike. But each environment has its own requirements in terms of performance, cost, and time to market. Recognizing these divergent needs, Intersil's PRISM Wireless Products group has divided its wireless LAN activity into separate efforts aimed at enterprise and consumer markets. In the consumer segment, for instance, the company will offer products and reference designs specifically for low-cost, easy-to-use wireless networking products, including home gateways and embedded silicon designs for handheld, battery-operated clients.

Across consumer and enterprise segments, Intersil's PRISM technology is designed to comply with the IEEE's 802.11b global standard, promoted by the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA), under the Wi-Fi brand. Wi-Fi products are clearly capturing the business market. And they also compete in the consumer market with HomeRF, a lower-cost format that is targeted specifically to home-networking applications. Wi-Fi proponents contend that not only does HomeRF provide lower performance, but also that it relies on a significantly different spread-spectrum communication scheme than specified in 802.11b. The Wi-Fi gang points out that users can use a single Wi-Fi equipped system in the home, on public networks in airports and other hot spots, and within corporate wireless networks.

—Margot Suydam, Technology Editor