Celeno Communications and Airgain (NASDAQ:AIRG), a provider of embedded antenna technologies for wireless networking, have entered into an agreement to collaborate on the delivery of an antenna platform based on the Celeno CL2400 802.11ac Wave 2 4x4 radio and its Smart Antenna Steering (SAS) technology. The resultant reference design solution is intended to provide system designers and manufacturers with the blueprints for a 4x4 MIMO WiFi design for gigabit gateways and set-top boxes.
The collaboration will combine Airgain's expertise in RF and switched smart antenna design with the Celeno CL2400 chipset's proprietary SAS silicon and software technology, which is designed to dynamically select four antenna elements out of an array of up to 16 elements on both transmit and receive. The SAS-enabled reference design system is intended to provide multiple modes of operation per RF chain and allow dynamic diversity set selection for improved immunity to device orientation and mobility in multi-floor and multi-room scenarios.
"Having developed this proprietary technology, Celeno is now ready to collaborate with leading antenna vendors," said Lior Weiss, vice president marketing and business development at Celeno. "Airgain is a natural choice for Celeno as they have the experience and expertise to design antenna arrays that best fit with the technology concept. The resulting reference design solution will enable service providers to deliver best-of-breed radio connectivity while reducing the real estate footprint and costs."
"Service providers are looking for wireless solutions that not only meet the performance metrics, but also can physically fit within the shrinking footprint of next generation home gateways and set-top boxes. Smart antenna technology is one way to extend the realizable performance of a 4x4 MIMO-based system to meet telecom and cable operator high-end performance expectations within a limited space budget," said Jacob Suen, Airgain's vice president, worldwide sales. "Through this collaboration, we aim to develop a smart end-to-end solution that will power these next generation high-end gateways and set-top boxes, addressing connectivity demands."