FAQ

  • Q: What is the draft 802.11n specification?
  • A: 802.11n is the next generation of Wi-Fi® technology. The draft specification outlines all of the technical elements (both mandatory and optional) that will eventually become the IEEE 802.11n standard. Chipmakers and manufacturers use the specification to develop high-speed wireless products that work together. The final specification is expected to be ratified in the fall of 2008.
  • Q: Why is 802.11n important?
  • A: 802.11n technology is a huge breakthrough for the wireless market. For the first time, Wi-Fi users will actually exceed the performance they get from wired Ethernet connections, and maintain more reliable wireless connections than previous standards. This technology will truly change the way we interact with our digital content and will serve as the backbone for the digital home.
  • Q: What applications will 802.11n enable?
  • A: The 802.11n standard will make it practical to use Wi-Fi networks for advanced applications like streaming HD video, sharing photos and music or transferring large data files between devices. It’s also great for using wireless VoIP throughout a home or office.
  • Q: What is Intensi-fi®?
  • A: Intensi-fi® is Broadcom’s family of next-generation Wi-Fi solutions, which are compliant with the draft 802.11n specification (currently draft 2.0). Products based on Intensi-fi® chipsets deliver superior performance and reliable wireless connections throughout a home or office, enabling Wi-Fi networks to support emerging voice, video and data applications.
  • Q: Which products include Intensi-fi® technology?
  • A: Intensi-fi® technology is built into several leading brands of PCs and wireless networking equipment. To see what Intensi-fi-powered products are currently available, visit
    http://www.retailccess.com/broadcom/products.html
  • Q: What kind of throughput and range can we expect from Intensi-fi® products?
  • A: The Intensi-fi® family will include a variety of high-performance solutions that enable advanced multimedia applications. Current Intensi-fi® products can provide data rates of up to 270 Mbps and real-world throughput greater than 160 Mbps—7x faster than 802.11g products. And although actual range is impacted by many factors and may vary by implementation, Intensi-fi® chipsets are designed to deliver reliable connectivity throughout a typical home or office environment.
  • Q: How does Intensi-fi® technology improve speed and range?
  • A: Intensi-fi® technology employs a number of techniques to improve Wi-Fi performance and range, including:
    • Support for multiple data (or “spatial”) streams to achieve higher throughput
    • Support for multiple transmit and receive antennas to increase range
    • Advanced MAC aggregation mode to increase the efficiency of wireless transmissions
    • Support for both mandatory 20 MHz and optional 40 MHz channels in 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands
    • The industry’s best 802.11n radio and digital signal processing technology, which provide the highest throughput at any distance.
  • Q: Which elements of the draft 802.11n specification does Intensi-fi® technology support?
  • A: Intensi-fi® technology supports all mandatory elements of the draft 802.11n specification, including 65 Mbps OFDM, support for 1-4 spatial streams, MIMO power-save mode, legacy 802.11a, b and g co-existence and Greenfield mode. It also supports the optional 40 MHz channelization mode.
  • Q: Will Intensi-fi® products be upgradable to the final standard?
  • A: The flexible Intensi-fi® architecture was designed to be upgradeable as the 802.11n specification goes through the standards process. At this point, Broadcom is confident that this flexibility will allow us to address any changes in the spec with firmware, providing customers with a path to upgradeability.
  • Q: Do today's Intensi-fi® products support both 2.4 and 5 GHz modes?
  • A: Current Intensi-fi-based products on the shelf today can only operate in the 2.4 GHz band. These single-band products are not only compatible with one another, but also with 802.11b/g products already in use. Vendors dual-band using products that use Intensi-fi® technology that will operate in both the 2.4 and 5 GH bands – making them compatible with all legacy 802.11a, b, or g products.
  • Q: Do Intensi-fi® products work with those from other manufacturers?
  • A: Intensi-fi® technology will interoperate with other devices that comply with the 802.11n draft specification – even products based on technology from other chipmakers Intensi-fi® products also work with existing 802.11a, b and g equipment. Once the Wi-Fi Alliance certification program is established, we anticipate that Intensi-fi® products will be among the first to be Wi-Fi CERTIFIED.
  • Q: When will Wi-Fi Alliance begin certification for interoperability?
  • A: Due to the proliferation of pre-standard 802.11n products, the Wi-Fi Alliance announced that they will begin to test and certify product interoperability by the first half of 2007 – prior to ratification of the 802.11n standard. In the meantime, a variety of “plugfests” have occurred both inside and outside of Wi-Fi Alliance. Chipmakers and product vendors are working together to achieve the highest level of interoperability among different brands of 802.11n products.
  • Q: One of the more controversial aspects of the 802.11n specification is the use of 40 MHz channels, which may interfere with the operation of nearby networks. How does Intensi-fi® handle this?
  • A: When using 40 MHz channels, Intensi-fi® technology employs a “g ood neighbor” policy to reduce the interference caused to nearby networks. This policy continually scans the wireless environment and selects the channels in use by the fewest possible devices. If no clear channels can be found, Intensi-fi® products revert back to using 20 MHz channels.
  • Q: What are the minimum PC requirements to run 802.11n draft specification products?
  • A: Minimum requirements: 600 MHz or faster PC; 256MB of RAM memory; CD-ROM drive; available CardBus slot for Wireless Notebook Adapter; Windows 2000 or XP with Service Pack 1 or later.
  • Q: Do Intensi-fi® products offer the same features as Broadcom’s 54g® products?
  • A: Yes. The Intensi-fi® reference designs include Broadcom's proven OneDriver™ software to deliver superior performance, ease-of-use and security features. This includes SecureEasySetup™ software, innovative technology that allows consumers to install and secure a complete wireless network with the push of a button and the click of a mouse. The OneDriver implementation also supports Wireless Multimedia™ (WMM™), which provides quality of service and improves the user experience by prioritizing audio, video and voice traffic on a Wi-Fi network. Intensi-fi® products provide the highest levels of security including WPA™, WPA2 Personal, WPA Enterprise and CCX v4.
  • Q: Do the current draft-802.11n products support VPN capabilities?
  • A: Wireless 802.11n routers based on Intensi-fi® technology can support the primary VPN protocols (PPTP and IPSec) to enable VPN pass-through. This means that users can initiate secure connections through their network to a VPN endpoint, such as the VPN server at their workplace. However, Intensi-fi® routers cannot act as a VPN endpoint.
  • Q: Do draft-802.11n products offer more security, since it does cover a larger area and could “allow” more possibilities of intrusions?
  • A: 802.11n uses WPA2, the highest security available for home networks. This security method has proven to be extremely robust by the government and security experts. WPA2 uses the Advance Encryption Standard (AES) which has been adopted by the US government as the replacement to DES as the preferred baseline encryption standard.  WEP has been shown to offer weak security and is not recommended. To help consumers activate security easily on Wi-Fi products there several “easy security” tools such as SecureEasySetup the coming Wi-Fi Protected Setup both of which address ease-of-use in setting up wireless security.