January 04, 2010

Ralink Technology Demonstrates Next Generation Wireless Solutions at CES 2010 Tradeshow

Wireless Innovator Unveils Latest WLAN and WPAN Technologies for Consumer Electronics, Mobile Computing, Home Networking, and Broadband Connectivity

Cupertino, California. January 4, 2010—Ralink Technology, a leading developer of high performance wireless solutions, will demonstrate a range of new wireless technologies at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES).  The new solutions include the world’s first single chip 450Mbps 3x3 802.11n solution with Beam Forming technology, the only commercially available 802.11n + BT3.0 solution for mobile computers, the industry’s most highly integrated 802.11n solution for high-definition wireless video applications, and a portfolio of partnership solutions spanning various applications in consumer electronics, mobile computing, home networking, and broadband connectivity.

The World’s First Single Chip 450Mbps 3x3 802.11n AP and Client

RT3883 and RT3593:  The industry’s first commercially available single-chip 450Mbps 3x3 802.11n access point and station solutions with Beam Forming technology. The RT3883, featuring three dual band 2.4/5GHz  radios, a 500MHz MIPS74K CPU, and a variety of connectivity interfaces, is the most advanced Wi-Fi Access Point/Router platform in the industry. The RT3593 is the most highly integrated 450Mbps 3x3 client solution available on the market with an embedded media access controller, baseband processor, and three dual band 2.4/5GHz radios on a single chip. Both RT3883 and RT3593 chips incorporate Ralink’s high-performance radio and baseband architectures, delivering best-in-class Wi-Fi performance, low power consumption, and cost-effective price points.

The RT3883 and RT3593 chips are also the first single chip 802.11n solutions which support the IEEE standard’s optional Beam Forming functionality. With Beam Forming technology, the RT3883 and RT3593 intelligently determine a receiver’s distance and location, control various transmission parameters, and optimize the Wi-Fi signals to maximize throughput, range, and reliability. This break-through technology enables superior Wi-Fi coverage, interference mitigation, and more reliable connections for data-centric and video-over-WiFi applications. The RT3883 and RT3593 support the IEEE’s optional 802.11n Explicit Beam Forming standard and also incorporate Ralink’s 802.11n Implicit Beam Forming technology which improves performance even when communicating with legacy 802.11a/b/g or 802.11n devices that do not support the IEEE Beam Forming protocol.

Leading Edge 802.11n plus Bluetooth 3.0 Combo for Mobile Computers

RT3090BC4, an 802.11n plus Bluetooth 3.0 Half MiniCard solution: Targeting Notebooks, Netbooks and high-volume consumer and commercial PC platforms, the RT3090BC4 delivers an unprecedented level of intelligent coexistence between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.  With support for high-performance Bluetooth 3.0 + HS functionality, this product catapults wireless mobile computing into a new level of multimedia capability by enabling Bluetooth 3.0+HS and data rates of up to 150Mbps, while maintaining the simplicity of Bluetooth device detection, setup, and management. With an optimized bill of material, simplified design, and integrated manufacturing and testing procedures, the joint solution delivers significantly lower cost and power than discrete Wi-Fi and Bluetooth products.

The growing popularity of slim, ultra-compact mobile PCs has sparked demand for highly-integrated, co-located wireless solutions. To ensure optimal radio coexistence between WLAN and Bluetooth, the RT3090BC4 combo solution incorporates a sophisticated patent-pending coexistence algorithm for improved harmony between co-located WLAN and Bluetooth radios. It dynamically adjusts WLAN and Bluetooth transmissions to reduce interference, and it responds automatically to the presence and operating characteristics of nearby Wi-Fi Access Points.  This results in 80 percent faster WLAN throughput compared to competing WLAN plus Bluetooth combo devices for PCs.

High-Performance and Easily Configured Solutions that Extend Ralink Technology’s Rapid Penetration into Consumer Electronics

RT3572: The single chip 300 Mbps dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi USB device embedded into leading-edge HD televisions and Blu-Ray players. Delivering the industry’s highest throughput, range, and reliability, Ralink’s RT3572 enables users to wirelessly connect an HDTV or Blu-Ray Disc player to a network for streaming access to IPTV Services, Internet@TV, Wireless DLNA content, InfoLink RSS and BD Live services. Leveraging Ralink’s advanced radio and baseband algorithms, the RT3572 delivers cost-effective, feature-rich, and reliable wireless connectivity at high speeds throughout the home.

Ralink’s RT3572 delivers 300 Mbps of throughput with support for critical home-user functionality including Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) for a simple and secure out-of-the-box experience, and wireless multimedia capabilities for prioritized quality of service (WMM and WMM-PS). The RT3572 also incorporates a variety of leading-edge radio and baseband processing techniques to improve wireless range and reliability including Maximum Likelihood Detection (MLD) and Maximal Ratio Combining (MRC).

Partnerships Address Growing Demand for Wireless High Definition Streaming Video

Through a variety of strategic partnerships, Ralink will also demonstrate various Consumer Electronics and Home Networking devices designed for delivering whole-home, high-definition wireless content. “Ralink’s high-performance Wi-Fi solutions are optimized for integration into a variety of high-volume consumer electronics applications. Our Ralink Video Turbine™ technology delivers the speed, range, and reliability required by Service Providers and OEMs who want to deploy wireless multimedia solutions in the home.” said Dr. Horen Chen, President of Ralink Technology.

The World’s Smallest 802.11n USB Adapter

RT8070: The world’s smallest 802.11n USB adapter that delivers 150Mbps of performance in a form factor about the size of a USB connector. Measuring only 11mm x 17mm, the RT8070 fits snugly into any USB port, reducing the chances of it chipping, breaking, or falling out like larger USB adapters.

Designed with mobile users in mind, the RT8070 features Ralink's optimized RF architecture and baseband algorithms, and integrates a patented omni-directional antenna that provides 3.2dB gain and 89-percent radiation efficiency. These advanced wireless technologies result in 25 percent better WLAN coverage compared to competing 802.11n USB adapters, making it a perfect solution for mobile computers and other consumer electronics at home, work, or on the road. The RT8070 is compatible with all major PC operating systems, it supports the industry-standard WPA/WPA2 security including Wi-Fi Protected Set-Up (WPS), and it incorporates 802.11e WMM and WMM-PS quality of service features to support high-performance voice, video and data communications over Wi-Fi. The RT8070 reference design kit includes a complete turnkey Wi-Fi solution, with a manufacturing-ready reference design and software driver support for Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Windows 7 (inbox driver), Mac OS X and Linux.

Continued Innovation and Growing Market Share

Ralink not only leads in many areas of Wi-Fi innovation and performance, but is expressly focused on providing its customers with a significant time-to-market advantage. With a design center in Silicon Valley, regional offices across the globe, and headquarters in Taiwan, Ralink is committed to supporting key customers through the product development and commercialization process.  Important product development support that Ralink offers include turn-key services, software driver customization and support, system verification assistance, and regulatory certification capabilities.

Ralink’s 802.11n technology is shipping in more than 700 products from customers in the Americas, Europe, and Asia, and across all major Wi-Fi market segments including personal computers, retail access points and adapters, DSL and cable modem gateways, televisions, Blu-Ray players, web cameras, digital photo frames, and IPTV set-top-boxes.  Dozens of customers across these segments ship WLAN products using Ralink’s innovative, high-performance Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ 802.11n chipsets.  "Ralink's Wi-Fi solutions are featured in millions of desktop and portable PCs worldwide, as well as the entire ecosystem of WLAN products including consumer electronics, broadband connectivity, and home networking devices," said Dr. Horen Chen, President of Ralink Technology, “We are delivering the requisite level of performance with the aggressive pricing and industry leading support to our customers across all key market segments and geographies.”

For more details on Ralink’s newest products, or to schedule a meeting to see any of the company’s product demonstrations, please visit Ralink’s private suite located in the Las Vegas Hilton Hospitality room #2169.

About Ralink Technology

Ralink Technology Corporation is a leading innovator and developer of wireless single chip solutions. Ralink products are recognized for the superior throughput, extended range, low-power consumption and the consistent reliability required for wireless mobile and embedded applications. These feature-rich single chips are highly integrated, enabling customers to build smaller and more sophisticated mobile wireless products cost-effectively. Ralink’s patented MIMObility™ technology extends Wi-Fi applications from traditional home networking and PC applications to a range of digital multimedia and handheld devices including cell phones, PDAs, cameras, print servers, HDTV and video game players. Ralink customers can look forward to continuous improvements in speed, bandwidth and reliability with IEEE 802.11n solutions for next-generation high-performance Wi-Fi. Ralink Technology was founded in 2001 with headquarters in Hsin-chu, Taiwan and an R&D center in Cupertino, California. For more information, visit Ralink at www.ralinktech.com

Ralink, Ralink Video Turbine™ and MIMObilityTM are Ralink’s trademarks; all other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.