Co-Existence Software Limits Interference

The rapid growth of Wi-Fi devices and the steady increase in Bluetooth-enabled products are resulting in increased signal interference. To address this problem, many hardware chip sets have been designed with accompanying software. Taking an alternate approach, Silicon Wave just announced a "software-only" solution. Dubbed the UltimateBlue Coexistence Technology, this solution is implemented entirely on the company's single-chip SiW3000 Bluetooth radio processor. It's designed to minimize interference between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi wireless technology.

Because this solution is software based, no hardware or driver modifications are required. Best of all, the UltimateBlue Coexistence Technology is Wi-Fi chip-set agnostic. This means that Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) can implement this co-existence solution with virtually any vendor's 802.11 chip set.

The UltimateBlue Coexistence Tech-nology complements the Adaptive Frequency Hopping techniques found in the upcoming Bluetooth Specification Version 1.2. For those situations in which legacy Bluetooth Specification Version 1.1 devices are still in use, it promises to minimize interference and enhance performance.

The key features of the UltimateBlue Coexistence Technology include:

• Easy implementation: No hardware interface is required between 802.11b/g and Bluetooth radios. And the 802.11 card can be any form factor (Mini PCI, PC card, etc.).
• Wi-Fi chip-set agnosticity: The UltimateBlue Coexistence Technology works with 802.11b/g chip sets from any vendor. It doesn't require host software modifications.
• Forward and backward compatible: This solution provides interference protection for Bluetooth Specification Versions 1.1. Yet it also boasts AFH support for Version 1.2.
• Wide implementation: The Ul-timateBlue Coexistence Technology won't just be implemented on the Silicon Wave SiW3000 UltimateBlue Bluetooth radio processor. It will be implemented on all future Silicon Wave Bluetooth chips.

The UltimateBlue Coexistence Tech-nology is available now from RF Micro Devices—Silicon Wave's exclusive worldwide distributor. Contact RFMD for pricing information.