Tech-bite

A good antenna is the most important thing to get a microwave radio performance. It is the integral part of the system though manufacturers see it as a necessary evil. Today, the approach has changed a lot with the designers paying more and more attention to the antenna. Smart antennas settle in existing environment and the function and transmission of the system gets optimized. This is actually a new piece of equipment in their portfolio.

In that stratum, the Javelin chip from semiconductor company Motia implements these antennas for Wi-Fi products. This device is grouped with of an array of four antennas. It can widen the range of any 802.11b/g transceiver by four times at most. It can also develop the entire system performance as well as quality of service of the Wi-Fi product.

Generally, Wi-Fi products offer coverage up to 100 meters (over 300 feet). But barriers like walls, floors and ceilings can shorten this range. Reflections from multiple objects and other obstacles can also shorten the range. More over, as the range is inadequate, connectivity speed mechanically drops as signal quality depreciates.

To get rid of this problem, the Javelin is placed between the four-antenna array and the input is given to the wi-fi transceiver chip. The chip uses an appliqué architecture that allows the technology to be used in any access point or client widget.

The Javelin actually outfits an array of four antennas which is similar to the two antenna range configurations which are now generally used on some access points. Through the receive mode, the signals at each antenna are converted to a received-signal strength indicator (RSSI) value. The RSSI is then evaluated and then grouped to bring out the strongest doable output to the amplifier of the Wi-Fi chip set. In case you are unable to understand there are various online PC support companies that help you to do the same.


In the broadcast mode, the signal from the transceiver is separated in four segments. Each of those signals is transferred and amplified by the profile distinct by the received signal before being transmitted. This results in a 13-dB increase over a single antenna. The overall gain mounts up to 18 dB as the javelin is used at both ends of the system.

This fully analog device is compatible with both 802.11b and 802.11g systems and can work with any Wi-Fi product.