Silex provides Atheros AR6002 802.11a/b/g wireless SDIO modules for low-power, ultra-compact embedded solutions

SALT LAKE CITY, USA: Silex Technology America Inc., a global leader in product networking solutions, today announced two products that support 802.11a/b/g wireless technology. The products are the SX-SDPAG, a surface mount module, and the SX-SDCAG, a SDIO card module.

These products are among the first Atheros AR6002-based wireless-SDIO solutions to be delivered to the market. They are designed for OEMs who need a highly compact wireless radio/baseband solution with low power consumption.

As an Atheros Authorized Design Center (AADC), Silex can provide turnkey integration services for these products, ranging from hardware design and manufacturing to driver and supplicant development support.

The core wireless solutions are based on an Atheros AR6002 single-chip design. Silex solutions include all major components necessary to implement 802.11a/b/g wireless connectivity including a radio, baseband processor, power amplifier, low pass filter, band pass filter, crystal and a built-in EEPROM. The AR6002’s power-efficient chip design draws very low standby power and has nominal impact on battery life even in active mode.

The SX-SDPAG is designed to be directly mounted to an OEM’s printed circuit board, while SX-SDCAG comes in an SD card form factor. Both solutions are desirable for adding cost-effective wireless connectivity in low power, battery operated, mobile devices such as medical devices and mobile printers.

According to a recent report by ABI Research, the global market for Wi-Fi-enabled healthcare products will grow by 70 percent over the next five years, to an estimated $4.9 billion in 2014. The ongoing initiative for healthcare reform from the U.S. government is expected to further accelerate adoption of wireless technologies in various healthcare mobile applications.

"These two new products further enhance our ability to support the growing demand for wireless and mobile devices in various arenas including the medical industry,” said David Smith, president of Silex Technology America.

"Our customers are typically OEMs who service markets that leverage the wireless technology found in PCs, PDAs and mobile phones with much lower annual volumes. Our role is to ensure that such niche segments are adequately offered the latest Atheros technology together with our unique software options."

Eric Cheong, senior director of sales for Atheros, said, "Over the past five years, Silex has demonstrated valuable wireless software know-how by delivering a number of breakthrough solutions using Atheros products. Silex’s unique offering combined with flexible hardware supply capabilities will help us further expand our global customer base."

SX-SDPAG and SX-SDCAG are expected to be available for shipping in late December 2009.