Based on its 130-nm CMOS single chip WSR601 introduced in mid-2007, Wisair has readied a Wireless USB dongle reference design that delivers high-speed wireless connectivity to a range of USB devices such as printers, hubs, or external hard disk drives (HDD). In fact, the reference design kit offers a complete end-user package that includes a host dongle, a device dongle with power supply, software drivers, management application, and documentation.

While a few select tier-1 ODMs in Taiwan have taken this new dongle set design to pilot production, it will be demonstrated to the general public next week at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, NV.

According to Wisair, the dongle reference design doubles the speed and halves the price of Wireless USB dongle set. Wisair said that complete BOM cost for a single dongle PCB (without the enclosure) is about $15. Hence, the low BOM cost will enable OEMs to market the Wireless USB dongle set for below retail price of $80, stated Ziv Azmanov, vice president of marketing at Wisair.

To accelerate OEMs' and ODMs' time to market, the dongle reference design will be delivered as a production-ready solution, pre-certified by WiMedia, USB-IF, FCC, and TELEC, said Wisair.

To achieve performance at a low cost, the dongle set reference design incorporates the developer’s UltraSpeed technology, which enhances Wireless USB throughput, while remaining fully compliant to Certified Wireless USB. UltraSpeed uses several acceleration schemes to optimize data processing and enables throughput in the range of 70 Mbps-100 Mbps when connected to a Host Wire Adapter, and up to 200 Mbps when connected to a Wireless USB native host. Additionally, the dongle set provides a user-friendly Wireless USB association, eliminating the need for cables for initial association (pairing).

“Wisair remains fully committed to enabling the Wireless USB market by providing customers – whether OEMs or retailer outlets – with the functionality and price points required to meet end user demand,” said David Yaish, CEO at Wisair. “The new Wisair Wireless USB dongle set, with its extremely competitive price/performance combination, offers half the price and double the throughput compared to other solutions. It also offers OEMs a quick time to market, eliminating the need to submit their products for certification.”

While the host dongle offers a USB type-A male connector, the device dongle incorporates a USB type-B with secure USB adapter attached. Each dongle offers 4 Mbytes of flash and integrates on-board an UWB antenna. The device dongle receives power from an external power supply.

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