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Intersil Announces New PRISM 2.5 Reference Design with USB Interface for Embedded Wireless LAN Solutions
URL(s): www.intersil.com
IRVINE, Calif., April 19, 2001--
Complete solution for designing low-cost, high-performance IEEE 802.11b WLAN products
Intersil Corporation (Nasdaq:ISIL), the world's leading provider of silicon technology for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), announced
today an innovative new reference design with a Universal Serial Bus (USB 1.1) interface based upon Intersil's PRISM(R) 2.5 chip set. The
PRISM 2.5 chip set is designed for small form-factor, embedded and external USB based applications. It includes the world's first single-chip
Baseband Processor (BBP) and Medium Access Controller (MAC).
This PRISM 2.5-based Reference Design (ISL37300U) will provide all technical information necessary for the manufacture of a complete
WLAN adaptor in the form of a small mini-USB card that measures approximately 2-1/3 x 1-1/2 inches. Such cards are ideal for embedded WLAN
applications. In addition, many companies are adopting USB interfaces for embedded cards and the PRISM 2.5 chip set's ISL3873 BBP/MAC will
allow original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to easily develop wireless LAN-capable products that connect to the host device using a USB
connection. This solution will deliver full 11 megabit-per-second (Mbps) data rates and fully comply with the IEEE 802.11b standard, making it
eligible for Wi-Fi(TM) certification.
"We're seeing a clear trend toward embedded wireless LAN capability into laptops, PDAs and other small handheld networked appliances. The
ISL37300U is Intersil's smallest form factor reference design and was developed specifically to meet the growing need for embedded solutions. The
new reference design will also enable very compact, external USB-based WLAN applications," said Larry Ciaccia, vice president and general
manager of PRISM Wireless Products at Intersil. "As the market evolves, there will be an on-going need for these type of highly optimized solutions
for specific applications and segments of the WLAN space."
The PRISM 2.5 Reference Design includes integrated circuits, software, firmware and a companion voltage-controlled oscillator to give systems
manufacturers a highly integrated, full-featured solution for designing 802.11b-compliant wireless networking capability into small, handheld devices
such as laptop PCs, Personal Digital Assistants and next generation "Web Pad" Internet appliance devices. PRISM 2.5-based products will provide
users with wireless access to networks and the Internet for fast and efficient transmission of data, video and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
services.
The new PRISM 2.5 Reference Design comes with all manufacturing data and necessary software. The contents include system schematics,
board layout, Gerber files, bill-of-materials lists, software, firmware and documentation. For customers who use the reference design with minimum
changes, system design effort and time-to-market can be reduced by up to 80 percent. The new reference design is compatible with Windows 95,
98, 2000, NT 4.0 and Millennium operating systems.
Adoption of PRISM WLAN Technology
Since introducing the PRISM WLAN chip set in 1996, over fifty companies have incorporated PRISM chips in more than 100 product designs. In
a May 2000 report, Cahners In-Stat Group called Intersil "the dominant force in the WLAN chip set marketplace with their PRISM chip sets holding
the majority of market share." PRISM technology is designed to comply with the IEEE's 802.11 global standard, and Intersil is a founding sponsor of
the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA), whose Wi-Fi(TM) brand is a mark of compatibility for 802.11-based systems.
PRISM/work(TM) and PRISM/home(TM) products are used in WLAN systems from industry-leading companies including Alcatel, Cisco,
Compaq, 3Com, Dell, D-Link, Linksys, Nokia, Nortel, Samsung, Scientific-Atlanta, Siemens, SOHOware, Sony, SpectraLink, Symbol Technologies,
and Zoom.
Intersil is a leading supplier of semiconductors, reference designs and software for wireless access and communications analog markets. Intersil
applies analog, mixed-signal and radio frequency (RF) expertise to products that enable wireless access to broadband media; provide reliable power
management for PCs, file servers and portable information appliances; and convert analog and digital signals in cellular and Internet infrastructure.
For more information about Intersil, visit the company's Internet homepage at www.intersil.com.
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