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Conexant Systems has expanded its low-power Wi-Fi product offering with a third-generation 802.11b/g device that is targeted at battery-powered handheld products with embedded wireless networking capabilities such as cell phones, smartphones, voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) handsets, cameras, MP3 players, gaming consoles and global positioning systems.

The CX53121 integrates wireless local area network (LAN) functionality, power management and other components into a 68-square millimeter single-chip solution, resulting in a significant reduction in the total radio footprint. The low-power device also includes industry-standard secure digital input output (SDIO) and serial peripheral interfaces (SPI), which allow handheld device makers to achieve higher system throughput while reducing system cost and product size. Coexistence with Bluetooth devices is also supported.

The CX53121 includes a high-performance radio that delivers output power as high as 19.5 dBm, and sensitivity below –90 dBm, resulting in throughput and range performance comparable to any typical 802.11b/g client networking device. The radio design has been optimized for cellular coexistence for all of the legacy cellular bands and GPS, as well as new cellular bands that are beginning their build-out. It also has support for a single, integrated antenna that supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radio systems, which can simplify the design process, and reduce board size and bill-of-material costs.

Software support is provided for many popular application processors and operating systems, including Windows CE, Windows Mobile and Linux. In addition, the CX53121 delivers exceptional throughput performance for SDIO and SPI.

The device also includes Conexant's PowerSave technology, which provides an intelligent power control capability, an industry-leading low power standby mode, and reduces peak and overall power consumption for extended battery life. This innovative technology, along with other proprietary power-saving techniques, allows for the optimization of total system power, while remaining compatible with all 802.11-compatible network devices. It delivers a deep sleep current as low as 10 microamps, and average current consumption during power save of 0.6 milliamps while maintaining association with the network.