Qualcomm Atheros Hy-Fi technology supports IEEE 1905.1 draft standard

LAS VEGAS, USA: Qualcomm Atheros Inc. announced a software package that enables solutions in its Hy-Fi portfolio to comply with the recently approved IEEE 1905.1 draft standard for hybrid home networking. The 1905.1 standard will drive industry interoperability of products that leverage combinations of wireless and wireline technologies—Wi-Fi, HomePlug powerline, Ethernet or Multimedia over Coax (MoCA)—to improve setup, capacity, coverage and reliability in home networks.

When upgraded with Qualcomm Atheros' latest Hy-Fi software, hybrid networking devices will feature easy (one-button) auto-configuration and authentication of all 1905.1 compliant devices on the network. The upgrade will also enable intelligent path selection and fail-over, resulting in a reliable whole-home network for the delivery of high-value carrier grade and consumer services.

The IEEE 1905.1 working group unanimously approved a draft version of the P1905.1 Standard for a Convergent Digital Home Network for Heterogeneous Technologies in December 2011. IEEE 1905.1 defines a software abstraction layer that provides a common data and control service access point for IEEE P1901 (HomePlug), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.3 (Ethernet) and MoCA 1.1 compliant devices.

"At last year's CES, Qualcomm Atheros launched its Hy-Fi family of hybrid networking solutions, and today these solutions have been introduced and deployed by leading networking customers," said Dan Rabinovitsj, senior vice president and general manager, networking business unit, Qualcomm Atheros.

"With the IEEE standardization of 1905.1, the industry has confirmed the value of hybrid networking solutions to the consumer in the home. Qualcomm Atheros' customers will benefit from this recent software development which can make their products immediately comply with the draft standard."

By enabling the draft 1905.1 standard on Hy-Fi platforms, customers can ensure product interoperability across brands and product types and thus help fuel the adoption of hybrid approaches into mainstream networking. Today, Qualcomm Atheros' Hy-Fi networks are able to reach virtually any room in the home by combining Wi-Fi, HomePlug and Ethernet.

Qualcomm Atheros is also collaborating with MoCA technology suppliers to enable solutions to those wishing to extend the MoCA infrastructure with Wi-Fi and HomePlug powerline solutions. The technology offers great flexibility as it enables wired connectivity to those devices in the home which are naturally tethered to the power/AC or coaxial cable, such as the TV or desktop computer, while maintaining wireless freedom for mobile devices operating in the home, such as notebook computers, tablets and smartphones.

Additionally, Hy-Fi based networks ensure whole-home coverage with ease through the use of hybrid wired and wireless range extenders that can be placed wherever a "dead spot" exists.

"We are very pleased to be among the first to offer the draft 1905.1 compliance software upgrade in our products," said A.J. Wang, chairman and CTO, D-Link. "In addition to the improvements in home network usability and robustness, our customers will have the assurance of future interoperability with a growing range of products that also comply with this specification."

Qualcomm Atheros will provide Hy-Fi software updates in the first quarter of 2012 to enable customers with new and existing end products based on Qualcomm Atheros' Hy-Fi solutions to comply with the IEEE 1905.1 draft standard.