TI Designs All-In-One 802.11 Wireless Chip

The promise, and pitfall, of Texas Instruments' hybrid 802.11a/b/g/e/i chip is that it looks good on paper.

TI introduced a single-chip media access controller (MAC) on Wednesday, called the TNETW1130, that can serve as a controller for 802.11a, b, and g wireless LANs, while supporting the quality-of-service requirements of the 802.11e standard, plus the security enhancements of the 802.11i protocol.

The kicker is that neither the 802.11g, e, or i standards have been ratified and still exist in draft form, meaning that users who buy products based upon the chip next year should prepare themselves for as many as three or more software upgrades after all the kinks have been worked out.

Designing a "finished" chip based upon a draft specification is nothing new. Intersil, for example, announced an 802.11g-"compliant" chip back in January. Broadcom also plans 802.11g products, a Broadcom spokesman said.

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