12/20/05 - Conexant Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CNXT) extended its low-power wireless networking product portfolio with the launch of a new platform based on the company's power-efficient 802.11 a/b/g chip and new self-hosted client technology. The platform is targeted at low-power and high-performance devices with embedded wireless networking functionality including cellular phones, digital cameras, MP3 players, printers, handheld point-of-sale (POS) terminals, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and set-top boxes.

These power-sensitive consumer electronics products generally require low-power semiconductor solutions such as Conexant's in order to maximize battery life. They also need additional processing power to support Wi-Fi functionality, which results in the need for manufacturers to re-design their products with a higher performance, more expensive central processing unit (CPU). Conexant solved this issue by providing the necessary computing power using the company's unique self-hosted client technology. This allows manufacturers to easily add Wi-Fi into current products, while considerably reducing product development costs, and hastening time-to-market.

"We focused on maximizing flexibility and optimizing processing power to provide a robust and cost-effective solution that allows embedded Wi-Fi developers to meet stringent power parameters, while minimizing design-cycle times and associated costs," said Chee Kwan, vice president and general manager of Conexant's Wireless Networking business. "As a result, manufacturers can now economically add Wi-Fi functionality to mass market products. In turn, they can provide their customers with products that include the convenience of wireless networking, without a commensurate increase in price."

A key feature of Conexant's new embedded platform is the company's unique self-hosted client technology, which provides a path to zero-host loading for wireless functionality. This capability eliminates the need for manufacturers to re-engineer products with a more powerful CPU, which is a costly and time consuming effort. The platform also includes support for Internet protocol endpoint termination on all interfaces. A complete security implementation at the network card enables no-host loading and a faster path for customers to incorporate wireless functionality into embedded systems.

The company's low-power Wi-Fi chip is also a part of the new embedded platform. This solution 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.