Qualcomm
Immersive Home Reference Design 6 5f9b2d5148c47

Wi-Fi 6/6E Powers Qualcomm’s Next-Generation Mesh Networks

Oct. 29, 2020
A modular architecture blankets the connected home with high-performance, cost-effective Wi-Fi 6/6E mesh deployment.

In these times of quarantines, home offices, and sky-high data usage, the basic Wi-Fi paradigm of a single router servicing the entire home seems quaint and, frankly, not up to the task anymore. While Mom’s on a work Zoom call, Junior’s killing it in competitive e-sports and Dad’s downloading 4k videos all at the same time; meanwhile, other bits of bandwidth are going to thermostats, light bulbs, and security systems. There’s got to be a better way, and in its Immersive Home mesh Wi-Fi platform, Qualcomm may just have it literally in hand.

Devices built with the Immersive Home platform are designed to deploy low-latency, gigabit-speed mesh Wi-Fi performance to every room in the home in form factors as small as, well, the palm of the hand. Not only that, but they’re also expected to be well within consumers’ price range, even as they incorporate a new modular architecture, major advancements in network packet-processing technology, and an integration of next-generation Wi-Fi 6 and 6E.

“Not every household has the same requirements,” said Bob O’Donnell, president and chief analyst at TECHnalysis Research, LLC. “The beauty of a modular platform is that it lets OEMs and consumers tackle everything from forward-looking massive bandwidth applications using 6-GHz Wi-Fi 6E to tiny mesh extenders that can inconspicuously bring stronger traditional Wi-Fi signals to every room in a home.”

To that end, Qualcomm’s Immersive Home Platforms offer four distinct product tiers intended to meet the varying needs of consumer OEMs and broadband carriers.

For the most demanding environments, the Immersive Home 310 Series devices represent Qualcomm’s Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6 platforms within the portfolio. They are built to simultaneously support IoT-class devices on the 2.4-GHz band and today’s legacy media devices on the 5-GHz band. Meanwhile, they also migrate node-to-node backhaul traffic from 5 GHz to the newly opened 6-GHz band while ensuring the network is prepared to support devices supporting emerging 6-GHz applications (VR/XR, live video sharing/streaming, real-time gaming).

The Immersive Home 318 platform delivers: 

  • 8-stream Tri-Band in a 2x2 (2.4 GHz) + 2x2 (5 GHz) + 4x4 (6 GHz) configuration, for a total available PHY rate of 7.8 Gb/s.
  • Multi-gigabit wireless throughput for high-performance clients.
  • Support for 160-MHz channels in 5/6-GHz bands
  • 4x4 Wi-Fi 6E configuration in the 6-GHz band delivers enhanced performance, range, and/or client count.

In the Immersive Home 316 Platform, it’s 6-stream Tri-Band in a 2x2 (2.4 GHz) + 2x2 (5 GHz) + 2x2 (6 GHz) configuration, for a total available PHY rate of 5.4 Gb/s.

Existing mesh providers can garner performance and cost benefits from the Immersive Home 210 Series. The 216 platform brings 6-stream Wi-Fi 6 in a 2x2 (2.4 GHz) + 4x4 (5 GHz) configuration, for a total available PHY rate of 5.4 Gb/s. Finally, the 214 platform provides 4-stream Wi-Fi 6 in a 2x2 (2.4 GHz) + 2x2 (5 GHz) configuration, for a total available PHY rate of 3.0 Gbps. Like the 318 platform, the 316, 216, and 214 platforms all support the same 160-MHz channels.

In both dual and tri-band series, the platforms deliver Gigabit wireless in a form factor highly optimized for size, scale, and performance. When compared to Qualcomm’s earlier IPQ4xxx family (found in most Wi-Fi 5-generation mesh systems), the Immersive Home Platforms can deliver 2.5X throughput per watt, which means smaller, cooler, and less costly end products.

Other key features of the Qualcomm Immersive Home platform devices include:

Broad Wi-Fi technology support: Qualcomm Immersive Home Platforms are built to deliver seamless roaming, band/node client steering, and advanced security safeguards across Wi-Fi 4, 5, 6, 6E, and support many of the industry’s leading mesh software protocols including Qualcomm Wi-Fi SON, the OpenSync open-source software, eero’s TrueMesh, and the Wi-Fi Alliance’s Wi-Fi CERTIFIED EasyMesh standard.

Powerful smart home integration capabilities: Qualcomm Immersive Home Platforms feature advanced Qualcomm Multi-User Traffic Management technologies to balance and support all the Wi-Fi connected devices in a modern smart home, while high-performance Bluetooth integration enables seamless onboarding and integration of advanced applications leveraging either connectivity technology.

Ultra-low latency enabled: Qualcomm Immersive Home Platforms can support, in certain configurations with 6-GHz operation, a new class of emerging latency-sensitive applications like mobile gaming and XR through latency reduction up to 8x in congested environments and wireless VR-class latency of <3 ms.

Qualcomm Immersive Home Platforms are sampling now to customers. For more information about Wi-Fi 6 and 6E products for the home, visit qualcomm.com/mesh-networking.

Qualcomm, www.qualcomm.com

About the Author

David Maliniak | Executive Editor, Microwaves & RF

I am Executive Editor of Microwaves & RF, an all-digital publication that broadly covers all aspects of wireless communications. More particularly, we're keeping a close eye on technologies in the consumer-oriented 5G, 6G, IoT, M2M, and V2X markets, in which much of the wireless market's growth will occur in this decade and beyond. I work with a great team of editors to provide engineers, developers, and technical managers with interesting and useful articles and videos on a regular basis. Check out our free newsletters to see the latest content.

You can send press releases for new products for possible coverage on the website. I am also interested in receiving contributed articles for publishing on our website. Use our contributor's packet, in which you'll find an article template and lots more useful information on how to properly prepare content for us, and send to me along with a signed release form. 

About me:

In his long career in the B2B electronics-industry media, David Maliniak has held editorial roles as both generalist and specialist. As Components Editor and, later, as Editor in Chief of EE Product News, David gained breadth of experience in covering the industry at large. In serving as EDA/Test and Measurement Technology Editor at Electronic Design, he developed deep insight into those complex areas of technology. Most recently, David worked in technical marketing communications at Teledyne LeCroy, leaving to rejoin the EOEM B2B publishing world in January 2020. David earned a B.A. in journalism at New York University.

Sponsored Recommendations

MMIC Medium-Power Amplifier Covers 6 to 12 GHz

Nov. 11, 2024
Mini-Circuits is a global leader in the design and manufacturing of RF, IF, and microwave components from DC to 86GHz.

RF Amplifier and Filter Testing with Mini-Circuits Power Sensors

Nov. 11, 2024
RF power sensors are essential for accurately measuring RF components like filters and amplifiers, focusing on parameters such as insertion loss and gain. Employing instruments...

High-Frequency Modules to 110 GHz

Nov. 11, 2024
Mini-Circuits’ wide selection of high-frequency modules are designed, assembled and tested in-house by the best talent in the industry at our Deer Park Technology Center. The ...

Defense Technology: From Sea to Space

Oct. 31, 2024
Learn about these advancements in defense technology, including smart sensors, hypersonic weapons, and high-power microwave systems.