Block Diagram (SBD) - Wireless LAN Card

Design Considerations
Selection and Solution Guides
Tools and Software

Product Bulletin & White Papers
News Releases & Authored Articles
Similar End-Equipment Solutions

Application Notes
Reference Designs
Support & Community

Block Diagram

Click on the colored blocks to view or sample recommended solutions

Design Considerations

WLAN Card

The WLAN Card is used with a personal computer to access a Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), which can extend or replace traditional wired computer networks by transmitting and receiving data radio waves using Spread-Spectrum Technology (SST).

There are four main standards for WLANs: 802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g. The last 3 standards operate in the same environment without causing interference with each other. The 802.11b is the dominant standard with 11-Mbps rates in the 2.4HGz band. The 802.11a is capable of reaching 54-Mbps rates in the 5GHz band. The 802.11g standard also has 54-Mbps but is compatible with 802.11b. The 802.11b technology implements the Digital Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) modulation. The 802.11a/g implements the Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) modulation.

Core Subsystem include:

RF/IF Front End
- filters/amplifies RF signal and performs RF-to-IF conversion to generate I and Q data for ADC and DAC.
Baseband Processor of Physical Layer (PHY)
- modulates and demodulates I and Q data and performs carrier sensing, transmission and receiving frames.
Medium Access Controller (MAC)
- controls the communication (access) between client and applications.
Power Conversion
- receives power supply via the host interface.