Ethertronics announced the EC714 Wi-Fi Active Steering™ front-end module (FEM), which the company says provides a “breakthrough” 5 GHz Wi-Fi FEM for 802.11ac/ax devices. Ethertronics says the EC714 is the first 802.11ax Wi-Fi FEM with integrated active antenna technology, providing robust Wi-Fi performance and linearity for 802.11ac/ax applications. Combined with Ethertronics’ patented Active Steering antenna technology, the system delivers double performance and coverage benefits in a flexible, cost-optimized solution.

The EC714 is the evolution of Ethertronics’ RF front-end and active antenna portfolio and the first product combining high performance Wi-Fi FEM functionality and active antenna support in a single integrated solution. The unique, combined capabilities of the EC714 are ideal for space-constrained Wi-Fi applications, supporting 802.11ac/ax-class performance in challenging radio conditions.

Ethertronics is sampling the EC714 Wi-Fi Active Steering FEM to lead customers and early access partners, with broad availability planned for Q3 2018.

Unique Architecture

The EC714 Wi-Fi Active Steering FEM is based on a CMOS architecture that integrates an 802.11ax-class Wi-Fi FEM design and an advanced Active Steering engine into a single ASIC. This unique system architecture enables the EC714 to provide the RF performance and linearity required for next-generation 802.11ac/ax applications.

The Active Steering FEM supports the complete set of RF performance requirements for 802.11ac/ax, including 160 MHz channel bandwidth at MCS11 in the 5 GHz frequency bands. Combined with Ethertronics' Active Antenna solutions, the EC714 provides a complete RF front-end system for a range of Wi-Fi applications, including clients, mesh networking and range extenders.

 EC714 5 GHz Wi-Fi FEM Features

  • +18.5 dBm power output for high performance 802.11ac applications (MCS9 80 MHz channel bandwidth)
  • Advanced CMOS architecture to meet the performance and linearity requirements of next generation 802.11ax devices
  • MCS11 160 MHz channel bandwidth for high-performance 802.11ax applications
  • Integrated Active Steering technology for up to 3 dB radio link margin gain with Ethertronics' Active Antenna solutions

“Ethertronics Active Steering system solutions are designed from the ground-up to enable operators and OEMs deliver consistent Wi-Fi throughput, capacity and coverage throughout the home and enterprise. With the launch of the Ethertronics’ EC714, we are delivering the benefits of a high performance Wi-Fi FEM architecture designed to work synergistically with active antenna systems, in order to meet the stringent demands of next-generation 802.11ax services.” — Laurent Desclos, VP and general manager, AVX-Ethertronics Antenna Solutions Group