Broadcom has released two highly integrated SoCs which combine the benefits of 802.11ax with mesh networking, allowing operators to offer a premium, whole home Wi-Fi experience based on the latest generation Wi-Fi 6 technology, announced by the Wi-Fi Alliance. The two platforms enable a variety of high performance “smart repeater” configurations with faster download and upload speeds, high capacity, better coverage, lower latency and enhanced battery life. Both devices were engineered to be highly integrated and power efficient, to allow dual- or tri-band repeaters to fit into compact, wall-plug form factors.

BCM6752

The first platform, the BCM6752, combines a multi-core CPU complex, two ports of Gigabit Ethernet and a two-stream Wi-Fi 6 radio in a compact package. The BCM6752 has an interface to externally connect the BCM43684 four-stream Wi-Fi 6 solution, to build a high performance concurrent dual-band smart repeater.

BCM6755

The second platform, the BCM6755, is the industry’s most integrated repeater solution, according to Broadcom. It combines a multi-core CPU complex, one port of Gigabit Ethernet and two 2&nbspx 2 Wi-Fi 6 radios, enabling ultra-compact wall-plug form factors for “sprinkler head” deployment topologies. The BCM6755 can be combined with the BCM43684 radio for very high performance tri-band repeaters.

The new platforms enable Wi-Fi 6 smart repeater solutions spanning the spectrum of cost, form factor and performance. Broadcom is working with Early Access Partners on extender designs based on the BCM675X portfolio.

SmartMesh Multi-Access Point Management

The BCM6752 and BCM6755 come with Broadcom’s SmartMesh multi-access point management technology, which is also offered on Broadcom’s Wi-Fi 6 enabled cable, DSL and PON broadband gateway platforms. SmartMesh technology offers seamless onboarding and configuration of repeaters, in addition to intelligent channel management and dynamic client steering. Broadband gateway platforms with SmartMesh can be combined with smart repeaters to form an intelligent Wi-Fi 6 mesh network, enabling high speed broadband coverage throughout a home. The software suite also offers an application programming interface to enable third party, cloud based managed Wi-Fi solutions. SmartMesh provides operators the assurance of multi-vendor interoperability, driven by full compliance to the Wi-Fi Alliance EasyMesh industry standard.

“Broadband service providers around the world are offering consumers premium Wi-Fi services based mesh networking technology. With today’s announcement, Broadcom is first to offer broadband service operators a complete portfolio of Wi-Fi 6 solutions, which spans multiple high performance wireless gateway platforms to Wi-Fi 6 range extenders that are optimized for cost and form factor. Broadcom’s eco-system of Wi-Fi 6 home networking products will allow operators to raise the bar on premium Wi-Fi services that provide whole home coverage and faster speeds to the ever increasing number of wireless devices in their subscriber’s homes.” — Greg Fischer, senior vice president and general manager, Broadcom's broadband carrier access group
“Enabling modern services over a high performance and reliable Wi-Fi network throughout the home is a key focus area for Plume. Leveraging Broadcom’s newest extender platforms, Plume will offer multiple configurations of Pods based on Broadcom’s Wi-Fi 6 technology that compliments the 802.11ax broadband gateways we see operators adopting quickly. Combined with the benefits of sophisticated cloud management that is required in the Wi-Fi 6 era, this comprehensive solution with Broadcom allows our customers to upgrade subscriber homes to the latest generation of Wi-Fi technology, resulting in superior experiences over a higher capacity and lower latency Wi-Fi infrastructure.” — Fahri Diner, co-founder and CEO of Plume