Device Form Factors
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## Device Form Factors

Atheros Communications, Ocala FL USA designs and manufactures chipsets that permit network communications over powerline. They do no not manufacture powerline communication products for market. Instead, they provide chipsets, reference designs and expertise needed to build powerline communications products. Atheros does manufacture some sample products, in various form factors, for evaluation purposes only.

Wall Adapters

  A small unit that plugs into any power outlet and has one RJ45 Ethernet jack. The RJ45 jack can be used to connect the unit to another Ethernet device, such as a hub, switch or computer network interface card using CAT5 Ethernet cable. Two or more such units can be used to connect Ethernet devices over the powerline. For example, a computer on one room can be connected to a network printer in another room. See Atheros Product Brief 27003417 - RD6300-ETH HomePlug® AV Wall Adapter Reference Design for more information.

Desktop Adapters

  A compact unit having a 6ft power cord, one threaded coax cable F connector and one RJ45 Ethernet jack. Two such units can be used to connect Ethernet devices over either powerline (as above) or coax cable. Use of coax cable improves performance over longer distances and permits network segments to be isolated from each other. See Atheros Product Brief 27002824 - RD6000-ETH HomePlug® AV Ethernet Hybrid Adapter Reference Design for more information.

PCI Cards

  A standard PCI compliant computer card having one DIN powerline connector and one threaded coax cable F connector. The card can be inserted into a PCI bus slot on a computer, or other device. Atheros provides device drivers that make the card behave like an ordinary Ethernet card. Like the desktop unit (above), computers and embedded systems can be connected either over powerline or coax cable. See Atheros Product Brief 27003239 - EK6000-PCI HomePlug® AV Card Evaluation Kit for more information.

  PCI cards are no longer available from Atheros but reference designs may be obtained from selected Atheros customers that specialize in PCI designs.

Mini-PLC

  A Mini-PCI form factor card that integrates most components needed to embed HomePlug® AV into your product design. Although the card will insert into a Mini-PCI slot, it is not electrically compatible with the Mini-PCI standard. Atheros uses this card in both the RD6000-ETH Desktop Adaptor and the EK6000-PCI Card described above. See Atheros Product Brief 27002835 - RD6000-PLC HomePlug® AV Mini-PLC Module Reference Design for more information.

  Unlike Wall and Desktop Adapters, the Mini-PLC Cards require a device driver written for the particular operating system used. Atheros provides a device drivers for the Windows XP Operating System and for the Linux 2.4 and Linux 2.6 kernel. These drivers make the PCI card look like an ordinary Ethernet interface card.

  Mini-PLC cards are no longer available from Atheros but cards may be obtained from selected Atheros customers that specialize in PCI designs.

Embedded Systems

  Atheros offers an expanding family of reference designs for powerline-enabled switches and routers. Most include onboard CPU and enablement software based on Linux, OpenWRT and other suitable operating systems. Atheros will assist customers in adapting the basic hardware and software to suite particular markets.

Chipsets

  Atheros offers an expanding family of Powerline enabled chipsets. Several SoC chipsets are also planned to support a variety of communications applications.

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