The 88W8686 SoC integrates an ARM-compliant CPU, high-speed serial host interfaces, and a dual-band 802.11 a/b/g RF transceiver with full cellular coexistence. It incorporates Marvell's "thick MAC architecture" that offloads the host CPU, resulting in lower power and increased system performance, according to the company. The chip is "fully backward compatible" with Marvell's WLAN software suite for Windows CE and Linux, among other embedded operating systems, Marvell said.
Michael Keller, technology manager for Wireless at Semiconductor Insights, commented: "In fabricating the RF IC and analog circuits alongside the digital ones, Marvell utilized innovative techniques in laying out the RF components. Our lead wireless analyst was quite impressed with the Marvell device, which was selected over other nominees such as Infineon, Qualcomm, and Nordic."
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