Silex Unwired

Optimizing Wi-Fi for Enterprise Applications

Two years ago, the number of consumer mobile devices surpassed the number of people in the world for the first time. The vast majority of these devices are Wi-Fi enabled, making these devices the biggest market for Wi-Fi modules. As a result, large chipset manufacturers such as Broadcom, Intel, and Qualcomm Atheros primarily focus on meeting the needs of consumer product companies such as Apple or Dell.

Silex_Value-Enterprise Wi-Fi

But it’s not just consumer mobile devices that require wireless connectivity. With the rise of the Internet of Things, connected machines, and smart everything, more and more manufacturers are incorporating wireless connectivity into their industrial, medical, and automotive products. Companies designing products for non-consumer applications typically have very different needs from their Wi-Fi module vendor.

Enterprise customers need always-on connectivity. They need enhanced network security and roaming capabilities to easily transition from access point to access point.  And in an environment that requires constant connectivity, exceptional support is necessary to quickly resolve any issues that arise.

Since the majority of Wi-Fi module vendors focus on the consumer market, it is important to carefully evaluate the capabilities of a supplier to ensure its Wi-Fi modules can meet the ever-increasing demands of your sophisticated enterprise network. To ensure you select a supplier that can meet your enterprise Wi-Fi needs for many years to come, here are two key considerations:

Does your Wi-Fi radio provider have staying power?

The Wi-Fi radio chipset is a key component of the Wi-Fi module. It is the heart of the module and will greatly impact the module’s performance and reliability. When selecting a Wi-Fi module, the Wi-Fi chipset provider used by the module developer should be a key consideration.

Does your Wi-Fi module supplier’s have a lasting relationship with the Wi-Fi radio provider?

The ability of a Wi-Fi module supplier to offer a highly reliable solution is largely based on its relationship with the Wi-Fi radio provider, which will impact the level of support that can be provided throughout the entire product lifecycle.

For more than a decade, we have developed our Wi-Fi modules based on Qualcomm Atheros radios. We start with the Qualcomm Atheros technology used in consumer applications and enhance it for use in critical, always-on enterprise devices.

Over the last 10 years, we have forged a close working relationship with Qualcomm Atheros that results in better products and significant benefits to our customers. We have the ability to offer supply chain programs to extend typical Wi-Fi module product lifecycles, can assure continuous supply to our customers, and can offer unmatched support for our products.

As a Qualcomm Atheros Authorized Design Center, we have strong, long-standing relationships with Qualcomm Atheros engineers; unique access to radio firmware source code; and in-depth knowledge of Qualcomm Atheros technology that allows us to consistently delivers superior solutions for applications that Absolutely Must Connect.

Download the white paper Optimizing Wi-Fi for Enterprise Applications: Unprecedented Access to Qualcomm Atheros Enables Unmatched Wi-Fi Reliability to learn more about how Silex Technology and Qualcomm Atheros partnership helps us provide higher reliability and superior support to your enterprise applications.