Metalink’s WLANPlus solution for wireless multimedia is specifically tailored to meet the strict multimedia performance and reliability requirements for the home environment. Designed to enable high throughput and rich content for quality critical applications used by multimedia devices, WLANPlus connects between everyday multimedia devices anywhere in the home without adding new wires.

The technology is compliant with the emerging 802.11n standard as well as with legacy 802.11a/b/g devices and 802.11h (radar detection), 802.11i (security) and 802.11e Quality of Service (QoS). Applying sophisticated QoS mechanisms such as Enhanced Distribution Channel Access (EDCA) with Admission Control and Fast Link Adaptation (FLA), it enables wired-like quality bundled with the unbeatable convenience and flexibility offered by wireless connectivity. Direct Link Setup (DLS) cuts by 50 percent the amount of airtime used for QoS operations, while significantly increasing network efficiency.

WLANPlus is an optimal high throughput wireless interface for consumer electronics products, including DTV, HDTV, set-top boxes, media adapters, digital video recorders, portable display appliances and game consoles. WLANPlus supports multiple HDTV streams over robust and reliable wireless links, providing seamless connections between the video source (live or stored) and the display device.  

Key Advantages:

· Superior Performance

   - Superior MIMO detector - Metalink's MIMO detector’s (slicer) 
     gain over traditional decoding can be as high as 5dBs, which  
     is equivalent to ~40% improvement in range, approximately
     doubling the coverage area.

   - Advanced FEC (Forward Error Correction) scheme - 
     WLANPlus offers the use of LDPC (Low Density Parity Check) 
     as an optional FEC scheme, resulting in the addition of up to 
     3dB of SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio), which can be used to 
     transmit over greater distances and/or at higher bit rates. 
     This means that the range is effectively extended by 30% or 
     that it offers a 30% increase in speed over the range offered 
     by comparable products without such a feature.

   - Optimized solution for video applications - Metalink is the 
      best solution for contemporary latency-critical application 
      such as IPTV and gaming, which require UDP packets. Quality
      video transfer requires minimal delay, constant throughput 
      and, most importantly, zero packet loss (because in UDP, a
      lost packet cannot be restored).
      Metalink’s solution is the optimal solution for wireless video
      applications because it is capable of UDP transfers with zero 
      PER and minimal delay and at a constant throughput.

   - Low interference 5GHz band support - In addition to 
     superior performance in the 2.4GHz band, Metalink is a 
     pioneer and leader in 5GHz band. Through special RF design, 
     WLANPlus provides the best 5GHz band support in the
     market. It does not interfere with microwave ovens, baby
     monitors, cordless phones, Bluetooth devices or 11b/g
     networks. In contrast to 2.4GHz band’s 3 channels, it doubles
     the throughput via channel bonding using 2 out of the more
     than 20 channels available. WLANPlus is compliant with CE
     certification.

   - Dynamic Link Setup (DLS) - DLS saves on airtime, increases 
      network efficiency, and is well suited for home environment
      architectures, where every CE device should be able to
      communicate with any other CE in the household. This
      technology allows a data stream to be sent from one station
      to another without going through an access point, which
      would require doubling the bandwidth.

· Superior Quality of Service

   - EDCA plus Admission Control - WLANPlus offers a bandwidth 
     guarantee by supporting EDCA with optional Admission 
     Control (AC).

   - Fast Link Adaptation (FLA) - WLANPlus provides a dynamic
     QoS mechanism that adapts the bit rate based on actual
     packet-error rates. This feature ensures that the CE device’s
     connection rate adapts rapidly and dynamically to
     environmental shifts and changing Access Point distances.

· Superior Architecture

   - Integrated MAC - WLANPlus includes full implementation of
     an integrated MAC, dramatically reducing the required
     processing power and memory allocation from the application
     host processor. This simplifies integration with consumer
     electronics devices and reduces total product costs.

   - 2 x 3 MIMO – optimized cost/performance 2 x 3 MIMO 
     architecture consisting of two chips supporting the dual band
     operation. Spatial diversity gain between a 2 x 2 MIMO
     configuration and a 2 x 3 MIMO configuration is 4 to 5dB,
     resulting in an increased 30% reach for home environments
     equivalent to an increase of ~80% in coverage area.