Conexant aims HomePlug chip set at router designs

Conexant aims HomePlug chip set at router designs
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — As others focus on developing wall-adapter solutions, Conexant Systems Inc. this week is introducing a HomePlug chip set aimed at router designs. Conexant said it plans to use the chip set in a router set for release in a few weeks that meets CableLabs' CableHome specification.

The two-piece chip set complies with the 1.0 specification of the HomePlug Powerline Alliance and includes the CX82100 home-network processor and the CX11656 HomePlug transceiver. An external analog front-end IC is also required. The CX82100 processor is at the heart of many of Conexant's broadband solutions. It's home to the HomePlug stack as well as other networking stacks like Point-to-Point Protocol, PPP over Ethernet and network address translation. The CX11656 transceiver works with an analog front-end IC developed by Analog Devices Inc. to handle physical-layer tasks in the HomePlug design. In its current state, the CX11656 is relegated to handling digital functions, said Peter Kempf, vice president of business development at Conexant. In future designs, he said, the company plans to combine the analog and digital transceiver functionality in a single piece of silicon.

Initially, Conexant said, the chip set will be employed standalone in HomePlug router solutions. Over time, however, Kempf expects the chip set to find a home in integrated router boxes, like the products developed by Linksys Group Inc.

To promote the integration strategy, Conexant has developed a HomePlug media-independent interface (MII) board that plugs into the development board for its CX82100 home-network processor. Through this development board, designers can start experimenting with HomePlug in their cable modem and DSL designs, said Kempf. As demand increases, he added, Conexant would likely roll out a router reference platform that integrates HomePlug with cable modem or DSL technologies, or both.

It might not be long before an integrated platform from Conexant hits the streets. Kempf said that Conexant is preparing to launch a CableHome router, developed to support CableLabs' emerging CableHome spec for controlling network address translation in home networks. This router platform will likely include the HomePlug chip set, he said.

The CX82100 processor is packaged in a 196-pin ChipArray ball-grid array, while the CX11656 is supplied in a 144-pin low-profile quad flat pack. The combined chip set, which is supplied with a reference design, is priced at $18 in quantities of 25,000.