[ath9k-devel] Proposed 3x3 Dual band chipsets

[ath9k-devel] Proposed 3x3 Dual band chipsets

[Stratos Keranidis]

Hello,

I am about to order some new cards for testing capabilities of ath9k.

Currently I have cards with the AR5008, AR5418 chipset, which does not
support 3x3 MIMO.

I looked in the list of ath9k-supported chipsets to find cards that
support 3x3 MIMO and I have concluded in the following options:

AR5008:
AR5418+AR5133 (>= 2.6.27) AR5418 = DB 11n PCIe, AR5133 = 3x3 DB 11n
AR5416+AR2133 (>= 2.6.27) AR2133 = 3x3 SB 11n

AR9001:
AR9103 (>= 2.6.30, AHB) 3x3 SB 11n

AR9003:
AR9380 (>= 2.6.36) 3x3 DB 11n PCIe

My AR5418 card supports Dual Band operation, but I am not able to set
5GHz channels in my regulatory domain (GR).
As I am interested in buying Dual-band compatible chipsets only,
my options are limited between the AR5008:AR5133 and the AR9003:AR9380 chipsets.

Can you propose any of these, or any other chipset that might fit my needs?

Thank you in advance,
Stratos.

[ath9k-devel] Proposed 3x3 Dual band chipsets

[Ben Greear]

On 05/30/2012 10:57 AM, Stratos Keranidis wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I am about to order some new cards for testing capabilities of ath9k.
>
> Currently I have cards with the AR5008, AR5418 chipset, which does not
> support 3x3 MIMO.
>
> I looked in the list of ath9k-supported chipsets to find cards that
> support 3x3 MIMO and I have concluded in the following options:
>
> AR5008:
> AR5418+AR5133 (>= 2.6.27) AR5418 = DB 11n PCIe, AR5133 = 3x3 DB 11n
> AR5416+AR2133 (>= 2.6.27) AR2133 = 3x3 SB 11n
>
> AR9001:
> AR9103 (>= 2.6.30, AHB) 3x3 SB 11n
>
> AR9003:
> AR9380 (>= 2.6.36) 3x3 DB 11n PCIe
>
> My AR5418 card supports Dual Band operation, but I am not able to set
> 5GHz channels in my regulatory domain (GR).
> As I am interested in buying Dual-band compatible chipsets only,
> my options are limited between the AR5008:AR5133 and the AR9003:AR9380 chipsets.

I've had good luck with the AR9380.  Specifically, I'm using WPEA-127N NICs
currently.  I just ordered some AR9390 NICs for testing, but no idea how
they will turn out.

Thanks,
Ben

-- 
Ben Greear <greearb@candelatech.com>
Candela Technologies Inc  http://www.candelatech.com

[ath9k-devel] Proposed 3x3 Dual band chipsets

[Adrian Chadd]

Hi,

AR5416/AR5418, AR9130, AR9160 - 3 antenna, 3 chain, two stream
devices. They're 2T2R stream, so only up to MCS15.

You need to use AR93xx or later NICs with 3 antenna, 3 stream support.
(Not all of them are 3 stream devices however.)

Ben has experience with three stream devices. He's a good starting point. :)


Adrian

[ath9k-devel] Proposed 3x3 Dual band chipsets

[Galen]

On May 30, 2012, at 10:57 AM, Stratos Keranidis wrote:

> Hello,
> 
> I am about to order some new cards for testing capabilities of ath9k.
> 
> Currently I have cards with the AR5008, AR5418 chipset, which does not
> support 3x3 MIMO.
> 
> I looked in the list of ath9k-supported chipsets to find cards that
> support 3x3 MIMO and I have concluded in the following options:
> 
> AR5008:
> AR5418+AR5133 (>= 2.6.27) AR5418 = DB 11n PCIe, AR5133 = 3x3 DB 11n
> AR5416+AR2133 (>= 2.6.27) AR2133 = 3x3 SB 11n
> 
> AR9001:
> AR9103 (>= 2.6.30, AHB) 3x3 SB 11n
> 
> AR9003:
> AR9380 (>= 2.6.36) 3x3 DB 11n PCIe
> 
> My AR5418 card supports Dual Band operation, but I am not able to set
> 5GHz channels in my regulatory domain (GR).
> As I am interested in buying Dual-band compatible chipsets only,
> my options are limited between the AR5008:AR5133 and the AR9003:AR9380 chipsets.
> 
> Can you propose any of these, or any other chipset that might fit my needs?
> 
> Thank you in advance,
> Stratos

This may be helpful reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/802.11n#Number_of_antennas

You want to go with a AR9003, probably AR9380. It supports true 3x3:3 configurations. This means it has the ability to transmit on 3 antennas at once, or receive on 3 antennas at once. It can also handle 3 spatial streams, meaning you can get up to 450 megabits per second with 40 MHz channels. It also features superior DSP to better process the MIMO signals and beamforming to "aim" the signal.

The AR9001 family of chipsets are much more limited. They cannot handle 3 spatial streams, so you cannot get more than 300 megabits. I am not sure about the "3x3" capabilities on the AR9103 but I know they are much inferior to the AR9003 family. I am not even sure if they are really processing the signal with DSP or if they are just "switching" between antennas intelligently. In any case, the AR9003 has immense improvements on every front as compared to AR9001.

The AR5008 family is best avoided if you are buying a new card. I believe they do not consider this card fully supported in ath9k. It does work. I think there may still be some bugs left. I believe the 3x3 is really just 2 transmitting that switches between antennas intelligently. 

As for the AR9380, it is a single-chip solution. Amplifier, everything on a single chip. As a result, there will be vastly less variation from brand to brand. I would just look for a cheap one on eBay. They are <$30 on eBay. The SparkLAN products are also solid, but may be more expensive. I have not evaluated sufficiently to see if there is any benefit. 

As for the regulatory stuff - search the list and also check with OpenWRT. There are many ways to make the radio function on whatever channel you wish.

-Galen