Alereon Intros 480-Mbit/s Eval Kit 608992

AUSTIN, Texas -- Alereon, a leading fabless semiconductor company developing wireless solutions for the Ultrawideband (UWB) and Wireless USB (W-USB) markets, today announced availability of the AL4000-EVK Evaluation Kit. The AL4000-EVK is a sophisticated UWB hardware and software environment for developing and testing real world UWB applications. The AL4000-EVK is based on the Alereon AL4000 series UWB chipset, which operates at speeds from 55Mbps to 480Mbps; nearly 5 times faster than any other UWB personal area network (PAN) chipset.

   The compact AL4000-EVK is designed to provide the flexibility to develop prototype applications for any kind of UWB or W-USB enabled consumer electronics equipment. The MBOA compatible AL4000-EVK combines Alereon's AL43000-EVB MAC and AL4400-EVB PHY evaluation boards with a PC motherboard in a compact 8" enclosure. The AL4000-EVK also incorporates multiple USB, IEEE 1394 (Firewire), Ethernet, video, audio and serial ports and includes a DVD drive, thereby creating the industry's only complete platform for prototyping or developing PC or consumer electronic-based applications. Initial systems will come with Microsoft's XP operating system, with both Windriver's VxWorks and Linux installations available. The AL4000-EVK is unique in its ability to build and demonstrate advanced PANs that enable sophisticated applications.

   Alereon's AL4300-EVB MAC evaluation board is at the heart of the new test platform. The PCI-based MAC provides an option slot for an MBOA compatible PHY module based on Alereon's high performance transceiver and advanced 0.13micron mixed-signal CMOS baseband processor.

   "We are very pleased with the rapid progress of our technology development, including the world's first demonstration of UWB connections at 480 Mbps," said Eric Broockman, chief executive officer of Alereon. "The introduction of the AL4000-EVK is yet another important milestone in the company's growth, as partners and customers increasingly look to Alereon for leading MBOA-compliant UWB solutions."

Alereon Inc.