Quantenna launches QSR10GU-AX Plus 802.11ax chipset - 8x8 MIMO and increased range

We're a few days late with this news-release, but AX is a next big thing for WIFI and Quantenna renewed their QSR10GU-AX chipset. The QSR10GU-AX Plus simultaneously supports 8x8 MiMo in the 5GHz WIFI band and 4x4 MiMo in the 2.4GHz band. Devices that do not yet support 802.11ax also perform better thanks what's called SuperTx.

Quantenna announced that the QSR10GU-AX Plus, a new enhanced solution targeting gateways and access points based on the draft IEEE 802.11ax standard, is now sampling to select customers. Building upon Quantenna's pioneering QSR10G-AX Wi-Fi platform, QSR10GU-AX Plus offers unique capabilities, including Adaptive 5 GHz, SuperTx and ESP, providing significant performance gains across a variety of home configurations. The QSR10GU-AX Plus can operate concurrently in both 8x8 MIMO in the 5 GHz band and 4x4 MIMO in the 2.4 GHz band supporting a total of 12 streams.

Unique features of QSR10GU-AX Plus include:

• Dynamic switching between 8x8 MIMO and dual 4x4 MIMO in the 5 GHz band by applying adaptive algorithms, enabled by Quantenna’s unique baseband and RF architecture design. This provides the end users with the best possible MIMO configuration, tailored to each individual environment.
• Enhanced radar detection and spectrum analyzer capabilities with wider frequency range analysis.
• Up to 2x performance gain for non-802.11ax legacy client devices through SuperTx, which allows for multiplexing two non-802.11ax devices.
• ESP algorithm to enhance beamforming and MU-MIMO performance to legacy devices.

Furthermore, RF enhancements result in up to 3dB extended range, better performance and a reduced bill-of-material cost.

QSR10GU-AX Plus is pin-to-pin and software compatible with both QSR10G and QSR10G-AX enabling fast drop in transitions for QSR10G customers with no design changes needed to existing products.

“With the QSR10GU-AX Plus, Quantenna once again leads the market with a highly differentiated product that showcases our rich history of innovation enabling solutions that address our customers’ future needs,” said Dr. Sam Heidari, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Quantenna.

“802.11ax addresses the major challenges brought about by rapid Wi-Fi-enabled device growth, increased per-user traffic demands, and more congested networks,” said Andrew Zignani, Senior Analyst at ABI Research. “Quantenna’s latest ready solution adds to a vibrant ecosystem of 802.11ax chipsets designed to expand capacity, extend coverage, and enhance the overall user experience, particularly in crowded environments. ABI Research expects 802.11ax to account for nearly 30% of Wi-Fi chipset shipments by 2022.”