ROHM has recently developed the industry's first baseband LSI for wireless LAN use with a built in IEEE802.1X protocol that enables high-level encryption authentication processing for integrated applications. Conventional LAN systems divide security and authentication processing between the host CPU and baseband LSI. This not only increases the load on the CPU, but requires additional software development time. ROHM's BU1802GU and BU1803GU utilize ARM7TDMI ^®*1 for high speed processing, are compatible with the IEEE802.11a/b/g and secure engine IEEE802.11i standards, and incorporate a media controller and multiple encryption protocols. As a result, the load on the host CPU is greatly reduced. ROHM has incorporated the IEEE802.1X protocol ? an industry first ? enabling high security connection to an authentication server (RADIUS) that ports the protocol to the host CPU. This cuts development time by 90%, since the CPU only exchanges data with and sets the addresses in the baseband LSI.

ROHM's LSIs can also be used to design a common board for station and access point applications by simply replacing the firmware from an externally connected flash ROM or through the host CPU. The BU1802GU and BU1803GU are compatible with the SDIO (9 lines) and SPI (8 lines) interfaces, respectively, significantly reducing the number of lines required compared with conventional PCI parallel interfaces, which use 68 lines, while simplifying board design.

Sample shipments began in August (sample price: 42 US$), with mass production scheduled for January 2008.

· Features of the BU1802GU and BU1803GU

1. Enables IEEE802.11 a/b/g communications at 54Mbps (max) with low energy consumption.
2. Compatible with the IEEE802.1X protocol (in access point mode).
3. IEEE802.11i-compliant secure engine supports various encryption protocols (i.e. 64-bit, 128-bit, WEP, TKIP, AES).
4. Integrated ARM7TMDI^® processor
5. SDIO (BU1802GU) or SPI (BU1803GU) host interface standard
6. Device drivers for various OS types are available (porting support for Windows Mobile^® Version 5.0^*2, Linux^®*3, μITORN, other custom OS types, and systems without an OS).
7. VBGA195T080 package (8mm × 8mm × 1.2mm max).

*1 : ARM7TDMI^® is a registered trademark of ARM Limited in the UK and other countries.
*2 : Windows Mobile^® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the US and other countries.
*3 : Linux^® is a registered trademark of Linux Torvalds in the US and other countries.

· Glossary

• IEEE802.1X
  A LAN standard established by the 802 Committee of the IEEE (the US' Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.), it includes authentication, dynamic key generation, and distribution on wireless LANs. Also used for conducting port access control on wired LANs using the RADIUS protocol.
• Protocol
  A collection of mutually agreed rules for conducting communication between two devices through a network. Also referred to as a communication procedure or a communication convention.
• Wireless LAN
  A LAN in which data is communicated wirelessly. It frequently indicates a network configured using IEEE802.11-compliant devices. A wireless LAN card is needed for each terminal and communication may be conducted through a relay device called an "access point" (infrastructure communication) or may be preformed directly between LAN cards (ad-hoc communication).
• Baseband LSI
  Refers to an LSI that performs modulation and demodulation of communication and information signals.
• SDIO
  An interface standard that uses an SD card slot for added functionality in PCs, PDAs, and other handheld devices. It is frequently adopted for PDAs with smaller chassis than notebook computers since cards and slots smaller than PC cards can be used.
• SPI
  A 4-line interface standard developed by Motorola that conducts reading and writing through serial transfer using fewer signal lines. Used primarily for flash memory, among others.
• IEEE802.11a/b/g and IEEE802.11i
  Standards relating to wireless communication and security established by the 802 Committee responsible for LAN protocols for the IEEE.

  Wireless LAN Standard	IEEE802. 11a	IEEE802. 11b	IEEE802. 11g
  Transmission Frequency	5.2GHz band	2.4GHz band	2.4GHz band
  Data Transfer Rate (Mbps)	6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54	1, 2, 5.5, 11	6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54
  Carrier Modulation- Demodulation Method	OFDM	DSSS, CCK	OFDM, DSSS-OFDM
  Data Modulation- Demodulation Method	BPSK, QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM	DBPSK, DQPSK	BPSK, QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM

  
  IEEE 802.11i is a wireless LAN security standard that provides for authentication methods, encryption methods, and the handling of encryption keys.
• ARM7TDMI^®
  The name for a RISC processor designed by ARM Limited, it features an easy to use instruction set, simple circuit configuration, and comparatively high speed communication rate. The circuit scale is small, resulting in low energy consumption. Often used as an integrated processor.
• RADIUS
  A user authentication method developed by Lucent Technologies for dial-up connections. It allows or denies access based on a database that stores user information, transmits the allocated IP address to an access server, and collects accounting information.
• Firmware
  Firmware is software stored in non-volatile memory for the purpose of device control. Firmware upgrades are being increasingly distributed through the Internet.
• PCI
  A bus standard that connects the various internal parts of a personal computer. Established primarily for Intel, the initial PCI standard had a bus width of 32 bits (the amount of data that can be sent at one time) and an operating frequency of 33MHz. The maximum data transfer rate was 133MB/s. The latest standard has a bus width of 64 bits, an operating frequency of 66MHz, and a maximum data transfer rate of 533MB/s.