wifi 7

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments on Qualcomm Snapdragon X octa-core Arm SoC to power $600+ mainstream AI PCs with Copilot+ support

Qualcomm Snapdragon X octa-core Arm SoC to power $600+ mainstream AI PCs with Copilot+ support

Qualcomm Snapragon X highlights

Qualcomm has unveiled the Snapdragon X octa-core Arm SoC at CES 2025 designed for mainstream AI PCs with Copilot+, which should start at $600 and up. This follows the announcements of the high-end 4.3GHz Snapdragon X Elite 12-core SoC in 2023, and the Snapdragon X Plus 10-/8-core processors last year, and should make AI PCs affordable to a wider range of consumers. The new Snapdragon X is clocked at up to 3.0 GHz, still features a 45 TOPS Hexagon NPU, supports NVMe storage, up to 64GB LPDDR5,  up to 2560 x 1440 built-in displays, up to three external displays at 4Kp60, and a single camera up to 36MP resolution. Systems based on the new octa-core processor can support WiFi 7, WiFi 6E, and/or 5G LTE connectivity. Qualcomm Snapdragon X (X1-26-100) specifications: CPU – Octa-core 64-bit Armv8 Oryon processor clocked at up to 3.0 GHz (2976 MHz) with 30MB cache GPU […]

Posted on by Sponsored Post - No Comments on Compex Systems expands its dual-band Wi-Fi 7 lineup with new M.2 variants (Sponsored)

Compex Systems expands its dual-band Wi-Fi 7 lineup with new M.2 variants (Sponsored)

Compex WiFi 7 Dual Band Dual Concurrent Modules

Compex Systems (Compex) is set to take wireless connectivity to the next level with the latest expansion of its popular dual-band Wi-Fi 7 module lineup. Introducing the new M.2 variants, including WLTB7002E25 with an M.2 B+M Key and the WLTE7002E25 with an M.2 E Key, these additions complement the Compex’s existing WLE7002E25, which features the popular standard mini PCIe form factor. Together, these Wi-Fi 7 modules offer comprehensive solutions with enhanced performance, flexibility, and compatibility — all at competitive Wi-Fi 6 prices. Powered by Qualcomm’s QCN6224, QCN6274 and QCN9274 Waikiki series radio chipsets, the WLE/WLTE/WLTB7002E25 are dual-band concurrent 2.4+5GHz Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) modules, offering wider signal coverage by transmitting both bands concurrently, reducing latency with Multi-Link Operation (MLO) support, featuring OFDMA and 4096 QAMs. Delivering up to 20dBm per chain, these 2×2 MU-MIMO models are ideal for enterprise, industrial, cybersecurity, transportation, and SMB applications. “Our expanded Wi-Fi 7 module lineup […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments on WiFi 7 access point and client M.2 modules are cheaper than I thought

WiFi 7 access point and client M.2 modules are cheaper than I thought

WiFi 7 M.2 modules

We have already seen WiFi 7 mini PCIe and M.2 modules from Compex for business customers, but I’ve recently noticed AsiaRF AW7991-AE2 M.2 module rated BE5000 offers an affordable alternative design for access points for just $58 plus shipping. But adding WiFi 7 to a consumer device can be cheaper than I expected as Intel BE200 or MediaTek MT7925-based M.2 modules can be purchased for around $20 to $30. Let’s have a look at some of the options available. AsiaRF AW7991-AE2 dual-band WiFi 7 “access point” M.2 module AsiaRF AW7991-AE2 specifications: SoC – MediaTek MT7991AV (Filogic 660?) with 32bit RISC-V MCU for Wi-Fi protocol and Wi-Fi offload Chipset – MT7976C WiFI 6 3×3 MIMO chipset System Memory –  8MB WLAN IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be compliant Frequency bands 2.4GHz – Bandwidth: 20/40MHz; 2T2R 2ss 5GHz – Bandwidth:20/40/80/160MHz; T3R 3ss Dual-Band Dual Concurrent (DBDC) Supports up to 4096-QAM Data rate of up to 688Mbps […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 55 Comments on Radxa Orion O6 mini-ITX motherboard is powered by Cix P1 12-core Armv9 SoC with a 30 TOPS AI accelerator

Radxa Orion O6 mini-ITX motherboard is powered by Cix P1 12-core Armv9 SoC with a 30 TOPS AI accelerator

Radxa Orion 06 Armv9 mini ITX motherboard

Radxa Orion O6 is an Arm mini-ITX motherboard with performance similar to Apple M1 and Qualcomm 8cs Gen3 platform thanks to the Cix P1 12-core Armv9 processor with four Cortex-A720 cores clocked at 2.8 GHz, four Cortex-A720 cores at 2.4GHz, and four low-power Cortex-A520 cores clocked at 1.8 GHz. The Cix P1 SoC also features an Arm Immortalis-G720 GPU for graphics and AI computing, a 30 TOPS AI accelerator for a combined 45 TOPS of AI inference performance, an 8Kp60 video decoder, and an 8Kp30 video encoder. The Orion O6 SBC ships with up to 64GB LPDDR5, features a 4Kp60 HDMI 2.0 port, a 4Kp120 DP 1.4 connector, two 5Gbps Ethernet ports, M.2 socket for storage and wireless, a PCIe x16 slot, and more. Radxa Orion O6 specifications: SoC – Cix P1 (Codename: CD8180, not the CP8180 variant for AI PCs) 12-core DynamIQ processor 4x Cortex‑A720 big cores @ up […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on GEEKOM GT1 Mega review with Ubuntu 24.10 – Part 3: Linux on an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H “Meteor Lake” mini PC

GEEKOM GT1 Mega review with Ubuntu 24.10 – Part 3: Linux on an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H “Meteor Lake” mini PC

GEEKOM GT1 Mega Ubuntu 24.10 Linux review

We’ve already had a look at GEEKOM GT1 Mega’s hardware with an unboxing and a teardown before following up with a thorough review of the Intel Core 9 Ultra 185H mini PC with Windows 11 Pro. After being interrupted by some Raspberry Pi reviews, I finally had the time to test the GEEKOM GT1 Mega with Ubuntu 24.10 to check out how well (or not) it works with a recent Linux distribution. I’ve tested the features of the Meteor Lake mini PC in Linux, ran some benchmarks, evaluated storage and network performance, played 4K and 8K videos on YouTube at various frame rates, went through a stress test to check its thermal design, and finally measured the mini PC’s fan noise and power consumption. Ubuntu 24.10 installation I would usually review mini PCs with the latest Ubuntu LTS version which would currently be Ubuntu 24.04.1. However, since the Intel Core […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments on Wi-Fi 8 (802.11bn) to focus on reliability and efficiency while maintaining Wi-Fi 7 performance

Wi-Fi 8 (802.11bn) to focus on reliability and efficiency while maintaining Wi-Fi 7 performance

WiFi 4 vs WiFi 5 vs WiFi 6 vs WiFi 7 vs WiFi 8

Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) routers and modules have only been launched recently, but engineers are already working on Wi-Fi 8 (802.11bn) “Ultra High Reliability (UHR)”, and MediaTek shared some details in a whitepaper detailing some of the improvements of the new standard for its upcoming Filogic Wi-Fi 8 SoCs. Surprisingly, there aren’t any enhancements to the maximum performance with Wi-Fi 8 still offering up to 320 MHz channel bandwidth, 23 Gbps maximum PHY rate, and support for 2.4 GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz frequency bands, as well as up to 8 spatial streams. The Wi-Fi 8 improvements are all meant to improve Wi-Fi reliability, network efficiency, and power consumption in IoT use cases, which will end up improving the overall WLAN performance when many nodes are connected. Wi-Fi 8 new features: Coordinated Target Wait Time (TWT) allows low-power IoT devices to negotiate specific times for transmission with access points in order to […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on GEEKOM GT1 Mega Review – Part 2: An Intel Core Ultra 9 185H Meteor Lake “AI” mini PC tested with Windows 11 Pro

GEEKOM GT1 Mega Review – Part 2: An Intel Core Ultra 9 185H Meteor Lake “AI” mini PC tested with Windows 11 Pro

GEEKOM GT1 Mega Windows 11 Pro Review

I’ve already gone through the specifications, an unboxing, and a teardown of the GEEKOM GT1 Mega AI mini PC powered by an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H “Meteor Lake” processor with 32GB DDR5 RAM and a 2TB M.2 NVMe SSD in the first part of the review. I’ve now had more time to play with the GEEKOM GT1 Mega, so I will report my experience with Windows 11 Pro operating system in the second part of the review testing features, running benchmarks including an AI benchmark, evaluating networking and storage performance, testing the thermal design while under stress, and taking measurements for fan noise and power consumption. Software overview and features testing Going to the System->About window in the Settings confirms we have a GT1-Mega mini PC powered by a 2.50 GHz (base frequency) Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor with 32GB of RAM running Windows 11 Pro 23H2 build […]

Posted on by Sponsored Post - No Comments on Compex Systems Unveils Wi-Fi 7 Modules with Smart Connectors, Enabling Seamless Multi-Link Operation (MLO) Integration on Conventional CPU Platforms (Sponsored)

Compex Systems Unveils Wi-Fi 7 Modules with Smart Connectors, Enabling Seamless Multi-Link Operation (MLO) Integration on Conventional CPU Platforms (Sponsored)

WiFi 7 MLO multi link operation

Compex Systems (Compex), a global leader in wireless communication technology, is taking Wi-Fi 7 to new heights with an innovative connector design for Multi-Link Operation (MLO). This breakthrough enables seamless deployment of MLO across off-the-shelf platforms, including those with Intel x86 and ARM processors (e.g. NXP and Marvell), eliminating the need for custom-made host boards and unlocking the full potential of Wi-Fi 7 features for a wider range of users and applications. Multi-Link Operation (MLO) is a key performance advantage of Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), setting it apart by allowing the routing and aggregation of throughput across multiple radio links in different frequency bands. It enables data to be routed through the least congested links, improving overall latency and reliability. MLO can also aggregate bandwidths from more than one wireless link, enhancing throughput and network performance. It is ideal for bandwidth-intensive and real-time applications such as 4K/8K video streaming, cloud gaming, […]

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