GTA04 hardware suggestion and discussions : 802.11n dual-band+Bluetooth+FM transceiver (Broadcom BCM4329)

Glenn glenn.mh.dk at gmail.com
Sat Feb 5 08:46:56 CET 2011


Another hardware suggestion for GTA04Ax:

This chip could be a candidate for dual-band wi-fi (2,4 and 5,4GHz), 
Bluetooth and FM transceiver:

Broadcom BCM4329:
http://www.broadcom.com/products/Bluetooth/Bluetooth-RF-Silicon-and-Software-Solutions/BCM4329
Quote: "...
The BCM4329 also utilizes advanced design techniques and process 
technologies to reduce active and idle power consumption and extend 
battery life.
...
# Broadcom's most integrated 65 nm single-chip combo device with 
single-band (2.4 GHz) 802.11b/g/n or dual-band (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) 
802.11a/b/g/n, plus Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and FM receiver and 
transmitter features
...
# Full featured, on-chip Power Management Unit supporting direct 
battery (2.3V to 5.5V) connection
..."


Broadcom - VoIP Android Tablet Support:
http://www.thesearethedroids.com/2010/02/09/broadcom-voip-android-tablet-support/
Quote: "...
As part of the Mobile World Congress demonstrations next week, 
Broadcom is also showcasing Android support across a range of other 
solutions including:
...
Multi-chip Android support in a consumer multimedia tablet device 
based on the BCM11211 VoIP processor and leverages the BCM1181 for 
multimedia processing, the BCM4329 for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and the 
BCM4750 for GPS.
..."


Search:
http://www.google.dk/search?q=linux+BCM4329+driver

http://www.spinics.net/lists/linux-wireless/msg43910.html
Quote: "...
In case you haven't seen this yet, Broadcom has an open (!) driver on
the Android git tree with support for SDIO/SPI for  bcm4329.

http://tinyurl.com/broadcom-android-bcm4329
[ http://android.git.kernel.org/?p=platform/system/wlan/broadcom.git;a=tree ]

The commit log entry dated 2009-10-29 states:

Linux WLAN driver for BCM4329 - Low-Power 802.11n with Bluetooth(R)
2.1+ EDR and FM (Tx and Rx)
..."
http://www.spinics.net/lists/linux-wireless/msg43951.html
Quote: "...
While this driver is currently used for Android, there is nothing 
that precludes its use on non-Android flavors of Linux.
..."


http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=699135
Quote: "...
Looking through the teardown from iFixit.com, the EVO has the same 
Wifi/Bluetooth chip as the Nexus 1 and Droid Incredible: BCM4329
...
Froyo has it
..."


BCM4329:
http://theiphonewiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=BCM4329
Quote: "...
This is the radio chip that is being used in the iPod touch 3G, iPad, 
iPhone 4, iPod touch 4G, and Apple TV 2G.
..."


Network World, 09/11/2009, 11n Wi-Fi chip discovered in new iPod Touch:
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/091109-ipod-touch-broadcom.html
Citat: "...
The new Apple iPod Touch uses a Wi-Fi chip that can support the 
just-approved high-throughput 802.11n standard, though Apple 
apparently has not switched on the cranked-up wireless link.

The single chip combines 802.11n with 802.11abg, Bluetooth, and FM 
radio. It runs in both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. Full details are 
in the company's data sheet for the chip.
..."

Maybe there is already an Ipod Touch 11n wi-fi driver:
http://www.rockbox.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockbox
What is Rockbox? Why should I use it?:
http://www.rockbox.org/wiki/WhyRockbox
Freemyipod:
http://www.freemyipod.org/


December 9, 2008 Broadcom introduces combo 802.11n chip:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10119038-94.html

-

http://androidcommunity.com/forums/f10/wifi-support-need-wpa2-7116/index2.html
Quote: "...
Android doesn't support WPA2 Enterprise. You need wifihelper to TRY 
if it works. I have the same issue, my university uses WPA2 
enterprise... no luck connecting...
...
Download "wifi Helper" from the Android Market by Fan Zhang. Use it 
to setup your wpa_supplicants file; engineering mode requires the Pro 
version (at 0.99 USD, it's worth it...)

If you experience problems scanning for networks (this happened to me 
upon first installation)... make sure you have set "Allow Always" 
when wifiHelper asks for root permissions while running, and double 
check your configuration by using "Manage Configurations", and 
re-enter if necessary after setting the "Allow Always" permissions.
..."

-

BCM4329 test:

April 21, 2010 iPad WiFi Woes - Myth or Reality?:
http://www.padgadget.com/2010/04/21/ipad-wifi-woes-myth-or-reality/
Quote: "...
To keep it simple, we mainly focused on signal quality, as well as 
the average download speed the devices could sustain.
...
# iPad (WiFi-only model): iPhone OS 3.2, 16GB Flash, WiFi via 
Broadcom BCM4329XKUBG (basically a BCM4322AG with Bluetooth support, 
driver version unknown)
...
Results

Signal Strength

Let's be clear, the iPad performed decently, but performance was not 
on par with the MacBook and the HP Tablet PC. First things first, 
range. It is obvious that the iPad's WiFi range is limited compared 
to the other devices, very likely due to the fact that the Wifi 
antenna is hidden behind a thick piece of aluminum and plastic 
(behind the Apple logo, on the back).
...
When we used the much less crowded 5.0GHz band, the iPad's signal 
strength was much higher, and actually beat both PC and Mac, at least 
for close to medium range tests. However, in a normal environment 
such as a house, the results were less convincing
..."


/Glenn



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