Wi-Fi continues to remain relevant as it evolves to meet the needs of users and match the capabilities of devices. With 802.11ac, dual-band chipsets will proliferate quickly, and 802.11ad will bring tri-band chipsets to market as well. The complexity of Wi-Fi chipset products are increasing with a number of permutations of products dictated by the number of bands, MIMO configurations, channel size supported, and 60 GHz antenna array sizes and beamforming options. There will be many different products to meet different needs. 1X1 MIMO for 802.11ac in handsets is a given, but only for a limited time as at least one major semiconductor vendor is working on 2X2 802.11ac for handsets. With the combination of 802.11ac with 802.11ad, different tradeoffs can be made between those two protocols to optimize the capabilities for a given device.
This report looks at 802.11ac and 802.11ad in the context of major considerations being made. Shipment forecasts compare legacy Wi-Fi protocols (802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g) to 802.11n and 802.11ac for various product groups across handsets, non-handset mobile devices, the connected home, and other products. 802.11ad shipment forecasts are provided for these product types as well. Wi-Fi semiconductor vendors are also profiled.