Hardware And Software Approaches Implement Multiple Radios

摘要

Today's on-the-go consumers may think they are carrying a single cell phone, but they're actually carrying seven or more radios that handle multiband-cellular operation, Wi-Fi networking, Bluetooth connectivity, assisted-GPS (global-posi-tioning-system) functions, and more. In the future, they might have radios that implement ad hoc device-to-device communications, in which one device takes advantage of a nearby device that has better coverage (see sidebar "Ad hoc sharing could mean more radios"). To fit all the necessary radio functions into a portable wireless device, researchers throughout 2008 have been developing miniature multifunction modules and exploring flexible, low-power SDR (software-defined-radio) architectures.