Intel Showcased Cliffside Technology with Seamless Connectivity in Shanghai IDF

Intel has just unveiled a new technology that can enable two independent network connectivity through a single WiFi network adapter during recent IDF (Intel Developer Forum) held in Shanghai. Within a single network module, there will be an additional functionality being added in which it will be able to link normal PC at home to wireless router and at the same time setting up another network link that can be used to create a PAN (Personal Area Network) to link both together for seamless connectivity at home.

You can think of the second link as a replacement of Bluetooth or some other wireless technology for LAN (Local Area Network) on your PC. The major advantage here is the technology doesn’t need additional standalone module to cater for PAN coverage which could further reduce the board design space and cost. At the same time, it will able to boost up the available bandwidth even higher as compared to existing technology. Not to be lack of, it will still feature some security and encryption methods such as WEP and WPA for secure channels among network devices. It is claimed that the technology can support up to eight network devices simultaneously.

Currently it is still too early to disclose on when the technology will be commercialized as it is still in research and exploration stage. However, we should foresee the new usage to be adopted soonest as it is driven by the giant chipset maker.