Qualcomm has released a new automotive Wi-Fi 6 chip, the QCA6696, bringing the next generation of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity to the automotive industry. Complementing the Qualcomm Snapdragon Automotive 4G and 5G Platforms, the QCA6696 is Qualcomm’s most advanced Wi-Fi solution designed to offer fast, secure and efficient Wi-Fi connectivity, to meet consumer demands for greater robustness and reduced latency when operating in congested and dense environments.
The QCA6696 features dual Wi-Fi 6 multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) access points designed to support Gigabit in-car hotspot and to deliver efficient Wi-Fi connectivity throughout the vehicle, supporting ultra-high definition (ultra-HD) video streaming on multiple displays, screen mirroring from compatible devices and wireless back-up cameras, as well as Bluetooth 5.1 support and Qualcomm aptX Adaptive Audio to deliver high fidelity voice and streaming audio support. The QCA6696 chip also features full MIMO client capability designed to extend range at high data rates for connecting to external access points for automotive services, such as vehicle diagnostics, software updates and automatic check-ins when pulling up to dealerships.
Key QCA6696 Features Include:
- Increased user throughput in crowded networks, designed to reach rates of nearly 1.8 Gbps, featuring Dual-Band Simultaneous (DBS) and Higher Order Modulation (1024 QAM) in both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands
- 8-Stream Sounding, designed to allow connected vehicles to leverage the growing base of 8x8 MU-MIMO Wi-Fi 6 access points being commercially deployed and benefit from faster throughput and longer range, for car-to-Cloud connections and automotive dealer services
- Improved security utilizing WPA3, the latest Wi-Fi security protocol, to support WPA-3-Personal, WPA3-Enterprise, WPA3-Enhanced Open, WPA3-Easy Connect
- Intelligent interference handling using BSS Color designed to allow the vehicle-to-device connection to be more resilient to outside interference
- Target Wakeup Time (TWT) to facilitate in-vehicle phones to use up to 33% lower power when streaming or using Wi-Fi calling
Qualcomm Bluetooth 5.1:
- aptX-Adaptive audio for ultra-HD quality voice and low latency audio, ideal for enhanced in-vehicle experiences
The QCA6696 is now sampling and is expected to appear in commercial vehicles in 2021. It is also included as a part of Qualcomm’s 2nd generation Qualcomm Connected Car Reference Design (CCRD), which also features the Snapdragon Automotive 4G or 5G Platform with integrated RF Front-End (RFFE) solutions, C-V2X and HP-GNSS support, as well as a Qualcomm Technologies application processor and Qualcomm Vision Enhanced Precise Positioning (VEPP). As a comprehensive telematics/V2X reference design, automakers and Tier-1 suppliers can develop on the 2nd generation CCRD for rapid prototyping for accelerating their time to commercialization.
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