The Celeno OptimizAIR™ patent pending technology is built around standard 802.11 PHY and MAC layers. It presents a number of innovative algorithms that work together intricately at all layers (PHY, MAC, Networking and Application) to achieve the full-home sustainable throughput needed for video streaming. OptimizAIR™ doubles the throughput and increase range as much as ten times compared to off the shelf 802.11 systems while achieving absolute zero packet loss for flicker-free video quality at all corners of the home.

Channel Aware technology for real time action

Celeno’s OptimizAIR™ technology is based on the concept of “Spatial Channel Awareness” closed-loop transmission. Basically, every aspect of the system is aware of the Spatial Air Channel quality between the Access Point and every station (client) on a 10ms basis, packet by packet. However, the true uniqueness of the technology is that this channel estimation is done without any protocol collaboration from the client and can even work with a simple single antenna design at the client. The “Channel Awareness” is based on a sophisticated real-time signaling process that is calculated according to the standard 802.11 messages received from the clients. Thus, the various algorithms in the system predict on a real time basis all transmission parameters, the optimized scheduling and the available throughput of each air channel at all times, with the entire computational burden located only at the access point. This on-time prediction allows OptimizAIR™ enabled systems to adapt to the ever-changing air medium qualities and to overcome Doppler effects caused by moving subjects in the house – achieving superior robustness.

Beam forming to maximize range and coverage

Beam forming is the optimal method to increase reach by concentrating maximum energy at a particular point in space. Beam forming uses multiple, closely spaced antennas to transmit phased signals such that the radiated power towards a particular direction in space is maximized, while canceling interference from other directions. OptimizAIR™ uses breakthrough digital signal processing to implement full blown, real time, beam forming technology that could be best compared to a laser system shooting multiple lasers in all directions. This helps to maximize the reach of the transmission to all areas in the house.

Smart antenna selection provides for signal quality diversity, and is a cure for shadowing effects. Spatial diversity resulting from smart antenna selection (based on novel smart antenna array design) usually outperforms other spatial diversity techniques. For example researches show that spatial multiplexing is inferior to smart antenna selection in long range scenarios. Furthermore, smart antenna selection combined with beam forming yields better robustness and less sensitivity to dead spots compared to a directional antenna array. A smart combination of Beam forming and antenna selection results in a significant link boost at moderate cost.

A multi-layer approach for optimized performance

• Beam Forming MIMO: True real time, silicon based, packet by packet multi-user beam forming to achieve superior link budget. The Beam Forming MIMO is combined with an antenna selection algorithm to gain optimal spatial diversity while minimizing number of radio’s required for cost benefits. This method optimizes both range and throughput.
• Channel Aware Transmission Shaping: Real time adjustments of transmission patterns (e.g., Phase, Rate) based on a packet by packet, silicon based channel estimation in order to track instantaneous changes in the air channel and to overcome Doppler effects. The channel state information is used to calculate the beam forming vectors. For example, Channel Aware Transmission Shaping allows accurate per packet rate adjustment compared to other 802.11 trial and error rate selection schemes. Thus Channel Aware MIMO ensures zero packet loss and maximum range consistently throughout the ever changing quality of air links in a home environment.
• Channel Aware Packet Scheduling: Guarantees the delivery of video packets even under high packet loss and real time channel variance conditions, creating a reserved capacity and on-time scheduling for multiple video streams. The OptimizAIR™ technology architecture creates a Wi-Fi Switching system serving multiple clients with guaranteed capacity. It effectively allows the system throughput to be marginally close to the theoretical limit of the air interface capacity.

OptimizAIR™-enabled systems typically double the throughput at zero packet error conditions and improve range by a factor of ten compared to off-the-shelf 802.11n draft MIMO.