Advanced prototype platform for a wireless multimedia local area network

This paper presents an advanced version of a configurable demonstrator platform developed for a new wireless local area network called TUTWLAN. TUTWLAN is targeted for limited service areas with stationary or portable terminals. Applications range from simple wireless sensors to multimedia laptops. The network supports the different Quality of Service (QoS) requirements of these applications. The improved development platform has been designed because of the restrictions discovered in the first prototype. The new platform provides better testing environment for developing Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols for TUTWLAN and for designing embedded stand-alone applications. Furthermore, various other designs can be tested, for example hardware implementations of encryption algorithms. Both the new and the old prototypes consist of a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), external memory modules for the DSP, and a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) circuit. The platform is connected to a radio module and can be attached to a host computer using Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus. Compared to the original platform, the new prototype contains more memory, a faster and larger FPGA, and a higher bit-rate radio.