Access points having configurable radio architectures
An access point includes a WiFi chipset, a first radio that is coupled to the WiFi chipset and that is selectively coupled to a first radiating element through one of a first filter or a second filter, and a second radio that is coupled between the WiFi chipset and a second radiating element.
1. An access point, comprising:
a WiFi chipset;
a first radio that is coupled to the WiFi chipset and that is selectively coupled to a first radiating element through one of a first filter or a second filter; and
a second radio that is coupled between the WiFi chipset and a second radiating element,
wherein the first radio is capable of operating in at least a first portion of the 5 GHz frequency band and in the 6 GHz frequency band, and the second radio is capable of operating in the 5 GHz frequency band, and
wherein the first filter comprises a first bandpass filter that is configured to pass radio frequency (“RF”) signals in the 6 GHz frequency band and the second filter comprises a second bandpass filter that is configured to pass RF signals in a first sub-band of the 5 GHz frequency band that encompasses less than all of the 5 GHz frequency band.
2. The access point of claim 1 , wherein the second radio is selectively coupled to the second radiating element through one of a third filter or a fourth filter.
3. The access point of claim 2 , wherein the third filter comprises a third bandpass filter that is configured to pass RF signals in the full 5 GHz frequency band and the fourth filter comprises a fourth bandpass filter that is configured to pass RF signals in a second sub-band of the 5 GHz frequency band that encompasses less than all of the full 5 GHz frequency band.
4. The access point of claim 3 , wherein the first sub-band of the 5 GHz frequency band does not overlap with the second sub-band of the 5 GHz frequency band.
5. The access point of claim 4 , and wherein the first and second sub-bands of the 5 GHz frequency band encompass the complete portion of the 5 GHz frequency band that is usable for WiFi communications.
6. The access point of claim 3 , wherein a first switch is interposed between the first radio and the first and second filters and a second switch is interposed between the first and second filters and the first radiating element.
7. The access point of claim 6 , wherein a third switch is interposed between the second radio and the third and fourth filters and a fourth switch is interposed between the third and fourth filters and the second radiating element.
8. The access point of claim 1 , further comprising a third radio that is configured to operate in the 2.4 GHz frequency band, wherein the second radio and the third radio are coupled to the second radiating element via a diplexer.
9. The access point of claim 1 , further comprising an isolation circuit coupled along a communication path that extends between the second radio and the second radiating element.
10. The access point of claim 9 , wherein the isolation circuit is disabled when the access point is configured to pass RF signals from the first radio to the first radiating element over a communication path that includes the first bandpass filter.
11. The access point of claim 9 , wherein the isolation circuit comprises a PIN diode that is configured to be selectively coupled to ground.
12. The access point of claim 9 , wherein the isolation circuit is enabled only when the access point is configured to pass RF signals from the first radio to the first radiating element over a communication path that includes the second bandpass filter.
13. The access point of claim 9 , wherein the second radio is selectively coupled to the second radiating element through a first communication path that includes a third bandpass filter that is configured to pass RF signals in the full 5 GHz frequency band or through a second communication path that includes a fourth bandpass filter that is configured to pass RF signals in a sub-band of the 5 GHz frequency band that encompasses less than all of the full 5 GHz frequency band, and wherein the isolation circuit is coupled along the second communication path.
14. The access point of claim 1 , wherein a first switch is interposed between the first radio and the first and second filters and a second switch is interposed between the first and second filters and the first radiating element.
15. An access point, comprising:
a WiFi chipset;
a first radio that is coupled to the WiFi chipset and that is selectively coupled to a first radiating element through one of a first filter or a second filter; and
a second radio that is coupled between the WiFi chipset and a second radiating element,
wherein the first radio is capable of operating in at least a first portion of the 5 GHz frequency band and in the 6 GHz frequency band, and the second radio is capable of operating in the 5 GHz frequency band, and
wherein the first radio is configured to operate in either the full 5 GHz frequency band or the full 6 GHz frequency band, the second radio is configured to operate in the full 5 GHz frequency band, the first filter comprises a first bandpass filter that is configured to pass radio frequency (“RF”) signals in the full 6 GHz frequency band and the second filter comprises a bandpass filter that is configured to pass RF signals in the full 5 GHz frequency band.
16. The access point of claim 15 , wherein the access point is configured to operate with N multi-input-multi-output (“MIMO”) transmit/receive paths in the 5 GHz frequency band when the access point is supporting communications in the 6 GHz frequency band, and is configured to operate with 2*N MIMO transmit/receive paths in the 5 GHz frequency band when the access point is not supporting communications in the 6 GHz frequency band, where N is a natural number.
17. The access point of claim 15 , wherein the access point is configured to use both the first radio and the second radio to communicate using multi-input-multi-output (“MIMO”) communications techniques in the 5 GHz frequency band when the access point is not supporting communications in the 6 GHz frequency band.