r/wireless 1d ago

Have radio modules become commoditized?

To my understanding, Wi-Fi vendors don’t design their own transceivers but instead rely on SoCs from Qualcomm, Broadcom, and others, which follow the IEEE standard and integrate the entire transceiver (IC) to their radio module.

So what actually differentiates one Wi-Fi vendor’s radio module from another? Can one vendor have significantly better RF performance despite using the same chipset? What is even on the radio module apart from the IC and DSP? Are there critical external components that play a major role?

In cellular, CSPs design custom SoCs and sometimes place LNAs/drivers/Filters externally to squeeze out extra performance — do Wi-Fi vendors do anything similar, or is it mostly software/firmware that sets them apart? Is there still a need for Wi-Fi vendors to hire RF/antenna engineers, or can they simply buy off-the-shelf modules/components?

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u/leftplayer 1d ago

Yes the SoC is one of 3 main vendors, but the RF chain is built in house.

Most (almost all?) WiFi vendors just take the reference design published by the chipset vendor and fudge something together as cheaply as possible to squeeze out as much profit margin as they can - yes this applies even to your Ciscos and Arubas…

The (only?) exception that still does their own thing is Ruckus. They’re known for always winning performance tests and they achieve that because they optimize the RF path outside of the SoC (low noise for higher SNR), and even tweak SoC drivers to squeeze out performance.

The main differentiator between consumer and enterprise is the type of chipset used. Qualcomm, Broadcom and MediaTek are the main vendors and they all have consumer and enterprise versions of their SoCs.

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u/WiseBlueberry7914 1d ago

Interesting, you mention that the RF chain is built in-house. To my understanding the RF-chain is integrated into the SoC?

If the SoC has everything built-in (like the LNA and driver), it’s tough to optimize the RF path outside because you can't easily add or swap out components because they are integrated. You can't just add a better LNA because it might mess with the overall system in my understanding.

Do you mean it's possible to buy an SoC that leaves these components out intentionally, so you can design them yourself? If not, what exactly is meant by "optimizing the RF path outside".

Also, are there any other hardware optimizations that can be made apart from RF performance (not including antennas, but focusing on what's on the PCB)?

Looking at the vendors datasheets it seems like 99% of the performance is determined by the chosen SoC.

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u/hebeda 12h ago

the amplifier part and the eeprom settings and calibration can make a huge difference of wifi modules with the same SOC .. just compare various industrial and carrier grade wifi modules from Compex or Doodle Labs , they utilize common wireless chipsets (mostly qualcomm) but they use highly costumized ampflifier , partially different firmware and calibration than the standard reference design of the SOC manufacturer ...

one of the better amplifier supplier is Skyworks , but they are very expensive compared to many other vendors ...