connectBlue® today revealed that its embedded Wireless LAN (WLAN) modules have expanded its frequency channel range to fully cover both the 2.4GHz and the 5GHz ISM bands. The extended channel range makes it easier for customers to use the modules according to local market preferences in order to plan for a robust and interference-free wireless connection.

Most WLAN devices have traditionally used the unlicensed 2.4GHz industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) radio band. However, several more wireless technologies – such as Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wireless HART – also use the 2.4GHz band, so the unlicensed 5GHz band offers a less crowded radio space for WLAN. The greatest strength of the 5GHz band is the availability of 23 non-overlapping frequency channels – 20 more than what is available in the 2.4GHz band. In other words, the 5GHz band opens up the possibility for an interference-free and stable WLAN communication.

“Our customers need such robust functionality as their factories or hospitals require faultless wireless connectivity 24/7,” says Rolf Nilsson, CEO of connectBlue. “They tend to use 2.4GHz for their wireless office communication and 5GHz for their wireless M2M communication. Dual-band functionality is thus one of our strongest features in our WLAN product offering.”

The connectBlue WLAN modules comprises of the UART Serial Port Module OWS451, the SPI Module OWL221a, the SDIO Module OWL222a, and the SPI Module OWL253. All these modules now encompass the 1-13 frequency channels of the 2.4GHz band and the 36-165 frequency channels (U-NII Band 1, 2, 2e, 3) of the 5GHz band.

The WLAN IEEE 802.11b/g/n radios utilize the 2.4GHz band and the IEEE 802.11a/n radio utilizes the 5GHz band. The 5GHz band is divided up into sub-bands called U-NII bands (Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure). These U-NII bands have varying local market acceptance whereby the full 5GHz channel coverage makes it easier for connectBlue customers to market their end products according to local requirements.

View http://www.connectblue.com/press/articles/what-is-the-difference-between-24ghz-and-5ghz-wireless-lan-in-industrial-applications/ for more details on the differences between the 2.4 GHz and 5GHz ISM band as well as on the local restrictions on certain channels in the 5GHz band.