Network Hardware Considerations (Windows Embedded CE 6.0)
1/5/2010
For information about developing device drivers for a specific type of device, see Windows CE Drivers.
Wired Network Support
Networked media devices (NMDs) require a 10/100 Mbps 10BaseT/100BaseT (IEEE 802.3/802.3u) network connection.
The following bulleted list shows the requirements for the network controller:
- Autodetection and autoswitching between the 10-megabits-per-second (Mbps) data transfer rate and the 100-Mbps data transfer rate.
- Detection when the network cable is disconnected.
- Support for direct memory access (DMA) transfers to system memory. DMA support must be able to handle the maximum bandwidth that is allowed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE) 802.3/802.3u specification.
Wireless Network Support
Wireless network support is optional. You may want to implement it for product differentiation. The following table shows the various levels of wireless network support that you can implement and our recommendation for the devices in which you should implement the respective levels of wireless network support.
| Level of wireless network support | Recommendation |
|---|---|
802.11a |
Implement for an audio-and-video device. |
802.11b |
Implement for an audio-only device. |
802.11g |
Implement for an audio-and-video device. |
Bluetooth |
Implement to enable users to use a wireless peripheral such as a headphone, keyboard, printer or remote control. |
Consumer IR (remote control through infrared) |
Implement for communication with other devices that use consumer IR for transferring data. |
You may also consider investigating Windows Connect Now, which will enable you to automate the configuration of wireless network hardware and wireless clients. For more information, see this Microsoft Web site.
See Also
Concepts
Hardware Architecture Diagram for Networked Media Devices
Other Resources
Performance Considerations for the Hardware Components of Networked Media Devices
CETK Tests
Core OS Services
Developing a Board Support Package
Developing a Device Driver
Developing an OEM Adaptation Layer