| Commitments and Contingencies Commitments and Contingencies - Litigation (Details 3) | 1 Months Ended | 6 Months Ended | |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 2014  claim | Oct. 31, 2015  claim  patent | Jun. 30, 2016  claim | |
| CrestaTech Technology Corporation v. MaxLinear, Inc. [Member] | |||
| Loss Contingencies [Line Items] | |||
| Loss Contingency, Allegations | 3 | ||
| Patents found not infringed upon | patent | 2 | ||
| Inter Partes Review by US Patent Office [Member] | |||
| Loss Contingencies [Line Items] | |||
| New claims filed | 4 | ||
| Inter Partes Review by US Patent Office v. CrestaTech Patents [Member] | |||
| Loss Contingencies [Line Items] | |||
| Number of pending claims | 6 | ||
| Trango Systems, Inc. v. Broadcom Corporation [Member] | |||
| Loss Contingencies [Line Items] | |||
| New claims filed | 1 | 
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