Wi-Fi HaLow will soon be available for cameras, door locks, stores, factories and mobile devices near you. What is Wi-Fi HaLow? Why is this the best solution for IoT?
Wi-Fi HaLow is the next generation of Wi-Fi that not only extends range and battery life for Wi-Fi-connected devices, but also represents an exciting future for people and devices wirelessly connected through the Internet of Things. Wi-Fi HaLow applications range from sensors, actuators and security cameras to home automation, appliances and thermostats, all of which improve user experience and productivity while reducing installation and operating costs.
Wi-Fi HaLow technology was recently standardized by the IEEE 802.11ah working group and named by the Wi-Fi Alliance (WFA). Wi-Fi HaLow operates on the sub-1 GHz license-exempt RF band, offering data rates ranging from hundreds of kilobits per second to tens of megabits per second, and spanning distances of tens of meters to a kilometer. Wi-Fi HaLow meets the scalability, robustness and security requirements needed to tackle the most challenging IoT environments.
While traditional Wi-Fi is the most widely used wireless communication protocol today, the rapid growth of IoT is forcing a rethink of Wi-Fi, revealing technology gaps and the need for Wi-Fi in an all-encompassing connected world what role to play. Many IoT and M2M protocol (machine-to-machine) applications, higher requirements for long-range connectivity and low power consumption, are leading Wi-Fi HaLow to become more and more popular this year and in the years to come.
Traditional Wi-Fi vs Wi-Fi HaLow
In the near future, traditional Wi-Fi will allow users to use wide channels in the 2.4GHz, 5GHz and even 6GHz frequency bands to quickly stream movies and download files. The effective range of these connections is short, and they drain the battery quickly, requiring the device to frequently charge or use a mains connection. For example, Wi-Fi 6 remains ideal for bandwidth-intensive applications like 4K video streaming and augmented reality.
Wi-Fi HaLow is built on strong security and spectrum-efficient OFDM, while using narrower radio channels below 1GHz, which can better penetrate materials and allow connections to reach 10 times the distance, 100 times the distance of traditional Wi-Fi times the area and 1,000 times the capacity. Wi-Fi-HaLow is perfect for IoT devices as it allows a robust connection of more than 8,000 devices on a single access point and saves power with the newly added sleep mode. Wi-Fi-HaLow enables a new category of products that can run on batteries for years and still provide tens of Mbps of data throughput.
The network congestion, distance limitations and high power consumption of traditional Wi-Fi, along with the limited number of devices that can connect to a single wireless access point, are no longer viable in a connected world of smart devices. These constraints hinder the emergence of new IoT-centric business models across industries that require greater capacity, greater range, and better battery life, while minimizing deployment costs and time. All of these are very desirable features of Wi-Fi HaLow.
Function
Wi-Fi 4/5/6
(IEEE 802.11n/ac/ax)
Wi-Fi HaLow
(IEEE 802.11ah)
Operating frequency band
2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz
below 1 GHz
(902 – 928 MHz in the US)
Channel Bandwidth Options
20, 40, 80, 160 MHz
1, 2, 4, 8, (16 is optional) MHz
Maximum addressable devices per access point
2007
8191
Single-Stream MCS Data Rate Range
6.5 Mbps-150 Mbps
(.11n, Wi-Fi 4)
150 Kbps – 86.7 Mbps
regular range
~100 meters
10 times further
100 times wider
1000 times bigger
Compared to 802.11n 20MHz
Table 1: Comparing Wi-Fi 4/5/6 with Wi-Fi HaLow
IoT solution based on IEEE 802.11ah Wi-Fi standard
Wi-Fi HaLow enhances wireless local area networks (LANs) to support today’s most challenging IoT system requirements. In ultra-low power, ultra-low throughput and energy inefficient LoRa and Sigfox Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWANs), lower throughput, shorter range Personal Area Networks (PANs) such as Bluetooth/BT5 and higher power consumption Between LTE Cat-M/Narrowband IoT, Wi-Fi HaLow has a place
While previous technology gaps gave rise to suboptimal proprietary solutions to meet market needs, the new reality is that these gaps are now rectified under the umbrella of the IEEE 802.11 standard: system integrators can take advantage of what has been done for legacy Wi- Fi radios develop the same hardware and software assets, enjoy multi-vendor offerings, and benefit from the Wi-Fi Alliance’s interoperability testing and certification programs. Users no longer have to compromise on range, throughput, power consumption, network capacity, complex mesh network setups or monthly data charges. As part of the IEEE 802.11 enterprise-grade security standard, security comes first: Wi-Fi-HaLow uses the latest WPA3 security standard, encrypted messages and exclusive Chip ID technology for secure boot. High data rates enable secure over-the-air firmware upgrades and support for UDP and TCP/IP protocols. Native IP support means no bridges or gateways are required.
Wi-Fi HaLow Use Cases
In the initial stages of deployment, Wi-Fi HaLow is expected to be used in indoor and outdoor applications that cannot be reached by standard Wi-Fi, such as battery-powered surveillance systems, wireless cameras and smart home doorbells. Another typical use case is large venues, where a single HaLow access point can connect thousands of devices and cover 1,000 times the capacity of traditional Wi-Fi, bypassing complex, bandwidth-limited and unreliable mesh networks, thereby Simplify installation and reduce overall costs. Examples of this can be found in large buildings, warehouses, offices, campuses, shopping malls and sports venues, with access control systems (body temperature monitors, mask wearing monitors, room occupancy limits and foot traffic-based object cleaning/sanitizing functions – all It all adds up) with advanced connectivity to easily configure cameras and sensors to enhance occupant safety and wellbeing. Industrial automation, process control sensors, building automation, logistics and asset management, agricultural and environmental sensors, mining, clean energy farms, electronic signage, and retail stores, among many others, require this technology to allow all devices to be increasingly automated. stay connected in the world. In fact, Wi-Fi HaLow stands out for its versatility.
Products with Wi-Fi HaLow will provide new options for unlicensed frequency bands that support both IP networks and the well-known OFDM modulation mode in the PC ecosystem. In addition, there is growing support for the prediction that Wi-Fi HaLow will expand the connectivity range of mobile devices and PCs in the long run as part of the emergence of a fourth frequency band, as well as supporting emerging use cases.
Wi-Fi HaLow is gaining momentum
HaLow’s innovation is getting attention. For example, Morse Micro is investing heavily to transition into the HaLow market with its smallest SoC and module solutions. The Wi-Fi Alliance has announced a HaLow certification program that will launch in 2021, and many large companies are interested in using Wi-Fi-HaLow silicon chips in new products. Wi-Fi-HaLow is gaining momentum. All features stand out, and alternatives are starting to lose their shine, especially in the IoT space. The market application of Wi-Fi HaLow is sure to reshape Wi-Fi itself. As a result, people will never see the same Wi-Fi as before.