WiFi Alliance announce new HaLow standard for IoT and low power devices
This week, the Wi-Fi Alliance has announced a new standard of wireless networking, Wi-Fi HaLowTM. HaLow is based on IEEE 802.11ah standards and operates in sub 1GHz frequency bands. As a results, the devices will offer longer range and offer lower power connectivity to certified products. This will help IoT devices that usually work on very low power draw. HaLow certified products will operate without any change in 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.
“Wi-Fi HaLow is well suited to meet the unique needs of the Smart Home, Smart City, and industrial markets because of its ability to operate using very low power, penetrate through walls, and operate at significantly longer ranges than Wi-Fi today,” said Edgar Figueroa, President and CEO of Wi-Fi Alliance. “Wi-Fi HaLow expands the unmatched versatility of Wi-Fi to enable applications from small, battery-operated wearable devices to large-scale industrial facility deployments – and everything in between.”
Wi-Fi HaLow will work on 900MHz band, has range twice as that of current WiFi standards and support IP-based connectivity to connect to the cloud (which is essential for IoT devices). Wi-Fi Alliance is also working on developing a simpler and secure way to configure devices that come without a display or input mechanism (IoT smart devices).
“Wi-Fi Alliance programs have been instrumental in shaping and guiding the industry,” said Phil Solis, ABI Research. “Wi-Fi’s portfolio of technologies continues to address market needs, and Wi-Fi’s evolution will allow it to address a variety of new use cases.”
