The next breakthrough in Wi-Fi will enable a long-range connection of up to 1 kilometer at significantly less power consumption. The benefits are being claimed for Wi-Fi HaLow, which has now gained certification from the Wi-Fi alliance, the worldwide network of companies that brings you Wi-Fi.
Wi-Fi HaLow has been designed keeping the massive rise in the use of Internet of Things (IoT) devices in mind. As IoT applications increase across industries and homes, more and more devices need to stay connected to the Internet all the time. Wi-Fi HaLow seems to be an ingenious solution to that requirement, one that “eclipses other solutions,” as per the Wi-Fi alliance.
The new form of Wi-Fi promises significant battery power savings as compared to the current Wi-Fi and can establish connections for up to 1 kilometer away from the source. Also, Wi-Fi HaLow builds on the existing Wi-Fi protocols and is workable with the current Wi-Fi devices. This is a significant advantage as it would not require any new Wi-Fi connection methods or proprietary technology for use. It can easily be scaled in the current setup.
Wi-Fi HaLow: how it works
The standard Wi-Fi that we use to connect our devices to the Internet mostly operates between 2.4GHz to 5GHz of radio frequency. These are meant to transmit a high amount of data in a short time and hence the large bandwidth. Wi-Fi HaLow works in the sub-1 GHz spectrum instead.
Such a low-frequency wave enables a longer wavelength, meaning that the signals can travel for longer distances than what is normally possible with higher spectrums. Due to this, a single Wi-Fi HaLow access point can “exceed a 1 kilometer radius and support internet access for more than 8,000 devices spread across hundreds of acres,” Wi-Fi Alliance notes.
Therefore, for extending the range, Wi-Fi HaLow compromises data transfer speeds. However, such an application is perfect for IoT devices which seldom require too much data to be transferred through the Internet. A simple example can be seen in any of the IoT devices at your home, including smart door locks, cameras, air conditioners etc. These require very simple information (of to be switched on/ off and such) to be relayed to them through the Internet and Wi-Fi HaLow is more than capable of doing so.
Similar applications of Wi-Fi HaLow can be found across industrial, agricultural and other such setups. It is ideal for logistics, as Wi-Fi HaLow’s low frequency can penetrate through shipping materials. It can be implemented for various uses across a smart city, traffic monitors and traffic lights being some of the applications. In the field of agriculture, sensors or devices can be placed across distant fields and be connected through Wi-Fi HaLow.
The potential for the new technology is thus endless. With the rise in IoT applications, Wi-Fi HaLow will be the next big enabler and we can expect to see it being used all around us soon