The Internet of Things (IoT) might have found a saving grace for keeping all of those “things” connected. HaLow Wi-Fi, pronounced like halo (hay-low), is coming to scene with a list of virtues perfect for smart homes, smart cars, smart cities, and even healthcare, industrial, retail and agriculture.
Generally, we’re used to Wi-Fi aiming to achieve lightning fast speeds with the ability to move large amounts of data. But with IoT devices, there’s no need for super-speeds and the amount of data being transmitted is typically small. The real need of the IoT is for devices to remain connected wherever they are without dwindling power supplies or depending on cellular data.
HaLow Wi-Fi is slated to offer double the coverage range of traditional Wi-Fi while lowering power consumption. This would not only set it apart from other Wi-Fi standards, but also make it ideal for many IoT applications. Thus, the Wi-Fi Alliance is hoping HaLow will replace cellular networks in smart cities and Bluetooth radios in wearable devices.
HaLow is an extension of the IEEE 802.11ah standard and uses the 900 MHz bandwidth instead of the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz bands. The 900 MHz band is a low-frequency workhorse usually reserved for microwaves ovens and baby monitors. By using this robust frequency for Wi-Fi, the signal is able to reach further and penetrate objects and obstacles without dwindling the device’s power supply – many of which run solely on batteries.
Reported data rates for Halow are between 150 kilobits and 18 megabits per second. This is significantly less than traditional Wi-Fi rates, but speed is not the focus in this case. For the IoT, power consumption, reliability and distance are the priority. The HaLow standard will be official next year and might be exactly the divine intervention needed for the IoT.
