WBA wants Wi-Fi to have a HaLow effect on IoT

802.11ah, also known as HaLow, is a version of Wi-Fi that uses 900-MHz spectrum to provide long-range, low-power connectivity for IoT devices.

HaLow has been around since 2016, but as with most technology, it takes years to develop an invention into a viable commercial proposition.

That moment is starting to loom large though, as evidenced by the WBA's recent trials.

Each one took place in a different setting, demonstrating HaLow's adaptability.

So, there was a smart home trial, using a single access point (AP) to connect 140 indoor locations across an area of three acres, with throughput of between 2 Mbps and 8 Mbps. WBA said this one shows how HaLow could potentially provide IoT coverage for an entire neighbourhood.

Trials also took place in a warehouse; on a farm; in a city; in an office; on a school campus; and in an industrial complex. Similarly to the smart neighbourhood trial, each one showcased the stable, long-range connectivity on offer from HaLow, and the wide range of devices and applications it can support – including smart security cameras; HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning); sensors; asset trackers and so-on.

"Wi-Fi HaLow shines across a wide range of industries as a preferred connectivity technology, with its long-range, signal penetration, and data throughput," said Zac Freeman, VP of marketing and sales at Newracom, a HaLow chip maker that participated in the trials. "From open fields to industrial factories, Wi-Fi HaLow provides reliable fast connectivity with simple architecture that can't be replicated by any other technology, ticking all the boxes for requirements for IoT deployments."

And there is a large and growing market for IoT deployments of this nature. According to Transforma Insights' latest forecast, there will be 40 billion active IoT devices by 2033, up from 16.1 billion at the end of 2023. Of that total, 73 percent are expected to be connected via short-range technologies – and HaLow's range is certainly on the shorter side compared to a macro cellular network, for example.

However, of all the various air interfaces being used to connect 'things' to the Internet, Wi-Fi is one of the most prevalent but perhaps also one of the least talked about.

Specialist wide-area networking technologies like NB-IoT, LTE-M, LoRaWAN, and now 5G RedCap vie for the spotlight. In comparison, local-area, generalist Wi-Fi tends to lurk somewhere in the background, reserved for applications that require hefty throughput and devices that aren't fussy about power consumption – like video and audio streaming, or large file transfers.

However, thanks to HaLow - with its longer range and lower power - change could quite literally be in the air.

"Each of these real-world field trials has been a huge success demonstrating the readiness and the benefits Wi-Fi HaLow standard can bring to a vast range of industries and use cases, improving performance and reducing complexity," said WBA chief executive Tiago Rodrigues. "We now move to the next phase, and are inviting industry players interested in participating in trials across EMEA and APAC to reach out. Your participation can help shape the future of IoT connectivity and drive innovation across various sectors."