Wi-Fi HaLow could be the next IoT enabler

Image: Wi-Fi Alliance

Wi-Fi HaLow is simply a low-power, long-range mentation of modular Wi-Fi that tin penetrate done walls and run connected wearable devices. "Wi-Fi HaLow volition broadly follow existing Wi-Fi protocols and present galore of the benefits that consumers person travel to expect from Wi-Fi today, including multi-vendor interoperability, beardown government-grade information and casual setup," said Kevin Robinson, elder vice president of selling for Wi-Fi Alliance, a non-profit enactment that owns the Wi-Fi trademark.

SEE: Hiring Kit: IoT developer (TechRepublic Premium)

Because of these and different factors, Wi-Fi HaLow is besides apt to beryllium utilized successful education, astute cities, concern manufacturing and healthcare.

"Wi-Fi HaLow is champion suited for applications that necessitate little power, longer scope and robust connectivity, adjacent successful challenging environments--including sensors, idiosyncratic wearable devices, inferior meters and streaming compressed video from information cameras," Robinson said.

Immediate instrumentality candidates for Wi-Fi HaLow are information cameras and tablets that are being utilized successful concern environments.

Wi-Fi HaLow-enabled devices are besides expected to play important roles successful astute location environments that let consumers to instrumentality vantage of its longer scope and little powerfulness for applications specified arsenic battery-powered cameras, video babe monitors and different astute location products.

In these respects, Wi-Fi HaLow is simply a good suited complementary exertion for Wi-Fi 6, an interior Wi-Fi protocol that is already deployed successful galore schools and that would apt beryllium extended for usage successful commercial, concern and residential Internet of Things applications that necessitate accelerated information rates and debased latency wrong the 4 walls of facilities.

"Wi-Fi HaLow applications that marque consciousness arsenic usage cases see AR/VR, location information systems with high-resolution feeds and distant surgery," Robinson said.

SEE: Communities successful request get a boost from Wi-Fi 6 technology (TechRepublic)

Implementing Wi-Fi HaLow successful manufacture makes consciousness due to the fact that it expands the scope of Wi-Fi applications successful IoT and enables Wi-Fi to beryllium an adjacent much ascendant subordinate successful the concern and astute location markets. 

"Companies person been moving connected Wi-Fi HaLow chipsets for years, and we expect shipments to interruption 10 cardinal successful 2022, with adoption expanding from concern applications to the astute home, astute metropolis and retail markets," Robinson said.

Is Wi-Fi HaLow connected astir companies' IoT roadmaps?

The Wi-Fi Alliance conscionable announced its certification programme for products that incorporated Wi-Fi HaLow successful November, 2021. This means that we are inactive immoderate clip distant from wide Wi-Fi HaLow adoption and deployment since products indispensable archetypal beryllium certified.

SEE: Tech projects for IT leaders: How to physique a location lab, automate your home, instal Node-RED and much (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

Where does this spot IT decision-makers who already person an abundance of IoT exertion issues to consider?

1. It's clip to spot Wi-Fi HaLow connected exertion roadmaps due to the fact that it volition grow the scope of imaginable IoT usage cases that tin hap wrong the 4 walls of an enterprise.
2. It's not excessively aboriginal to speech to IoT instrumentality vendors astir their certification plans for Wi-Fi HaLow.
3. Security is ever a interest with IoT, but the bully quality with Wi-Fi HaLow is that it indispensable enactment the latest, WPA3 security, which volition adhd beardown information protections to IoT networks. 
4. Internal web environments volition request to beryllium revised for Wi-Fi HaLow, but since Wi-Fi HaLow is backward-compatible with older Wi-Fi protocols, this makes the occupation easier. 

"Wi-Fi HaLow is an unfastened standard, providing for much businesslike installation without the request for proprietary controllers, hubs oregon gateways," Robinson said. "A Wi-Fi HaLow web tin beryllium deployed successful the beingness of existing Wi-Fi 4, Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6 networks without interfering with their RF show and tin easy go portion of the implicit Wi-Fi portfolio. In this way, Wi-Fi HaLow delivers a much broad attack to connectivity and broadens existent Wi-Fi sum to hard-to-reach places specified arsenic garages, basements, attics, warehouses, factories and ample outdoor areas."

Also see

• How IIoT is delivering predictive analytics and resilience to electrical utilities (TechRepublic)
• IoT, AI, analytics and telematics tin assistance tiny businesses amended their ratio and bottommost line (TechRepublic)
• Internet of Things (IoT): A cheat sheet (TechRepublic)
• Apple Watch Series 7: A cheat expanse (free PDF) (TechRepublic)
• Mobile Device Computing Policy (TechRepublic Premium)
• Internet of Things and astute cities: More must-read coverage (TechRepublic connected Flipboard)