HaLow could be exactly what the IoT marketplace is waiting for. It appears to be tailor made to address the delicate balance of communications needs with power requirements for a number of emerging IoT applications. By some accounts, it should deliver a minimum of 160 Kbits/s over at least 100 meters and longer with line of sight. Additionally, it can accommodate more than 8,000 nodes on one access point. This should make it an ideal choice for a range of IoT uses, from agriculture, to utility meters, warehouses, supermarkets, and remote video surveillance cameras. The following article takes a deep dive into the technology, how it works, and the companies that are investing heavily in HaLow’s future.
After an unusual two-year delay, silicon for a new Wi-Fi standard is starting to emerge. Over the next few months, a handful of startups will sample chips for 802.11ah, a 900-MHz version of Wi-Fi targeting long-range links especially for the internet of things.
The so-called HaLow products promise delivery of up to Mbits/s over distances of tens of meters to a kilometer and support for thousands of nodes on an access point. They will occupy a space between ultra-low-power and -cost LoRa and Sigfox networks and below more power-hungry LTE Cat-M and Narrowband-IoT networks that come with data plans.
