Wi-Fi HaLow Will Offer Greater Range and Battery Life for Smart Home Devices
The Wi-Fi industry has made a lot of progress with the Wi-Fi HaLow standard, and devices supporting the technology are expected on the market this year. The standard, also known as IEEE 802.11ah, is designed for Internet of Things (IoT) communications and could be a useful option for certain security and smart home equipment.
Wi-Fi HaLow operates in the sub-1 GHz band, thereby enabling longer range and lower power consumption in comparison with other Wi-Fi options. Operation at that frequency also offers superior ability to penetrate walls or other barriers.
According to the Wi-Fi Alliance, Wi-Fi HaLow supports applications such as streaming compressed video cameras at ranges nearly three times that of Wi-Fi operating at 5 GHz. Wi-Fi HaLow also can cover distances as great as 1 kilometer, although bandwidth transmitted is relatively low over greater distances – in the range of 150 kbps.
The low power requirements offer another benefit – long battery life. Devices such as IoT sensors, personal wearable devices, utility meters and thermostats will be able to operate for years without a change of batteries, the Wi-Fi Alliance says.
Wi-Fi HaLow also uses the latest in Wi-Fi security, including WPA3 and Wi-Fi Enhanced Open, and will support future security protocols as they evolve. It also should be easy to integrate with previous-generation Wi-Fi equipment, according to the alliance.
Products that are expected to use Wi-Fi HaLow include thermostats and security cameras. Wi-Fi Alliance announced a HaLow certification program in November and some products using the technology are expected to hit the market this year.
Security Equipment Supply (SES) is a leading wholesale security, smart home, access control and audio/video equipment distributor in the U.S. with 37 years of experience serving audio/video and security professionals. We carry a full line of security and smart home equipment, and our knowledgeable salespeople can help dealers with selecting the right equipment for their installations. We look forward to offering products supporting the Wi-Fi HaLow standard as they become available