- A U.S.–based trial of Wi-Fi HaLow technology by the Wireless Broadband Alliance brings IoT connectivity into homes, farms, factories and schools.
- Based on the results, the standards organization next plans to test the technology in Asia and Europe.
Eight years ago, when the Wi-Fi HaLow protocol was announced, the technology was competing with several other new IoT systems, all vying for a role in the expansion of wireless connectivity. Since then, as systems like LTE, LTM, LoRaWAN, NB-IoT and Sigfox have been tested and deployed, the time has come to revisit the Wi-Fi-based system.
That’s the premise from Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA), which has completed a set of Wi-Fi HaLow IoT projects that found the technology can provide the connectivity needed for a variety of IoT applications.
The system was trialed in the U.S. for smart home, warehousing, smart farm, smart city, smart office building, smart school campus and smart industrial complex environments.
Following the results of the Phase 2 trials, which ended this summer, the WBA is inviting the technology industry players from Europe and the Middle East, and Asia Pacific, to participate in upcoming Phase 3 trials which will further explore how Wi-Fi Halow technology can be used in their regions of the world.
Defining Wi-Fi HaLow
Wi-Fi HaLow is based on the IEEE 802.11ah protocol, using the unlicensed 900 MHz band, as opposed to the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz bands employed by the existing Wi-Fi standards, 802.11b/g/n and 802.11ac.
By leveraging the 900 MHz band, HaLow radios can propagate their signal further than the other Wi-Fi standards. In fact, HaLow devices may be readable at twice the distance of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), and can penetrate walls and other interior obstacles.
“Our focus is complimenting cellular technologies,” said Bruno Tomas, WBA’s CTO, adding the system solves problems that may not be as easily resolved by other system protocols and it can do so in a cost-effective way.
WBA is an association with a broad membership that spans from mobile operators like Comcast, private network operators like Boingo Wireless or the Baldwin Network, infrastructure vendors both from the cellular and the unlicensed broadband sides, device vendors like Apple and Samsung, as well as chip set providers such as Broadcom and Intel, and internet players providers like Google.
The Time May be Right
When HaLow was first developed in 2016 cellular LTE was being deployed exponentially, along with other IoT standards, that were supposed to solve connectivity, performance, security and cost issues. However, over the next seven or eight years, many IoT requirements have not been solved by other protocols, Tomas said.
“Company managers and CIOs don’t want to work with proprietary technology,” for one thing, he said, while Wi-Fi HaLow is an open standard with no proprietary components. And the amount of data being sent is significant as “there are not many IoT technologies that can go up to 85 megabits per second.”
The system enables some unique features. For one thing, devices can divide transmissions—one key example is receiving video transmissions from cameras as much as a kilometer, while also managing data such as sensor measurements from IoT devices, at a distance. That means using one access point for surveillance from multiple cameras, as well as IoT sensor data, which can lower the cost of a deployment. Tomas argued.
Additionally, the system leverages the Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA3) security protocol to safeguard the data being transmitted. The protocol makes the Wi-Fi network more secure and passwords harder to crack.
Thousands of End Points for a Single Gateway
Typically, a single access point (AP) can receive data from up to 8,000 sensors, cameras or other devices. Testing found on average, transmissions at 400 feet could accomplish 20 megabit of digital transfer per second in high density zones.
Users also don’t need to use proprietary apps or gateways. Any vendor can just pick up a device and bundle it, as long as the chip set is Wi-Fi certified. That non-proprietary status means that a system can be used by multiple constituents, such as a bulldozer being tracked at the factory, but then again by a construction company or other user, via the same on-board transmitter.
The U.S. based trials were intended to create the simulation of commercial roll-outs that test some of these features. The goal was to test and prove commercial readiness for some common applications. They found longer range and better wall penetration than previously anticipated, said Tomas.
Trials Tracks Multiple Areas
Among the trials was a smart home system in Denver, CO. CableLabs tested a Wi-Fi HaLow network within a 5,000 square-foot home and across a three-acre lot. The system found a single access point could deliver robust and secure Wi-Fi coverage throughout the property. Over 140 indoor locations were tested, achieving data throughputs above 8 Mbps in high-demand areas and over 2 Mbps in typical usage scenarios.
The system managed 23 simultaneous device connections at MCS7 PHY rates (32 Mbps), with a range over 1410 feet. That demonstrated potential for neighborhood-wide connectivity, said Tomas, for IoT networks.
A warehouse trial near Chicago consisted of a 110,000-square-foot facility with a single access point, delivering varying data rates from 1 Mbps in peripheral zones to 22 Mbps in central areas. The system provided both high-definition video streaming and basic sensor communications such as asset tracking. Outdoor connectivity reached 1,500 feet with strong signal strength, the results found, which are critical for logistics and fleet management.
Scott Farm Market and Greenhouse in Kent, OH, tested Wi-Fi HaLow over a 14-acre agricultural site. The participants deployed a single access point and multiple IoT devices, achieving data rates from 1.3 Mbps at the most challenging points, to 22 Mbps near the access point. The technology supported a multi-camera security system, maintaining consistent video streaming across various locations and resolutions, while also achieving connectivity for 24 IoT devices that simulated typical farm sensors and actuators.
Team Tests Smart City in California
In a smart city trial in Irvine, CA, Wi-Fi HaLow deployment included equipment from Newracom, Morse Micro, and Methods2Business, the technology achieved coverage over a one kilometer radius and up to 1.5 miles area along Irvine Center Drive for safety monitoring and asset tracking across diverse urban landscapes, including retail plazas and business parks.
Also in Irvine, a Wi-Fi HaLow trial in the “smart office building” sector demonstrated extensive and reliable coverage across multiple floors and diverse building materials in one building, overcoming challenges such as metal thermal energy-blocking films on glass, Tomas said. The trial captured data related to the building’s HVAC, energy management, and security systems.
In a trial at Red Hill Lutheran School, Tustin, CA, companies Newracom, Morse Micro, and Methods2Business piloted Wi-Fi HaLow, across a five-acre campus with multiple buildings. Despite challenges from thick concrete walls and audio equipment interference, Wi-Fi HaLow provided extensive indoor and outdoor coverage, the report found, managed interference without adjacent channel disruptions, and supported the potential to scale up to 32,764 IoT devices efficiently.
In an industrial setting, a Tampa, FL. business with heavy machinery and metal structures tested Wi-Fi HaLow, indicating extensive wireless coverage across both indoors and outdoors.
Testing Conclusions
The conclusion of these trials found a longer reach and better penetration than many other IoT systems. Another difference is the cost, Tomas added. That’s because the system can leverage standard Wi-Fi systems with upgrades, and open standard devices.
Today companies such as those that make Wi-Fi chips are building the technology needed to make Wi-Fi HaLow commercially available for IoT devices.
There are about 100,000 Wi-Fi HaLow devices in operation in the U.S. now. Tomas predicted the technology will enter the proven commercial readiness phase, in the U.S., in the fourth quarter of this year, followed with global expansion.