Wi-Fi HaLow: What is it and why you might need it
While Wi-Fi 7 garners attention as the newest and fastest Wi-Fi technology, the evolution of the Internet of Things (IoT) brings Wi-Fi CERTIFIED HaLow into the spotlight—a Wi-Fi standard designed to meet the connectivity needs of an expanding global IoT ecosystem, expected to burgeon to 27 billion devices by 2025, according to IoT Analytics.
Wi-Fi HaLow, poised to transform diverse environments ranging from smart homes to urban landscapes, offers robust, far-reaching, and energy-efficient wireless connectivity solutions essential for the IoT’s transformative era. Here’s everything you need to know about Wi-Fi HaLow.
Wi-Fi HaLow, based on the IEEE 802.11ah protocol and introduced in 2016, operates on sub-1GHz frequencies, distinct from the traditional 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz frequencies used by Wi-Fi 5, Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E, and Wi-Fi 7 protocols.
This lower frequency range enables Wi-Fi HaLow to deliver connectivity over greater distances, supporting connections up to three kilometers and beyond in line-of-sight scenarios, while also penetrating dense materials with its narrowband signals. Although its use of lower frequencies results in narrower channels and lower bandwidth—yielding data rates from 150 Kbps up to 86.7 Mbps depending on the distance—Wi-Fi HaLow effectively addresses key IoT challenges such as extended range and low power consumption.
