Wifi HaLow is entering real-world commercial IoT deployments across a range of sectors, according to a white paper from the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA).

Use cases include smart homes, smart cities, building automation, smart retail, industrial IoT and agriculture. These are said to demonstrate how Wifi HaLow addresses a wide range of IoT applications.

The WBA is a global organisation that connects people with the latest wifi initiatives. Its Wifi HaLow for IoT programme has moved into a different phase, showcasing 802.11ah Wifi HaLow technology in real-world use cases with contributing industry members.

The Wifi HaLow for IoT white paper (wballiance.com/resource/wifi-halow-iot) released last week gives an overview of the features, expected use cases and markets for Wifi HaLow.

These commercial deployments demonstrate how Wifi HaLow extends the benefits of wifi into more IoT applications where unique technical challenges must be overcome to realise the business benefits. Wifi HaLow delivers extended ranges, improved material penetration capabilities, extended battery life, enhanced device density, reduced end-to-end delay, higher security, ease of installation and management, and elevated data throughput in IoT scenarios.

In the coming months, the project team will test the use cases and applications to demonstrate the benefits and performance Wifi HaLow has in the real world, including understanding crucial metrics such as coverage areas, data rates, throughput and signal reliability. A detailed analysis from the trials will inform deployment guides, helping the wider industry roll-out IoT applications without having to resort to proprietary or non-IP technologies to gain the automation, insights and business benefits that IoT promises to deliver. These include applications in:

• Smart homes – Evaluate Wifi HaLow against traditional wifi in security cameras, HVAC, appliances, detached garage connections, solar power systems, power backup generators and EV chargers.
• Smart cities – Focus on infrastructure monitoring, smart utilities and traffic management to highlight wider coverage benefits, high data throughput, increased device density and low-cost maintenance.
• Smart building automation – Conduct testing to support smart building applications such as physical security, surveillance, access control, safety alarms and water sensors.
• Smart retail – Showcase how Wifi HaLow enhances consumer satisfaction and increases productivity for retailers and partners. The assessment will cover scanners, readers, point-of-sale equipment, asset tracking, security monitoring, warehouse robots and handlers.
• Industrial IoT – A focus on testing industrial applications including asset tracking, infrastructure monitoring, remote equipment control, safety automation and security monitoring.
• Agriculture – Trials in smart agriculture or precision farming, including environmental monitoring, soil monitoring, plant health monitoring, actuator control and data collection for predictive breeding.

Wifi HaLow includes a host of features such as operation in the sub-1GHz radio band, use of narrow channel bandwidths, increased number of supported devices and new operating modes to accommodate battery-operated devices. It also builds on the foundations of wifi, retaining such features as the most up-to-date security and native-IP support inherent in all internet connectivity.

“The move to demonstrating Wifi HaLow in real-world scenarios is an important milestone for the WBA and the contributing industry members supporting these activities,” said Tiago Rodrigues, CEO of the WBA. “Each scenario will highlight how Wifi HaLow solves connectivity problems, which previously may have required non-standard RF radio technology or incurred higher costs of ownership.”

Marleen Boonen, CEO of Methods2Business, added: “The initiation of Wifi HaLow’s real-world trials marks a significant milestone, allowing users to first-hand experience the technology’s extended range, energy efficiency and high penetration capabilities. These trials validate Wifi HaLow as reliable and secure IoT connectivity for a wide range of applications in diverse environments, further stimulating adoption. The overwhelming results from the initial trials are a real stimulus for intensifying our investments in this compelling technology.”

Founded in 2003, the WBA (wballiance.com) aims to drive seamless, interoperable service experiences via wifi within the global wireless ecosystem. Its mission is to enable collaboration between service providers, technology companies, cities, regulators and organisations.