New Wi-Fi technology allows data transmission 10 times farther than current Wi-Fi

This is considered the longest data transmission distance via Wi-Fi technology in the world to date, 10 times farther and 100 times wider coverage than conventional Wi-Fi standards currently in use.

What is Wi-Fi HaLow?

According to the definition from the Wi-Fi Alliance, “Wi-Fi HaLow is a new Wi-Fi standard that operates in the sub-1 GHz spectrum to provide longer range and lower power connectivity to meet the requirements for the Internet of Things (IoT), enabling a variety of use cases in industrial, agricultural, smart building and smart city environments.”

Wi-Fi HaLow technology has been standardized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) as the IEEE 802.11ah standard. This new Wi-Fi standard operates in the license-free spectrum below 1 GHz, providing data rates from hundreds of Kilobits per second (Kbps) to tens of Megabits per second (Mbps) and over distances of tens of meters to over 1 km.

Wi-Fi HaLow enables wider coverage, increased battery life for Wi-Fi connected devices, and is suitable for wirelessly connected devices through IoT applications. IoT applications are increasingly trending, from sensors, actuators, and security cameras to home automation devices, all aimed at improving the user experience and reducing installation and operating costs.

Although traditional Wi-Fi standards are considered the most popular wireless network protocol used in the world, carrying more than half of all internet traffic, it has also exposed gaps in the technology and weaknesses in today's hyper-connected world. With the rapid growth of IoT devices and the increasing demand for long-range connectivity and low power consumption for many IoT and machine-to-machine (M2M) applications, many development opportunities for Wi-Fi HaLow are opening up in the near future.

Wi-Fi HaLow: a breakthrough in wireless technology

For many years, traditional Wi-Fi protocols have served as the foundation for wireless connectivity. However, the rapid growth of IoT applications in smart homes, building and industrial automation systems, and the proliferation of wireless infrastructures have exposed limitations in coverage and power efficiency. In 2016, Morse Micro recognized this challenge and developed Wi-Fi HaLow to address these technology gaps. Today, Wi-Fi HaLow is rapidly being deployed. The Wi-Fi Alliance is also taking important steps to promote the connectivity benefits of this protocol, expanding the reach of other existing Wi-Fi standards.

The protocol's unprecedented 3 km transmission range is supported by Morse Micro's Wi-Fi CERTIFIED HaLow SoC (system on a chip) solution, opening up the prospect of large-scale Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

Wi-Fi HaLow overcomes the limitations of traditional Wi-Fi, allowing the technology to penetrate obstacles and deliver unprecedented performance, even in noisy environments with many connected devices and cameras. Wi-Fi HaLow not only increases coverage but also extends battery life thanks to its power-saving features.

Commenting on the breakthrough, Michael De Nil, co-founder and CEO of Morse Micro, said: “The successful demonstration of a 3 km Wi-Fi HaLow-based video call in a challenging real-world urban environment marks a major milestone for Wi-Fi connectivity, showcasing the incredible range of this wireless protocol.”

“Wi-Fi HaLow is a revolutionary technology that breaks all the limits of current wireless connectivity. With unparalleled coverage, ultra-low power consumption and superior speed, Wi-Fi HaLow is leading the way in the IoT space and is the future of wireless connectivity,” added Michael De Nil.

The Difference Between Traditional Wi-Fi and HaLow Wi-Fi

Traditional Wi-Fi allows users to transfer data quickly thanks to the use of wider frequency channels in the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands. However, because it operates on higher frequency bands, the coverage is narrower, and devices connected to this Wi-Fi system will consume more power, leading to rapid battery drain, requiring the device to be charged frequently or connected to a power source.

Meanwhile, Wi-Fi HaLow is built on orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) technology, ensuring high security and efficiency in frequency spectrum resources. At the same time, the use of narrower frequency channels in the sub-1 GHz band will allow the signal to penetrate better through obstacles and cover a range 10 times further than traditional Wi-Fi, up to 3 km without the need for a signal amplifier.

Operating in the industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band, Wi-Fi HaLow can use frequency bands between 750 - 950 MHz, depending on different countries and regions.

In addition, Wi-Fi HaLow is also very suitable for IoT devices because a single access point (AP) can handle up to 8,191 devices, 4 times more than a traditional Wi-Fi AP. This is considered an advantage to connect any light bulb, light switch, smart door lock, temperature controller, fire alarm, security camera or any smart home device in the future.

Providing end users with a wireless IoT solution with a range of hundreds of meters without the need for additional amplifiers or expensive cellular data plans is a key competitive advantage of the 802.11ah protocol. With its long-range reach, Wi-Fi HaLow allows users to control IoT devices at long distances, far beyond the reach of traditional Wi-Fi protocols.

The network congestion, coverage limitations, high power consumption, and limited number of devices connected to a single access point of traditional Wi-Fi standards are no longer suitable in the connected world of smart devices. Such limitations have hindered IoT-centric business models that are increasingly emerging in industries, healthcare, smart cities, etc. Therefore, the successful test of data transmission with a distance of up to 3 km of the Wi-Fi HaLow standard is expected to overcome the above limitations.

Wi-Fi HaLow Use Cases

In its initial deployment phase, Wi-Fi HaLow is expected to be used in both indoor and outdoor applications where standard Wi-Fi is not accessible such as in the case of battery-operated surveillance systems, wireless cameras, and doorbells.

Another typical use case is hotspots, where a single Wi-Fi HaLow access point can replace a large number of traditional Wi-Fi access points. Wi-Fi HaLow’s star topology, high penetration, wide coverage, and high capacity frees up connectivity from difficult-to-deploy and bandwidth-constrained mesh networks, simplifying network installation and reducing costs.

Wi-Fi HaLow stands out for its versatility. The potential use cases for Wi-Fi HaLow are broad, enabling everything to stay connected in an increasingly automated world, including: Smart homes; Surveillance systems; Access control; Industrial process control; Logistics and asset management; Retail; Building automation; Mobile devices; Smart cities; Sensors for agriculture and the environment.