1. Introduction to Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) is currently a common wireless communication method, carrying more than half of Internet traffic. Wi-Fi is a general term covering the 802.11 communication protocol series, which is owned and promoted by the Wi-Fi Alliance. The 802.11 communication protocol has been developed for more than two decades. In order to simplify the names of each generation of Wi-Fi, numerical nomenclature is mostly used, such as Wi-Fi 4 = 802.11n, Wi-Fi 5 = 802.11ac, Wi-Fi 6 = 802.11ax .
2. The emergence of Wi-Fi HaLow
With the rapid growth of the Internet of Things (IoT), IoT devices require ultra-low-power wireless connections, forcing people to rethink traditional Wi-Fi.
Wi-Fi HaLow (pronounced "HEY-low") was released in May 2017. It uses IEEE 802.11ah technology and has longer transmission distance and lower power consumption than traditional Wi-Fi, making it easy to connect a large number of Internet of Things. equipment.
Traditional Wi-Fi technology generally runs at 2.4GHz and 5GHz, while Wi-Fi HaLow runs at 900MHz (unlicensed frequency band). The lower frequency gives Wi-Fi HaLow a longer signal range and better signal penetration through walls. and other objects. At the same time, Wi-Fi HaLow has low power consumption and can support the operation of button battery devices for months or years, meeting the needs of the Internet of Things. The Wi-Fi HaLow standard's unique combination of energy efficiency, long-range connectivity, low latency, high-definition video quality, data rates, security features, and native IP support makes it ideal for use in sensors, wearables, smart buildings, and smart city environments. has good application prospects.
3. Comparison between Wi-Fi HaLow and traditional Wi-Fi
| project |
Wi-Fi 4/5/6(IEEE 802.11n/ac/ax) |
Wi-Fi HaLow (IEEE 802.11ah) |
| frequency |
2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz |
Sub-1GHz (900MHz) |
| channel width |
20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz |
1MHz, 2MHz, 4MHz, 8MHz |
| Maximum number of single point accesses |
2007 |
8191 |
| Single point transmission rate |
6.5~150Mb/s(802.11n, Wi-Fi 4) |
150Kb/s~86.7Mb/s |
| Coverage |
100m |
1Km |
4. Comparison between Wi-Fi HaLow and LoRa
| project |
LoRa |
Wi-Fi HaLow (IEEE 802.11ah) |
| Maximum number of single point accesses |
120 |
8191 |
| Coverage |
10Km |
1Km |
| safety |
weak |
powerful |
| Single point transmission rate |
0.3~50kb/s |
150Kb/s~86.7Mb/s |
| energy efficiency |
Low |
high |
While LoRa can monitor low-data sensor networks over several kilometers, the need to transmit more data, such as images, videos, or software updates, makes Wi-Fi HaLow the obvious choice.
5. Features of Wi-Fi HaLow
1) Wi-Fi HaLow operates in the <1 GHz spectrum to provide longer range and lower power consumption connections.
2) Unlike similar IoT technologies, Wi-Fi HaLow supports native IP and does not require proprietary gateways, controllers or hubs, which greatly simplifies installation and reduces operating costs.
3) Wi-Fi HaLow connects low-bandwidth devices to IP networks including the Internet, supports enough bandwidth to handle HD quality video, and can even be used for rural communications and offloading cell tower traffic.
4) Wi-Fi HaLow supports the latest Wi-Fi authentication requirements (WPA3) and AES encryption of OTA traffic, with data rates that enable secure OTA firmware upgrades.
5) Wi-Fi HaLow uses a single spatial stream with the narrowest bandwidth of 1 MHz to produce from 150 kb/s using MCS 10 with binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulation to the highest using MCS 9 (modulation and coding) Data rate of 4.4 Mb/s.