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The Wi-Fi Alliance has announced a new IEEE specification 802.11ah, which it claims has been specifically developed for the new trend of the Internet of Things (IoT).
Nicknamed HaLow, the new specification is aimed at connecting everything in the IoT environment, whether it be devices, smart cars, or even smart cities
There is already plenty of positivity surrounding the move, with several experts claiming it will bring about a number of key advantages.
Firstly, because it operates within a 900-MHz band, it is capable of penetrating walls, as well as other potential physical barriers, giving it a better range than present 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi bands.
As it operates at a lower-end bandwidth, it also requires less energy, extending the reach of Wi-Fi standards into realms of battery-powered products, which in turn could bring greater prominence to portable and wearable devices in the context of the ongoing IoT trend.
Nevertheless, implementing HaLow is not going to be all plain sailing, with Gartner vice president Tim Zimmerman claiming that a solution within the 900 MHz band is likely to require a separate overlay communication infrastructure of access points.
In the current climate, this is likely to mean that it will need to be separated from existing Wi-Fi access points.
A number of companies and independent groups have already launched their own standardisation efforts in order to create network and application protocols that are designed to facilitate IoT.
With so many standardisations now available, it seems there is little common understanding on how devices can operate in a uniform way.
HaLow's data model suggests there are still plenty of creases to iron out before it reaches widespread adoption, but it does appear to be a reliable way to transmit and receive data over IP for low-power devices.
There is the added consideration that manufacturers of networking hardware are keen to keep to prices down, which means that unless there is a mass of devices working with HaLow, adoption may slow down.
However, HaLow should not be dismissed, as its arrival on the networking scene remains exciting, presenting a step in a smart direction that helps to build on, and broaden, existing technologies. The potential of almost anything being connected through a common world-wide standard could bring the evolution of IoT one step closer.
