Wi-Fi Alliance vets 802.11ah 'HaLow' standard with almost double current range
A new Wi-Fi standard -- officially dubbed 802.11ah "HaLow" by the Wi-Fi Alliance -- could potentially improve the practicality of home automation platforms, including Apple's HomeKit.
HaLow devices will operate on the unlicensed 900 megahertz band, which is said to offer almost twice the range of standard 2.4 gigahertz Wi-Fi connections, according to the Alliance. The group is a coalition of companies that works to establish Wi-Fi standards.
HaLow should also be better at penetrating through walls and other interfering materials, and moreover require less power from supporting devices, important not just for the home automation market but other categories like cars and wearables.
To get around power issues, a number of "smart" home accessories use Bluetooth instead of Wi-Fi. Bluetooth offers comparatively little bandwidth however, and indeed this is one reason why HomeKit has stalled as a platform until recently. The high levels of encryption mandated by Apple mean that Bluetooth-based HomeKit accessories can suffer intolerable amounts of lag.
In theory the standard could also be adopted by Apple's own electronics, the Apple Watch being an ideal candidate. The first-generation Watch connects to 2.4-gigahertz 802.11n Wi-Fi networks, but normally depends on a Bluetooth tether to a paired iPhone.
There's no indication yet of when the first 802.11ah devices might begin to hit retail.
HaLow devices will operate on the unlicensed 900 megahertz band, which is said to offer almost twice the range of standard 2.4 gigahertz Wi-Fi connections, according to the Alliance. The group is a coalition of companies that works to establish Wi-Fi standards.
HaLow should also be better at penetrating through walls and other interfering materials, and moreover require less power from supporting devices, important not just for the home automation market but other categories like cars and wearables.
To get around power issues, a number of "smart" home accessories use Bluetooth instead of Wi-Fi. Bluetooth offers comparatively little bandwidth however, and indeed this is one reason why HomeKit has stalled as a platform until recently. The high levels of encryption mandated by Apple mean that Bluetooth-based HomeKit accessories can suffer intolerable amounts of lag.
In theory the standard could also be adopted by Apple's own electronics, the Apple Watch being an ideal candidate. The first-generation Watch connects to 2.4-gigahertz 802.11n Wi-Fi networks, but normally depends on a Bluetooth tether to a paired iPhone.
There's no indication yet of when the first 802.11ah devices might begin to hit retail.
Comments
Although having these work together is the key. I personally believe, that all home kit devices should come equipped with both wifi and Bluetooth and not only communicate with the hub, but act as boosters.
Example: I'm listening to music off my iPhone that is charging downstairs with Bluetooth headphones, and I go outside of Bluetooth range. The hub could determine the closest hub connected device (be it an upstairs Apple TV, hue lights, or maybe even a dedicated booster the size of an iPad charger plugged into an outlet) send the music via wifi, then that device send it to the my headset via Bluetooth.
The extended range would be welcome at my place.
Pretty much any consumer radio you can configure yourself operates in unlicensed spectrum.
You would not believe how busy the airwaves are getting, especially in concentrated areas, like inside of a home. If you're experiencing that much trouble keeping your devices connected, then likely something is interfering. You need to make some configuration changes, not just blame the tech.
Definitely make sure you have a decent router. Not every router is up to the job. Don't cheap out on this item. Apple routers are excellent, but any router in the $100+ range should likely do a great job.
Change radio channels on your router. if all of your neighbours are using Channel 11, then there's going to be trouble. Choose a radically different channel and see if things improve.
Turn off any wireless tech that you are not actively using. For example, if you never use Bluetooth from your computer(s), turn it off until you need it.