[OPLIN 4cast] OPLIN 4cast #478: Wi-Fi with a HaLow

[OPLIN Support]

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.
<http://www.oplin.org/4cast/>
[image: OPLIN 4Cast]

OPLIN 4cast #478: Wi-Fi with a HaLow
February 24th, 2016

[image: Wi-Fi snail] Many of our previous posts on this blog about Wi-Fi
have concentrated on new ways <http://www.oplin.org/4cast/?p=5689> to make
Wi-Fi faster. Now let's talk about new ways to make your Wi-Fi slower. Why
would you want slower Wi-Fi? As it happens, a particular type of new Wi-Fi
standard designed to work well with Internet of Things (IoT) devices is
slower, but also requires less power and can pass through walls more easily
than regular Wi-Fi. That may be important if you are planning to deploy
battery-powered sensors in various corners around the library and connect
them to your network. Such sensors typically don't need a fast connection.

   - WiFi HaLow is promising but complicated
   <http://www.networkcomputing.com/wireless/wifi-halow-promising-complicated/623968343>
   (Network Computing | Lee Badman) "Named HaLow by the Wi-Fi Alliance,
   802.11ah works in 900 Mhz. This frequency might sound odd to the
   uninitiated, but the original 802.11 standard actually allowed for 900 MHz
   and Infrared, though neither really went very far because they are both
   quite slow by comparison to what can be done in the higher bands for WLAN
   applications. So, HaLow is slower, and works in a somewhat exotic
   frequency."
   - 802.11ah WiFi will penetrate walls more easily and use less power
   <http://www.geek.com/news/802-11ah-wifi-will-penetrate-walls-more-easily-and-use-less-power-1643756/>
   (Geek | Lee Mathews) "Way down at 900MHz, though, things like walls,
   floors, and doors won't be as much of a problem. According to the WiFi
   Alliance, 802.11ah will also achieve nearly double the range of current
   standards. There's another bonus, too. Because the signal doesn't degrade
   as much when it passes through objects, devices don't consume as much power
   while sending and receiving data."
   - HaLow is the natural next step in the evolution of IoT
   <http://techcrunch.com/2016/02/10/what-the-halow/> (TechCrunch | Jim
   Hunter) "HaLow promises to optimize battery life in 900 MHz-connected
   devices not tethered to real power supplies. Other technologies have
   promised the same in the past, with mixed results, so I am *cautiously*
   optimistic that the work being done by the Wi-Fi Alliance and IEEE with
   802.11ah will become widely adopted as the key communication standard."
   - IoT's sub-GHz 802.11ah Wi-Fi will be dead on arrival, warn analysts
   <http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/10/21/questionable_future_subghz_wifi/>
   (The Register | Shaun Nichols) "Unfortunately, says ABI [Research], it
   already faces increased competition from other low-power wireless data
   standards. And there are technical issues, most notably compatibility
   problems. While previous Wi-Fi standards (such as 802.11n and 802.11ac)
   have been backwards compatible with older devices and access points, using
   an 802.11ah device will also require purchasing an 802.11ah access point.
   In short, you can't use a new .11ah product with your current 802.11n home
   router."

*Articles from Ohio Web Library <http://ohioweblibrary.org>:*

   - Wi-Fi Alliance® introduces low power, long range Wi-Fi HaLow™
   <http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.oplin.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pwh&AN=B2IDMKE1237163>
   (*Marketwired*, 1/4/2016)
   - The down low on HaLow: Wi-Fi for the Internet of Things.
   <http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.oplin.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=113126673&site=ehost-live>
   (*Microwaves & RF*, Feb. 2016, p.20-26)
   - What's the difference between IEEE 802.11 af and 802.11 ah?
   <http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.oplin.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=102210085&site=ehost-live>
   (*Microwaves & RF*, April 2015, p.69-72)

------------------------------
The *OPLIN 4cast* is a weekly compilation of recent headlines, topics, and
trends that could impact public libraries. You can subscribe to it in a
variety of ways, such as:

   - *RSS feed.* You can receive the OPLIN 4cast via RSS feed by
   subscribing to the following URL:
   http://www.oplin.org/4cast/index.php/?feed=rss2.
   - *Live Bookmark.* If you're using the Firefox web browser, you can go
   to the 4cast website (http://www.oplin.org/4cast/) and click on the
   orange "radio wave" icon on the right side of the address bar. In Internet
   Explorer 7, click on the same icon to view or subscribe to the 4cast RSS
   feed.
   - *E-mail.* You can have the OPLIN 4cast delivered via e-mail (a'la
   OPLINlist and OPLINtech) by subscribing to the 4cast mailing list at
   http://mail.oplin.org/mailman/listinfo/OPLIN4cast.

© 2016 Ohio Public Library Information Network
[image: Find us on Slideshare] <http://www.slideshare.net/oplin>  [image:
Find us on Facebook] <http://www.facebook.com/oplin.org>  [image: Find us
on Google+] <https://plus.google.com/107751358238995507967>  [image: Find
us on Twitter] <http://www.twitter.com/oplin>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.oplin.org/pipermail/oplin4cast/attachments/20160224/a429c3b6/attachment.html>