Connectivity Technology Blog

Wi-Fi HaLow is emerging as an important technology for large scale Internet of Things deployments that require long range, energy efficient, and IP native connectivity. Built on the IEEE 802.11ah standard, Wi-Fi HaLow extends Wi-Fi into sub-1 GHz spectrum, typically between 850 and 950 MHz depending on the regulatory domain. Operating well below the traditional 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz Wi-Fi bands allows it to support significantly greater range and better penetration through walls, floors and outdoor obstacles, which makes it well suited to industrial environments, logistics facilities, campuses, utilities and extended coverage smart home scenarios. Where conventional Wi-Fi standards such as Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 are optimised for very high throughput and multi-gigabit applications, Wi-Fi HaLow is targeted at low to moderate data rate IoT workloads. These include telemetry, control, monitoring, and in some cases transmission of images or video streams where bandwidth requirements are modest ra...

Wi-Fi has consistently been a popular topic on this blog so it prompted me to write about Wi-Fi support in Apple iPhone and other devices. The following 802.11 technologies are supported by different Apple devices. Not all devices support all technologies and the same device may support different technologies in different regions. The following is 802.11 compatibility and frequency band:  802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E),  802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5),  802.11n (Wi-Fi 4),  802.11a,  802.11b/g  2.4 GHz or 5 GHz. Apple platforms supporting Wi-Fi 6E can join Wi-Fi 6E networks that are discoverable on 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz channels, and on 6 GHz Preferred Scanning Channels, where 6 GHz is allowed by regulatory domain. Wi‑Fi 6E isn’t available in mainland China. In addition, various roaming optimisation support technologies are implemented to improve roaming performance and device battery life with features such as: Radio Measurement (802.11k): To deliver the list of neighbo...

When I posted about Wi-Fi 8 last year, I didn't realise that Wi-Fi was a popular topic on this blog and not only did it make it to the Top 5 posts , the previous post on Wi-Fi 7 made it too, even though it was posted back in the end of 2020. The paper posted last year has undergone revision and a new version of 'What Will Wi-Fi 8 Be? A Primer on IEEE 802.11bn Ultra High Reliability' is available here . Quoting the abstract:  What will Wi-Fi 8 be? Driven by the strict requirements of emerging applications, next-generation Wi-Fi is set to prioritize Ultra High Reliability (UHR) above all. In this paper, we explore the journey towards IEEE 802.11bn UHR, the amendment that will form the basis of Wi-Fi 8. We first present new use cases calling for further Wi-Fi evolution and associated standardization, certification, and spectrum allocation efforts. We then introduce a selection of the main disruptive features envisioned for Wi-Fi 8 and their associated research challenges, re...

6 GHz band is in demand for possible use with Wi-Fi or Cellular use. The fate of this band will be decided in the upcoming World Radiocommunication Conference 2023 (WRC-23). In the meantime this has provided license to mobile operators to try new things out. Recently in a press release, Deutsche Telekom (DT) announced that they have managed to achieve 12 Gbps+ using carrier aggregation (CA) with 5G licensed band. The following is an extract from their press release : Telekom has set a new world record in mobile radio: In Alzey, a data rate of 12 gigabits per second was measured during tests. Data speed and bandwidth were thus up to twelve times higher than in today's 5G network. These high data rates were made possible by the additional use of the frequency spectrum at 6 gigahertz (6 GHz). These frequencies are not yet available for mobile communications. At the World Radiocommunication Conference in November, the use from 2025 onwards will be discussed. For the test under real con...

Back in 2020 we looked at the introductory post of Wi-Fi 7 which was followed up by a more detailed post in Feb 2022. We are now following on with an introductory post on the next generation Wi-Fi.  A new paper on arXiv explores the journey towards IEEE 802.11bn Ultra High Reliability (UHR), the amendment that will form the basis of Wi-Fi 8. Quoting selected items from the paper  below: After providing an overview of the nearly completed Wi-Fi 7 standard, we present new use cases calling for further Wi-Fi evolution. We also outline current standardization, certification, and spectrum allocation activities, sharing updates from the newly formed UHR Study Group. We then introduce the disruptive new features envisioned for Wi-Fi 8 and discuss the associated research challenges. Among those, we focus on access point coordination and demonstrate that it could build upon 802.11be multi-link operation to make Ultra High Reliability a reality in Wi-Fi 8. The IEEE 802.11bn UHR: Whose ...

After years of wondering if smart devices and gadgets in home made by multiple vendors would be able to talk to each other, there is a hope. Two new protocols, Matter and Thread, are enabling devices to quickly talk to each other. The Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) is responsible for Matter and describes it as: Matter is the foundation for connected things. This industry–unifying standard is a promise of reliable, secure connectivity—a seal of approval that devices will work seamlessly together, today and tomorrow. Matter is creating more connections between more objects, simplifying development for manufacturers and increasing compatibility for consumers. The Thread Group explains Thread as follows: Thread is a low-power and low-latency wireless mesh networking protocol built using open and proven standards. Thread solves the complexities of the IoT, addressing challenges such as interoperability, range, security, energy, and reliability. Thread networks have no single point ...

We have looked at Wi-Fi 7, a.k.a. IEEE 802.11be  earlier . The technology is still undergoing standardization with a final release expected in 2024. A recent IEEE Spectrum article details speed evolution of IEEE 802.11.  Wi-Fi went mainstream with the 802.11g standard in 2003, which improved performance and reliability over earlier 802.11a/b standards. My first 802.11g adapter was a revelation when I installed it in my ThinkPad’s PC Card slot. A nearby café jumped on the trend, making a midday coffee-and-classwork break possible. That wasn’t a thing before 802.11g. Still, 802.11g often tried your patience. Anything but an ideal connection left me staring at half-loaded Web pages. I soon learned which spots in the café had the best connection. Wi-Fi 6, released in 2019, has maximum speeds of 600 megabits per second for the single band and 9,608 Mb/s on a single network. That’s nearly 40 percent as fast as the Wi-Fi 5 standard and more than 175 times as fast as the 802.11g conn...

Hurricanes are not so uncommon nowadays in the USA. Many a times the terrestrial infrastructure gets severely damaged or destroyed. In that situation, one of the easiest way is to use satellite backhaul along with COWs (Cell On Wheels). During Hurricane Ida, Verizon Response Team set-up a COW with satellite backhaul to ensure LTE and Wi-Fi connectivity for the First responders in Louisiana. One video is embedded below: Frankly, it's not just in USA where satellite connectivity helps. SpaceX's Starlink came to rescue of German communities impacted by disastrous floods last year.  Starlink satellite broadband connecting German communities ravaged by floods, including phone and internet outages. "We have never seen such a disaster. It's really devastating," said the Rhineland-Palatinate state governor, Malu Dreyer. @Tesmanian_com https://t.co/3EpvFOGkm5 pic.twitter.com/lnEutCAN6W — Gary Lerude (@MWJGary) July 27, 2021 Of course when the infrastructure gets damag...

It has long been a dream of wireless telecom technologists to create a technology where devices can even connect to the network even if there is no direct coverage. In 3G days we used to call it Opportunity Driven Multiple Access ( ODMA ) but it was never standardised. Then we also have similar concept with multihop cellular network ( MCN ). Then you also have generic terms Ad-Hoc networks and Relays . There has been no shortage of repackaging the concept to create a network of networks . So what exactly is Sidewalk? Quoting from this Light Reading article : The Sidewalk network – which relies on Bluetooth Low Energy for short-range communication, 900MHz LoRa or frequency-shift keyring over longer distances – is set to max out at 80 Kbit/s on any Amazon device operating as a Sidewalk "bridge." And Amazon caps Sidewalk's per-customer data usage at 500MB a month. Amazon did notify customers about Sidewalk and it gave them opt-out instructions. But the shared network servic...

We have covered tutorials on IoT, IIoT and even Industry 4.0 as part of 3G4G. Recently, Cambridge Wireless (CW), the well known international community for companies involved in the research, development and application of wireless and mobile, internet, semiconductor and software technologies relaunched their Industrial IoT SIG. As part of the relaunch, a refresher webinar was held to explain the concept of Industrial IoT. All the sessions as well as the Q&A session were fantastic. You can view the resources here once shared. For this blog post, we are looking at the final talk by Sylvia Lu, FRSA, Head of Technology Strategy, u-blox UK, Member of Advisory Board, UK5G. Let's start with some example use cases on the factory floor that you can see shown in the picture above. Some of the topics that are shown in the picture has been covered as part of other blog posts and are listed at the bottom of this post. This slide nicely summarizes not only the cellular and 5G standard...

NTT Technical Review Vol. 19, No. 2, Feb. 2021 provided a fantastic summary of Standardization of Next-generation Wireless LANs in the IEEE 802.11 Working Group. Here is an extract from the article : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 is a working group (WG) within the IEEE 802 LAN/MAN Standards Committee that helps develop standards related to local area networks (LANs) and metropolitan area networks (MANs). It is responsible for standardization of physical layer and medium access control (MAC) layer technologies of wireless LANs. There are several types of subgroups within the IEEE 802.11 WG. A task group (TG) is a subgroup responsible for developing a technical standard or recommended practice. A study group is a preparatory group to create a TG to discuss use cases, technologies, and feasibilities. As a result of discussion, a study group creates documents called Project Authorization Request and Criteria for Standards Development. There are also a grou...

It's been a while since we looked at the 5G vs Wi-Fi debate. In the meantime, 5G rollouts have gained momentum while Wi-Fi 6 (a.k.a. 802.11ax) has started appearing in the devices as well. Hence the debate of whether 5G or Wi-Fi makes more sense indoors keeps going on.  It should be pointed out that the discussion is more about Enterprise and Private networks, rather than Wi-Fi vs Cellular at home. Ericsson has been looking at this debate and their whitepaper argues that both Wi-Fi and Cellular have a role to play indoors.  As one would expect, one of the conclusions is that 5G will play a larger role in future connectivity scenarios as 5G NR supports more use cases than Wi-Fi 6, is more reliable, and provides both wide and local-area coverage with mobility. Many service providers will benefit from the added value of 5G NR and the fact that ultimately, they get more for their money. 5G is also the best fit for addressing emerging new IoT use cases. The paper also contains a...

We have been writing about Wi-Fi for a long time, weather it's to do with indoor connectivity , competition with 5G or just a name change to something simpler. When we last wrote about WiFi 6, a.k.a. 802.11ax, we were expecting a quick adoption of the technology in the industry. We are still not there yet.  You know what's strange? None of the new @madebygoogle gadgets from yesterday support Wi-Fi 6. Not the Pixel 5, not the Pixel 4a 5G, not the Nest Audio, and not the new Chromecast. pic.twitter.com/QtJ8iB9FeO — Ry Crist (@rycrist) October 1, 2020 Take for instance the new iPhone 12 supports Wi-Fi 6 in all their models as one would expect but none of the new Google Pixel phones (4a, 4a 5G and 5) support it. In fact none of the new Google devices support it. Which is rather bizarre. While we are still looking forward to Wi-Fi 6 becoming widespread, IEEE has already started working on the successor of 802.11ax, 802.11be - Standard for Information technology--Telecommunicati...

 I have looked at Wireless Wireline Convergence (WWC) and Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) in many different posts in our blog posts (see related posts at the end).  The training company, Mpirical, recently added a short video on 5G Wireline Access and what exactly it will bring us. This video is taken from their 5G Wireline Access course and  explains how connectivity with wireline access networks is supported in 5G networks. The video is embedded below. With Voice over Wi-Fi gaining prominence and offloading becoming a necessity in many cases as well, WWC is the next logical step that quite a few operators are looking at. The main dependency is having 5G core, so we will have to wait for Standalone 5G to be rolled out before this can be tried with real users and a commercial network.  Related Posts : Connectivity Technology Blog: Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) and the Path to 5G Wireless Wireline Convergence (WWC) The 3G4G Blog: 5G and Fixed-Mobile Convergence (FMC) Th...