The Wi - Fi Alliance has formally announced the new Wi - Fi standard , which doubles the range , uses less power and allows better penetration of walls and other obstacles . Designed specifically around IoT , the standard - dubbed HaLow - uses a lower - power , higher - range spectrum than that used by modern Wi - Fi to ensure devices can communicate at a distance without consuming too much energy . The HaLow standard will likely co - exist with other Wi - Fi standards on most devices , meaning users do not need to buy new wireless equipment for the devices to work . However , manufacturers have noted that the standard is hitting the market very late , with product certification only beginning in 2018 , hence many devices are already deciding to opt for low - cost cellular connectivity or other IoT - specific connectivity options such as ZigBee or smart - Wave , over Wi - Fi - based communication .
The Wi-Fi Alliance has formally announced the new Wi-Fi standard, which doubles the range, uses less power and provides better penetration of walls and other obstacles. Designed specifically around IoT, the standard - dubbed HaLow - uses a lower-power, higher-range spectrum than that used by modern Wi-Fi to ensure devices can communicate at a distance without consuming too much energy. The HaLow standard will likely co-exist with other Wi-Fi standards on most devices, meaning users will not need to buy new wireless equipment for the devices to work. However, analysts have noted that the standard is hitting the market very late, with product certification only beginning in 2018, hence many devices are already deciding to opt for low-power cellular modules or other IoT-specific connectivity options such as ZigBee or Z-Wave, over Wi-Fi-based communication.