How Wi-Fi HaLow Is Shaping the Future of IoT and Smart Cities

­At the heart of this transformation into digital ecosystems has been the Internet of Things (IoT), where connected sensors, smart meters, and embedded controls work together to optimize how cities consume energy, monitor traffic, reduce emissions, and protect public safety.

As the scale and complexity of these systems grow, so do the demands placed on them. What’s emerging now is something bigger; a shift towards IoT 2.0. This next wave moves beyond simple connectivity to prioritize intelligence, autonomy, and real-time responsiveness across large, distributed systems. Think devices that not only report data, but also analyze, decide, and act. Think networks that scale without friction and operate without fail.

As IoT scales, many city planners and utility providers face a connectivity bottleneck. Legacy networks like 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, LoRaWAN, and Wi-SUN are hitting their limits in terms of range, reliability, and throughput. Cellular alternatives offer speed but come with cost and power trade-offs. What’s emerging now is a wireless solution that balances power, penetration, and performance called Wi-Fi HaLow.

Also known as IEEE 802.11ah, Wi-Fi HaLow is poised to become the cornerstone of smart metering infrastructure and a critical enabler for the next generation of smart cities. More than that, it can become the wireless backbone of IoT 2.0 - where always-on, low-power, edge-intelligent devices serve as autonomous nodes in smarter, more adaptive urban systems.

Smart Meters: A New Role in the Smart Grid

Historically, smart meters were introduced to automate billing and simplify meter reading. But their role is expanding. In modern grids, especially those supporting renewable energy sources like wind and solar, energy availability can fluctuate dramatically. Smart meters are evolving to manage demand in near real-time, adjusting appliance usage and EV charging based on supply variability.

Imagine a city where thousands of homes are powered by solar panels. On a cloudy day, energy generation could drop suddenly. In this scenario, the smart meter must not only notify the utility but also help balance in-home energy use by slowing EV charging, prioritizing HVAC, or pulling power from a battery.

This level of control requires the meter to do a lot of heavy lifting: local processing, real-time communication with devices, and fast, reliable backhaul. Wi-Fi HaLow helps meet these demands. In an IoT 2.0 context, smart meters become smart agents, able to negotiate usage with other devices, participate in dynamic pricing events, and optimize loads locally using embedded intelligence.

Why Traditional Connectivity Falls Short

The dominant short-range wireless technology in homes today - 2.4GHz Wi-Fi - was never designed for IoT. High frequencies like 2.4GHz and 5GHz attenuate quickly through walls and floors. This becomes a real problem in smart homes where a signal must travel from the meter, which is often outside, to a router, gateway, or smart appliances indoors.

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In contrast, Wi-Fi HaLow operates in the sub-GHz spectrum (typically 900MHz). That lower frequency penetrates physical barriers more effectively, delivering 10x the range when compared to traditional Wi-Fi. Additionally, where a 2.4GHz signal may degrade after two or three walls, Wi-Fi HaLow can maintain strong, stable connectivity through several walls, which is crucial for linking meters with in-home energy systems like solar inverters, batteries, and smart thermostats.

This type of resilient, long-range connectivity is what enables the distributed intelligence required for IoT 2.0 - where decision-making happens closer to the edge, not just in the cloud.

LAN vs. WAN: A Smart City Perspective

One of the most important shifts for planners and utilities to recognize is that Wi-Fi HaLow is a Local Area Network (LAN) solution, not a Wide Area Network (WAN). While WAN technologies like LTE or 5G are designed to cover entire countries, Wi-FI HaLow’s sweet spot is creating large-scale, high-performance LANs that extend far beyond the footprint of traditional Wi-Fi. By design, it is a Local Area Network (LAN) solution, not a WAN.

Why this matters:

●      LAN at scale: Wi-Fi HaLow enables enterprises, municipalities, and industries to create large-scale LANs that stretch across factories, campuses, farms, or even entire smart cities

●      Native IP and Wi-Fi interoperability: As it is a Wi-Fi protocol, Wi-Fi HaLow devices interoperate seamlessly with the broader Wi-Fi ecosystem. This means devices speak natively to each other, making integration with existing infrastructure and cloud platforms frictionless

●      Smart cities use-cases: Imagine city-wide LAN networks connecting lighting, traffic signals, environmental sensors, and security cameras - all without the recurring fees of cellular WAN solutions

In short, smart cities don’t need every sensor to connect through a cellular WAN. Instead, they need scalable LANs that keep intelligence local, costs low, and systems interoperable. Wi-Fi HaLow provides that missing layer by bridging the gap between traditional Wi-Fi’s and many of the alternatives. It isn’t confined to a single building - it can extend kilometres. It’s not limited to dozens of devices - it can scale to hundreds per access point. And unlike WAN-based alternatives, it keeps intelligence local, secure, and cost-efficient.

Behind-the-Meter Benefits: Whole-Home Coverage Without Repeaters

One of the most overlooked benefits of Wi-Fi HaLow is that it can eliminate the need for extenders, mesh repeaters, or rewiring. A single Wi-Fi HaLow access point can cover several hundred meters with walls and interference inside a house and up to a kilometer in open conditions. This drastically reduces deployment costs for utilities and simplifies integration for OEMs and consumers alike.

It also supports the architectural shift toward distributed IoT clusters - where large numbers of nodes operate semi-independently in a mesh of local intelligence. And, with support for hundreds of devices per access point, utilities can use one Wi-Fi HaLow gateway to connect an entire multi-dwelling unit (MDU) or dense urban block, streamlining infrastructure.

Real-World Field Trials and Global Momentum

In recent global field trials coordinated by the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA), Wi-Fi HaLow was validated across several smart city applications, including smart metering, environmental sensors, and building automation.

The trials showcased Wi-Fi HaLow’s long-range capabilities, stable signal performance in dense environments, and energy efficiency in battery-powered devices. These results reinforced Wi-Fi HaLow’s potential as a unifying wireless layer for smart infrastructure.

Australia, Japan, United States and Indonesia are among the countries exploring Wi-Fi HaLow-based deployments for electricity smart metering, thanks in part to the technology’s performance in both urban and rural conditions.

Looking Ahead: Wi-Fi HaLow in the Smart City Stack

In the near future, no single wireless technology will dominate smart cities. Instead, a hybrid network architecture will emerge. IoT 2.0 will demand networks that are flexible, hierarchical, and interoperable, with local edge mesh networks feeding up into broader urban data fabrics. Some technologies will likely remain, such as cellular (LTE and 5G) continuing to support high-bandwidth edge compute use cases. Also, LoRaWAN and Wi-SUN will persist in remote and cost-sensitive applications.

But Wi-Fi HaLow is likely to fill a growing gap, serving as the go-to technology for mid-tier IoT applications where traditional Wi-Fi can’t reach and cellular is overkill.

Expect to see Wi-Fi HaLow expand into:

●      EV chargers and home energy management

●      Parking meters and traffic sensors

●      Building management systems in commercial real estate

●      Agricultural monitoring in smart rural communities

●      Security and surveillance systems in cities and campuses

From Smart Meters to Smart Cities

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Connectivity is the backbone of every smart city, and choosing the right wireless layer is critical for success. Wi-Fi HaLow offers a compelling combination of performance, scalability, and cost-effectiveness, which will prove ideal for evolving applications like smart metering that demand robust, low-power, long-range links.

Beyond connectivity, IoT 2.0 demands a new mindset - networks that enable intelligence, adaptability, and autonomy at scale.

As cities become more intelligent, utilities more dynamic, and consumers more energy-conscious, Wi-Fi HaLow stands ready to connect it all, quietly enabling the next wave of sustainable, connected infrastructure.

Security is another critical component when evaluating smart grid technologies. Wi-Fi HaLow adheres to the IEEE 802.11ah standard, which includes robust security protocols such as WPA3. These security features offer end-to-end encryption and secure authentication, critical for protecting smart meters and other IoT endpoints from cyber threats. In contrast, some legacy systems may lack the ability to scale their security infrastructure to meet today’s growing cybersecurity demands.

The regulatory and certification landscape is also evolving to support the mass deployment of Wi-Fi HaLow. With the Wi-Fi Alliance’s Wi-Fi CERTIFIED HaLow program now established, device interoperability is assured across vendors, giving utilities and municipalities more confidence when integrating Wi-Fi HaLow into their smart city infrastructure. This development promotes faster adoption and smoother integration across ecosystems, particularly in complex environments involving multiple device types and manufacturers.

For large-scale mass deployments, scalability is essential.  With the ability to connect hundreds of devices per access point, Wi-Fi HaLow stands out in its ability to serve dense smart grid environments. In high-density urban areas, this enables a single network to support a wide variety of smart city applications, from metering and EV charging to smart lighting and traffic systems, without requiring extensive infrastructure build-out or multiple gateways.

Another often overlooked benefit of Wi-Fi HaLow is its use of license-free spectrum. This eliminates costly carrier contracts and allows utility operators to control their own network infrastructure. Unlike LTE or 5G networks, which operate on licensed spectrum and require ongoing fees and third-party agreements, Wi-Fi HaLow networks can be owned, operated, and maintained internally, reducing long-term costs and enabling greater deployment flexibility.

Beyond energy metering, Wi-Fi HaLow’s low-power, long-range connectivity opens the door to a broader ecosystem of smart city services. For instance, environmental monitoring stations can be deployed throughout cities without relying on power-hungry or short-range technologies. These sensors can collect and transmit data on air quality, temperature, humidity, and noise pollution, enabling municipalities to make data-driven decisions that improve quality of life.

As we look ahead, the convergence of energy management, urban planning, and IoT innovation will demand wireless solutions that are adaptable, secure, and scalable. Wi-Fi HaLow has proven itself as a transformative technology in this space. With its ability to bridge the gap between constrained legacy systems and the demands of tomorrow’s smart cities, it is well-positioned to serve as the foundational wireless platform for a more connected, efficient, and sustainable urban future.

Morse Micro