The WiFi Alliance, which controls the WiFi standard, has approved the 802.11ah version of the ubiquitous wireless standard, dubbing it "HaLow." WiFi HaLow operates in the 900MHz frequency band, below the 2.4GHz and 5GHz band. That lower frequency means lower bandwidth than the other bands, but greater range and less power draw. That makes it particularly well-suited for IoT … [Read more...]
MWC Day 2: ANT+ Wants to Supplant Bluetooth in Home Control
If you've heard of ANT+ at all, you almost certainly know it as a way for your fitness equipment to communicate -- probably your chest strap to your treadmill or high-end fitness watch. But Garmin-owned ANT+ wants to be, oh, so much more: it wants to be how devices in your home are controlled and communicate. That's a field with no lack of standards, of course. WTI sat down … [Read more...]
IEEE Starts Work on Updated Wearable Health Standards
Technical standards are terribly important; without them, everything is proprietary. Everyday things like plugs and outlets? There's standards for that. And Ethernet didn't take over the world until the IEEE 802 standards got set. You can't have an ecosystem without standards. That's why it's so important that the IEEE (the Institute for Electronic and Electrical Engineers) … [Read more...]