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So, can my Macbook connect to a HaLow router, or is this a new protocol that will require all new hardware across the board?
by horsecaptin 11y ago
So, can my Macbook connect to a HaLow router, or is this a new protocol that will require all new hardware across the board?
- tomkinstinch 11y agoIt looks like this runs in the 900MHz ISM (US) band, so we'll all need new hardware. The longer range is nice. Interference from other 900MHz transmitters (cordless house phones, baby monitors, etc.) may not be. It seems everything old[1] is new again. 1. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/WaveLAN https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/WaveLAN
- voltagex_ 11y agoI wonder if this will get any traction outside of the US - there are lots of places where 433MHz is the ISM band.
- voltagex_ 11y agoI'd hope no one's phone is running in 900MHz - what does DECT use in North America?
- Someone1234 11y ago1.9 GHz
- samstave 11y agoSo signal drops every time you use the microwave... No thanks.
- mizzao 11y agoI thought microwaves (oven) mostly interfere with the 2.4 GHz band. That's why games of Starcraft always lag out when one of the players starts cooking a hot pocket. That's why it's preferable to use 5 GHz 802.11n or 802.11ac, unless you have walls that block the higher frequencies. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave#Heating_and_power_application https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave#Heating_and_power_ap...
- samstave 11y agoDuh, you'd be correct. I had a brain-fart
- tjohns 11y agoGiven that it runs at 900 MHz, it will require new hardware. At a minimum, it will require an antenna tuned for the new band, in addition to whatever changes to the WiFi baseband processor are needed to go along with it.
- porsupah 11y agoNot exclusively, by the sound of it - the press release notes "Many devices that support Wi-Fi HaLow are expected to operate in 2.4 and 5 GHz as well as 900 MHz".
- tjohns 11y agoI interpreted the press release to indicate that WiFi HaLow will be 900 MHz only, but can coexist with traditional WiFi implementations on 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. (The Wikipedia page seems to confirm this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11ah https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11ah) Just like when 5 GHz was added, this means getting a new WiFi card -- but that card could support all three bands at the same time. So this would mean while you're near an AP you'll be on "classic" 2.4/5 GHz, but when you roam further away it would switch to 900 MHz "HaLow" for longer range.
- porsupah 11y agoIndeed, it does sound like that's the case. Thanks for the clarification.
- vvladymyrov 11y agoThis standard is targeted to low power consuming devices. So the question is more like "Will the new HaLow devices be able to connect to my home router". And looks like the answer is they won't.
- RobAley 11y agoI think after a while they will. Wifi chips supporting both current frequency bands cost pennies at the moment, if this standard gets some foothold it won't be too long before it's added in to generic chips.