New Wi-Fi Standard Could Double the Range of Your Existing Connection

Wi-Fi technology has evolved quite a bit over the years, beginning from the earliest stages of the 802.11 wireless standard, which ultimately branched off — evolving from 802.11a/b/g/n and a/c protocols, consecutively. And now, it appears that the Wi-Fi standard has reached yet another major turning point in its evolution — with the Wi-Fi alliance’s official indoctrination of the new 802.11ah “HaLow” standard.

Theoretically speaking, according to the Wi-Fi alliance, the new HaLow standard could effectively double the range of existing 2.4 gigahertz protocols, such as the most recent iteration of Wi-Fi a/c that’s built into several of Apple’s current products.

According to the Wi-Fi alliance — a consortium of companies that work collaboratively to establish Wi-Fi standards — HaLow operates on a new, yet-to-be licensed 900 megahertz band.

In addition to featuring far greater wall penetration and being able to subvert various interferences, the HaLow standard draws upon less power from supporting devices. This means that it could be a major breakthrough in facilitating the implementation and day-to-day use of automated home systems — such as Apple’s HomeKit, in addition to bolstering the connectivity of peripherals such as wearable devices, and even car based infotainment systems such as CarPlay.

Up until just recently, for example, the majority of existing HomeKit devices have utilized Bluetooth technology as their primary source of connectivity; however that has prevented the widespread adoption of Apple’s HomeKit, as Bluetooth technology offers substantially less bandwidth and draws upon more power than Wi-Fi.

In theory, the new HaLow standard could be implemented into future iterations of Apple products, as well — most ideally among them, the Apple Watch, and personal devices such as the iPhone and iPad.

The current Apple Watch, for comparison purposes, connects to Wi-Fi networks via the 2.4 gigahertz 802.11n standard; however it relies more so on a Bluetooth tether to an iPhone in order to function optimally.

Wi-Fi 802.11ah has been certified by the Wi-Fi alliance, however there’s still no indication as to when the first HaLow enabled devices will hit the market.

Learn More: Class-Action Lawsuit Against Apple Over iOS 9’s Wi-Fi Assist Feature

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]