New research report reveals performance limits of Wi-Fi HaLow
Practical testbed study provides insights into scalability, interference, and energy consumption.
A research report published on August 5, 2025, entitled "Scalability and Performance Evaluation of IEEE 802.11ah IoT Deployments: A Testbed Approach" provides the first detailed, practical insights into the performance of Wi-Fi HaLow (IEEE 802.11ah) under real-world conditions.
The study by Kostas Chounos, Katerina Kyriakou, and Thanasis Korakis is based on a specially developed office testbed that simulates typical challenges faced by IoT networks. The focus was on the scalability of the technology, the effects of interference, and the energy consumption of end devices.
Realistic test environment
A functional office environment with a Wi-Fi HaLow-enabled access point and several stations (clients) was set up for the measurements. The devices were deliberately positioned close together to generate adjacent channel interference (ACI) and high network utilization. This allowed scenarios to be simulated that occur in industrial plants, smart city installations, or building networks.
Hardware and measurement methods used
The following were used:
Wi-Fi HaLow access point and several client devices with IEEE 802.11ah support
Measurement systems for throughput, latency, reliability, and energy consumption
Tests under varying channel widths (e.g., 1 MHz, 2 MHz) and different numbers of participants
Key findings
The evaluation showed:
Performance degradation at high network load: As the number of participants increased, there were significant drops in throughput, which can slow down data transmission.
Interference as a critical factor: ACI led to packet loss and reduced connection quality, even over short distances.
Energy consumption under load: Depending on the network configuration, consumption values varied significantly – with a direct impact on the battery life of IoT devices.
Specific measures for optimization
Based on their findings, the authors derive several practical recommendations for improving the performance of Wi-Fi HaLow in complex IoT environments:
Optimize channel management – select non-overlapping channels and, if necessary, narrower channel bandwidths (1 MHz) for high device densities.
Strategically plan device placement – greater physical distances between access points and clients to minimize interference.
Control network load – segmentation into multiple cells and prioritization of time-critical data packets.
Improve energy efficiency – adjust DTIM intervals, use power-saving sleep modes, and select energy-optimized hardware.
Use adaptive configuration – dynamic adjustment of channel width, transmission power, and QoS parameters depending on utilization.
Significance for industry
Wi-Fi HaLow is considered a key technology for long-range, low-power IoT applications, such as in industrial automation, agriculture, and smart cities. The study not only provides the industry with valuable performance data, but also directly actionable insights for network planning to operate Wi-Fi HaLow reliably and energy-efficiently in demanding environments.
"With this testbed, we were able to show that Wi-Fi HaLow behaves differently in practice than in simulations – and what measures help to deploy the technology reliably in demanding environments," explain the authors.
The report is available on arXiv, a scientifically curated platform for sharing research results.
