WiFi + LoRa = WiLo – Like WiFi but with a range of 500 meters | Innovations

As a good techie, you probably already know the LoRa communication protocol which allows you to send data over very long distances with little energy. And you also know about Wifi.

But do you know him WiLo ?

No ? This is a hybrid protocol invented by Chinese researchers which allows you to benefit from the best of both worlds, namely reduced hardware costs, less complexity and fewer potential technical problems. Ideal for all connected objects.

With WiLo, the range estimated is 500 meterswhere good old WiFi does not exceed 40 to 60 meters depending on the environment. To achieve their goals, the researchers tweaked the OFDM multiplexing of WiFi to imitate the chirp-spreading signal of LoRa. This way, no need for special hardware, your good old WiFi card can potentially do the trick.

Like any good technology in development, WiLo has its small flaws. Energy consumption is not yet optimal (unlike LoRa which is known for its sobriety) but researchers are working on it, I swear!

This technology, if it stabilizes and becomes democratized, will bring a lot to the connected objects (IoT) sector. We can thus imagine agricultural sensor networks that communicate over kilometers, ultra-connected smart cities or even long-range mesh networks for rural areas. In short, it is the promise of a more accessible and more extensive Internet.

I can’t wait to see it in real life. Maybe in 10 or 15 years?

Come on, I’ll go back to tinkering with my Pringles can antennas while I wait.

Source

-

-

PREV Apple and Samsung reportedly in the running to acquire Intel
NEXT Why the discovery of a giant 16-centimeter tadpole fossil fascinates paleontologists