How WiFi 6 is Enhancing Connectivity for Remote Sensors

Written by Firmware Developer Ron Eggler for the MistyWest blog.

The performance and power efficiency of embedded vision systems is accelerating rapidly. In industries like mining tech, agtech, and smart infrastructure, a WiFi protocol needs to be capable of continuous real-time data collection and support long-term deployments in remote or hard-to-reach areas.

WiFi 6 offers enhanced throughput, battery life, and range for high-bandwidth IoT edge applications. Here’s how WiFi 6 stacks up against its predecessors and how you can implement it in your next smart sensor device.

WiFi 6 boasts significant improvements in speed

WiFi 6’s speed and throughput is a major improvement over previous generations, with a maximum speed of up to 9.6 Gbps. This performance boost provides ample bandwidth for IoT devices transmitting large data volumes swiftly, which is beneficial in uses cases such as:

• High-resolution security video surveillance and monitoring of work sites
• Real-time data analytics from various sensors deployed across mining sites
• Accessing high-performance computing resources remotely
• Transferring 3D geological models and environmental monitoring 

WiFi 6 performs well in crowded environments

WiFi 6 comes equipped with three new features that allow greater network efficiency in high-density, complex environments.

OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) OFDMA allows multiple devices to share the same channel by dividing it into smaller sub-channels, and has shown to increase network efficiency by up to 80%.

BSS Coloring (Basic Service Set Coloring) BSS assigns unique “color” identifiers to each network, which are used by client devices to block signals from other networks and minimize co-channel interference when networks overlap in space.

Bi-directional MU-MIMO (Multi-user, multiple-input, multiple-output) MU-MIMO enhances the capacity of a single access point by allowing more simultaneous users, effectively reducing network congestion. While WiFi 5 utilized MU-MIMO only for downloads, WiFi 6 introduces the ability to use MU-MIMO for both uplink and downlink.

For example, underground mines often require real-time communication between a vast array of devices, but contain obstacles such as thick rock walls. The WiFi 6 MU-MIMO feature transmits data through multiple paths, handling numerous connections more efficiently, reducing interference, and ensuring reliable data transmission.

WiFi 6 reduces power consumption, extending battery life

Remote deployed sensors that are difficult to access need to be designed with optimal power efficiency in mind. WiFi 6’s new feature Target Wake Time (TWT) allows a device’s connection to be turned off when not in use, resulting in significantly extended battery life.

For example, when connected to a WiFi 6-enabled access point, an IoT application such as a computer vision traffic monitoring system that collects data hourly can schedule syncs to the cloud to match a TWT interval for transmission.

WiFi 6 includes enhanced security features

Nobody wants their devices hacked, especially when working in potentially dangerous environments. Addressing the vulnerabilities found in previous generations of WPA3 security protocol, WiFi 6 introduced the Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE) protocol, which uses a method called Forward Secrecy to ensure that cryptographic keys are unique for each session and not derived from the password directly. Even if one session key is compromised, SAE prevents it from affecting the security of other sessions.

WiFi 6 also includes Enhanced Open, which ensures encryption in open networks, thereby strengthening the overall security framework for IoT devices and networks.

WiFi 6 offers extended range and coverage

Signal strength and coverage are frequently a challenge in sensor design, especially in airport terminals, hospitals and other large industrial complexes that span across wide areas. WiFi 6 uses advanced beamforming radio frequency (RF) management techniques to focus the signal directly towards specific receiving devices to ensure strong and stable connections, even at the network’s edge. This implementation has shown to significantly improve signal strength in optimal conditions.

Left to Right: signal strength with beamforming enabled; signal strength with no beamforming capabilities Source: Flashrouters

Implementing WiFi 6 in your next design project

So you’ve decided to use WiFi 6 for your remote sensor. Here are some questions you should consider about how to implement WiFi 6 for your device.

• Should you use a pre-certified module or go with a chip level solution?
• Does the solution have robust driver support?
• Will the manufacturer support the part for the full lifecycle of your sensor?
• What form factor of antenna is required and how will it be integrated?
• Does the solution meet the power requirements of the sensor?

The following are a selection of modules and IC’s that MistyWest recommends:

• Nordic Semiconductor : nRF7002 series – Companion IC with nRF5380
• Renesas Electronics : CL8040/CL8060/CL8080 – Two radios – high throughput applications
• Texas Instruments : CC3300 – Companion IC
• Silicon Labs : SiWx917 – Integrated MCU

Some examples of key features to check on when selecting the right solution for a WiFi 6 implementation:

• Power Efficiency: Look for modules or ICs that include Target Wake Time (TWT) technology, which improves power efficiency by allowing devices to schedule when they wake up to receive data, extending battery life in connected devices.
• Antenna Configuration: Pay attention to the antenna configuration, as this affects the module’s ability to perform beamforming and increase signal strength and range. A higher number of antennas typically leads to better performance.
• Integration of OFDMA and MU-MIMO: Ensure that the module or IC supports both Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) and Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO). These features are crucial for handling multiple devices efficiently and improving overall network capacity and latency.

What about WiFi 7?

WiFi 7 became certifiable in January 2024, but has limited availability of modules and ICs for developers. WiFi 6 remains the preferred choice for IoT devices due to its key features tailored for these applications, while WiFi 7 mainly offers speed improvements. Companies like Nordic Semiconductor, focused on IoT, have no current plans to develop WiFi 7 modules, reinforcing WiFi 6’s current dominance in the IoT space.

As of summer 2024, for hardware developers, the limited availability and early stage of WiFi 7 means they are better off leveraging the enhanced features of WiFi 6. This approach ensures compatibility, reliability, and access to a wider range of components, reducing development risks and timelines.

Conclusion

WiFi 6 is an important incremental improvement over WiFi 5. While we wouldn’t recommend  redesigning an existing product in order to support it, you should seriously consider WiFi 6 if you’re developing a new product, such as a remote sensor.

As IoT evolves, MistyWest believes that adopting WiFi 6 will be crucial for providing seamless, reliable, high-performance connectivity in legacy industries such as mining and construction, thanks to higher data rates, lower power consumption, and longer range.

If you’re feeling the need for speed, WiFi 6 is up to the challenge. Connect with our business developer Leigh Christie to learn more about MistyWest's expertise in remote sensor development and implementing wireless technologies.