IEEE 802.11AH: the WiFi approach for M2M communications

TLDR

M2M communications are rapidly expanding, with sensor and actuator networks delivering environmental data, and IEEE 802.11ah is being developed to meet the demands of many low‑power, long‑range, low‑rate, infrequent‑message, non‑critical‑delay M2M stations. The article examines IEEE 802.11ah’s key features, focusing on reducing energy consumption at the MAC layer. The authors evaluate IEEE 802.11ah’s performance across four typical M2M scenarios—agriculture monitoring, smart metering, industrial automation, and animal monitoring.

Abstract

M2M communications are positioned to be one of the fastest growing technology segments in the next decade. Sensor and actuator networks connect communication machines and devices so that they automatically transmit information, serving the growing demand for environmental data acquisition. The IEEE 802.11ah Task Group is working on a new standard to address the particular requirements of M2M networks: a large number of power-constrained stations; a long transmission range; small and infrequent data messages; low data rates; and a non-critical delay. This article explores the key features of this new standard, especially those related to the reduction of energy consumption in the medium access control layer. Given these requirements, a performance assessment of IEEE 802.11ah in four common M2M scenarios, i.e. agriculture monitoring, smart metering, industrial automation, and animal monitoring, is presented.