The Wi-Fi Alliance does not write the radio standards; the IEEE 802.11 working group does. The alliance turns those standards into certification programs, defines the consumer-facing generation names and manages security certifications such as WPA3. A device that carries the Wi-Fi logo has passed interoperability tests against other certified products, which is what gives buyers confidence that an IoT device will join a home or enterprise network.
For IoT, the alliance’s relevant programs include Wi-Fi HaLow, the sub-GHz long-range, low-power variant aimed at sensors, and Easy Connect for onboarding devices without a screen. It is also a stakeholder in Matter, which uses Wi-Fi as one of its transports. The trade-off for manufacturers is certification cost and time against the risk of field interoperability problems.
Part of the IoT Glossary. Spotted an error or a missing term? Tell us.