#Japan #Tokyo #Wi-Fi HaLow #Airfide #IoT Sensor

Airfide Launches Innovative Wi-Fi HaLow Occupancy Sensor

In a groundbreaking announcement at COMNEXT Japan 2025, Airfide Networks has unveiled its next-generation occupancy sensor, the AFN6843. This advanced device integrates Morse Micro's MM6108 Wi-Fi HaLow System on Chip (SoC), marking a revolutionary step in smart building technology. The recent launch comes after three months of successful field testing, establishing the sensor as a leading choice for scalable, privacy-oriented smart building solutions.

Key Features and Innovations

The AFN6843 sensor offers several critical enhancements that set it apart from earlier technologies, primarily its adoption of Wi-Fi HaLow connectivity. This feature enables the sensor to achieve a coverage distance that is ten times greater than that of previous Wi-Fi standards (4/5/6/7), while also maintaining low power consumption and ensuring high reliability—essential characteristics for commercial and industrial IoT deployments.

According to Venkat Kalkunte, CEO of Airfide, "The Wi-Fi HaLow-enabled version of our sensor unlocks the potential of truly wireless, long-range, privacy-compliant occupancy detection. From elderly care to smart offices and public transport, this device is set to transform space monitoring strategies without relying on intrusive measures like cameras or wearables."

Comprehensive Use Cases

The versatility of the AFN6843 sensor is evident through its various use cases in different sectors:

• - Smart Buildings: Automate heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, optimize desk usage, and monitor occupancy density effectively.
• - Healthcare: Provide solutions for fall detection, inactivity alerts, and presence monitoring, ensuring that privacy is never compromised.
• - Retail and Public Spaces: Use the sensor for people counting, dwell time analytics, queue monitoring, and generating heatmap data for better customer insights.
• - Industrial and Logistics: Enhance worker tracking in hazardous areas and ensure safety compliance with real-time object detection.

Advanced Detection Capabilities

The AFN6843 utilizes an innovative mmWave radar sensor that allows for accurate non-intrusive sensing. This feature enables effective people counting, detection of movement, and identification of various fall events—essential for many commercial applications. Additionally, the device supports a cloud platform for real-time monitoring and offers users insights to make informed decisions in various settings.

For ease of access, Airfide has developed an application compatible with both Android and iOS devices, ensuring real-time monitoring and deployment control from anywhere. Users can quickly set up or adjust configurations to meet specific organizational needs.

Collaboration with Morse Micro

Morse Micro, a leader in Wi-Fi HaLow semiconductor technology, plays a significant role in the functionality of Airfide's new sensor. Michael De Nil, co-founder and CEO at Morse Micro, commented on their partnership: "This collaboration helps bring to life scalable, secure, and standards-based wireless sensing for the next wave of IoT—what we term IoT 2.0."

Morse Micro’s award-winning technology enables connected devices to achieve unmatched range, covering approximately 100 times the area that traditional Wi-Fi networks manage, thus revolutionizing connectivity across sectors.

Conclusion

The launch of the AFN6843 at COMNEXT Japan signifies a significant step forward in the development of privacy-sensitive, accurate, and long-range occupancy sensors for smart buildings and IoT applications. With a focus on enhancing operational efficiency across various domains, Airfide is poised to reshape how spaces are monitored and managed without intruding on individual privacy. The sensor will be available for demonstrations at Booth C12-6 (Private 5G) during the event, inviting attendees to discover firsthand the innovation behind Airfide’s latest offering.