RFWi-SUN vs WiFi: Key Differences Explained
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This page compares Wi-SUN Vs WiFi and mentions the difference between Wi-SUN and WiFi.
What is Wi-SUN?
Wi-SUN technology was established in 2011. It follows the IEEE 802.15.4g standard for the Physical layer and uses IPv6 protocols for IPv6 addressing over an 802.15.4 network. It is designed for wireless smart utility and smart city applications.
The Wi-SUN alliance takes care of Wi-SUN certification, interoperability, deployment, and management of Wi-SUN compatible products. More than 90 million Wi-SUN compliant devices have already been installed across the world for IoT and other applications.
Wi-SUN uses a full mesh topology for wireless communication between devices. It offers secure IPv6 communications over an 802.15.4g-based mesh network.
A Wi-SUN network architecture consists of Wi-SUN nodes or routers, a border router, and WAN connectivity.
What is WiFi?
WiFi is the short form of Wireless Fidelity. The WiFi devices follow the IEEE 802.11 series of standards for their development. Over the years, various 802.11 standards have been developed to support different data rates and coverage ranges. The standards are 802.11b, 11a, 11g, 11n, 11ac, 11ax, and 11be. They are called WiFi-1 to WiFi-7 respectively. The table below mentions 802.11n, 11ac, and 11ax.
As shown in the figure, a WiFi network consists of two elements: clients (Stations) and a router. The function of the router is to connect with WAN through a broadband link, which can be cellular or wired (i.e., fiber optic, ADSL, Cable modem, etc.).
The router operates at radio frequencies as per different bands, viz. 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or 6 GHz. One router provides connectivity to multiple WiFi clients to access the single internet connection using EM waves or RF waves.
Difference between Wi-SUN and WiFi
The following table summarizes the comparative difference between Wi-SUN and WiFi.
| Parameters | Wi-SUN | WiFi |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | IEEE 802.15.4g (PHY), IEEE 802.15.4e (MAC) | IEEE 802.11b/a/g/n/ac/ax/be series defines PHY and MAC layer specifications |
| Frequency of operation | 470-510 MHz, 779-787 MHz, 920.5-924.5 MHz, 863-870 MHz, 870-876 MHz, 920-928 MHz, 2.45 GHz | 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz with latest WiFi-6E/WiFi-7 releases |
| Data Rate | Up to 300 Kbps | Higher data rates, Up to 150 Mbps (as per 802.11n) and 9.6 Gbps (11ax i.e. wifi-6). |
| Coverage Range | 4Km point to point (Using 1W output of non-directional antenna) | 70 meters (Indoor) and 250 meters (Outdoor) as per 11n version |
| Network Capacity | Approx. 300 nodes per border router | Max. 256 supported by WLAN 11n routers |
| Latency | 0.02 to 1 seconds | Extremely low latency is offered by WiFi-6E version at 6 GHz unlicensed band. WiFi-6 version reduces data latency by optimization of packet scheduling which is ideal for video, voice, and gaming applications. |
| Power consumption | 2µA (Rest), 8 mA (Listening), <14 mA (Transmission) | WiFi-6 compliant devices use feature called “target wake time” which reduces its power consumption to 2/3 less than previous wifi devices. |
| Network Topology | Mesh between Wi-SUN nodes (i.e. routers) | Usually Star between nodes (WiFi end devices or Stations) and a WiFi router |
| Network Elements | Nodes (i.e. routers), border router | Stations or clients and a router |
| Applications | Smart city, Smart Home, IoT (Internet of Things), Parking, SCADA, traffic management, sensors, smart transport etc. | High data rate internet browsing and device to device connectivity, used to share single broadband internet in multiple devices at home and office premises |
| Security Mechanism | PKI, AES, IETF EAP-TLS, 802.11i, IPv6 | WPA3 |
| Modulation Types | FSK, OFDM | BPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM, 256 QAM, 1024QAM, 4096QAM, OFDMA |
Conclusion
Both Wi-SUN and WiFi are two different types of wireless technologies that co-exist together. WiFi is based on WLAN standards (IEEE 802.11 series), whereas Wi-SUN is based on the PAN standard (IEEE 802.15.4). WiFi is mainly used indoors at home and office premises to share a single internet connection among multiple WLAN-compliant devices such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops, etc. Wi-SUN is used both indoors and outdoors for smart home and smart city applications such as lighting, electricity meters, water meters, IoT (Internet of Things), etc.
