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Keywords

Wi-Fi, IoT, Network Security, Energy Efficiency

Document Type

Article

Abstract

The rapid expansion of Internet of Things (IoT) applications—ranging from smart healthcare and industrial automation to smart cities—demands reliable, secure, and scalable wireless connectivity. While much of the literature emphasizes low-power alternatives such as Zigbee and NB-IoT, the role of Wi-Fi in IoT remains underexplored. This paper presents a systematic survey of IEEE 802.11 standards, analyzing their evolution, performance, and security mechanisms within IoT environments. Using a structured review of academic and industry sources (2015–2024), we highlight Wi-Fi’s strengths in throughput and ecosystem integration, alongside limitations in energy efficiency and range. Contributions include: (1) a comparative review of Wi-Fi standards relevant to IoT, (2) a conceptual IoT-stack model mapping Wi-Fi functions across perception, network, and application layers, and (3) recommendations for developers and policymakers to enable secure, hybrid, and energy-aware IoT deployments. The findings suggest that recent advancements, such as Wi-Fi 6/6E and Wi-Fi HaLow, provide promising directions for addressing scalability, security, and energy challenges in future IoT networks.

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