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Wi-Fi Sensing uses Wi-Fi RF wave attenuation to detect presence and motion, offering a cost-effective, easily deployable solution. Major Wi-Fi chipset vendors supporting infrastructure markets are backing this technology. It's already being used in the US for remote healthcare, security, and smart home automation. The number and diversity of applications are expected to rise rapidly following the final approval of the 802.11bf Wi-Fi Sensing standard, currently scheduled for March 2025. According to global technology intelligence firm ABI Research, the emergence of new Wi-Fi Sensing-based value-added services will result in the install base of Wi-Fi Sensing compatible CPE in North America increasing at a 51.6% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) between 2024 and 2030 to reach 112 million.
“Wi-Fi Sensing is an Integrated Sensing and Communications, or ISAC, technology, which coexists alongside communications and relies upon the same infrastructure and spectrum resources,” says Andrew Spivey, Principal Analyst at ABI Research. “Although this increases the potential value of these assets, it also places additional strain on them. For Wi-Fi Sensing to receive widespread adoption, sensing must be designed to not degrade communications performance.”
In recent years, a rich ecosystem of vendors developing and commercializing Wi-Fi Sensing has emerged, reflecting the industry’s confidence in the future of the technology. Key contributors to the IEEE 802.11bf Wi-Fi Sensing Task Group include Huawei, LG Electronics, Ericsson, and Meta, whereas the Wi-Fi Sensing Work Group within the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) contains members such as CableLabs, Comcast, Cisco, and Turk Telekom. Notable companies monetizing Wi-Fi Sensing today include Origin, which has formed commercial partnerships with Airties, Verisure, and Verizon, and Cognitive, whose sensing solution has been integrated into the HomePass platform of value-added service provider Plume, enabling it with over 100 ISPs globally.
Another significant vendor is Nami, which is currently testing advanced Wi-Fi Sensing for aged care within healthcare facilities in Japan. The industry promises many other exciting future Wi-Fi Sensing applications, ranging from people counting and audio tracking to people identification and breathing monitoring. Yet the feasibility of these applications, and more importantly, consumers’ willingness to pay for them, remains unclear.
“Regulation and spectrum access are two other thorns in the side of Wi-Fi Sensing. Markets without access to the expanded capacity and wider channels of the 6 GHz spectrum cannot enjoy the full potential of sub-7 GHz Wi-Fi Sensing, whereas the lack of existing mmWave Wi-Fi infrastructure means that applications requiring higher sensing resolutions, for example, gesture recognition, will not be possible without additional dedicated equipment,” Spivey concludes.
