Rikei (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Satoru Isaka; hereinafter “Rikei”) is pleased to announce that it has concluded a primary distributor agreement with silex technology, Inc. (Headquarters: Seika-cho, Kyoto; President: Nobuhiko Miura; hereinafter “silex,”) and started to sell wireless LAN devices that support IEEE 802.11ah (Wi-Fi HaLow™).

Overview of the New Product

IEEE 802.11ah that became available in Japan from September 2022 is a new Wi-Fi standard especially targeting IoT communication, enabling long-distance communication with a maximum radius of 1 km. Rikei, as a primary distributor, has started to sell silex’s “AP-100AH” and “BR-100AH” that support IEEE 802.11ah.
“AP-100AH” is an access point (*1) that can connect to up to 675 terminals. Long-distance　wireless network can be easily constructed by using with “BR-100AH,” a transmitter/receiver on a terminal side.

※1 Access point : A device to transmit and receive Wi-Fi signals.

AP-100AH/BR-100AH

Features of “IEEE 802.11ah”

＜Usage Examples＞

• Remote survey at construction sites
• Monitoring in large premises with poor power supply and communication facilities (e.g., trespassers into factories)
• Remote monitoring of rivers (e.g., sending alarm notification when rainfall increase)
• Remote management of crop growth (e.g., temperature/water control)
• Remote survey of traffic volume
• Remote monitoring of infrastructure such as dams
• Remote management of fish farms (monitoring and feeding, etc.)

(From the left) Images of remote monitoring of rivers, remote monitoring of construction sites, monitoring in large premises, and remote monitoring of agricultural crops

Features of the Product

• Connectable with up to 675 Wireless LAN Bridges
  One “AP-100AH” (access point) covers a radius of 1 km and can connect to up to 675 wireless LAN bridges. This contributes to reduction of introduction cost of wide-area wireless LAN networks.
• Enabling Two-Way Communication
  While it used to only receive images from monitoring cameras, two-way communication enables remote operation of cameras, such as zooming in on images.
• No Application/License Required
  Since LPWA (*2) uses the 920MHz band, it can be used without applications or licenses.

※2 LPWA(Low Power Wide Area) : Low Power Wide Area. A general term for wireless communication technology that enables low power consumption and long-distance communication.

Background of the market

IEEE 802.11ah is a wireless networking protocol, standardized by IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineer) that is the world’s largest organization of professionals in the electrical and electronic field. With the start of IEEE 802.11ah use in Japan, the devices were developed to meet the needs in terms of cost and performance in the transmission of still images and videos for IoT remote monitoring, which has been in demand for some time.

Future Development

Rikei will make proposals of the devices to infrastructure companies, local governments, manufacturing industries, etc. through existing partners who are collaborating in our FWA business.

About silex technology, Inc.

silex technology is a R&D company focused on hardware and software technology. The company provides products and services that build wireless environment with reliable connectivity for the equipment and systems of customers in the medical and industrial fields, using safe and highly reliable wireless technology and embed expertise, and creates “uninterrupted wireless area,” silex technology will realize the best omunichannel experience.

About Rikei Corporation

Since its establishment in 1957 as a solution vendor in the IT and electronics industries, Rikei Corporation has provided a variety of solutions ranging from systems to networks, VR/AR contents, electronic materials and electronic devices.

Rikei proposes solutions that utilize cutting-edge technologies and advanced products from Japan and overseas, and contributes to business development such as improving efficiency of operations and profits of customers.

*Product and company names mentioned herein are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.