Wi-Fi hotspots will be key to the development and monetisation of IoT, but devices must first be provisioned with the latest authentication and security systems, a new report from the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) concluded.

To access the majority of Wi-Fi hotspots, devices must have the ability for the user to input security credentials into the device. However, as most IoT devices will be developed without this facility, the WBA suggests augmenting simple devices with built-in Next Generation Hotspot credentials which will allow them to use access points.

Next Generation Hotspot is a set of protocols from the WBA, which have been developed to make public Wi-Fi systems easier to access by eliminating the need for users to enter credentials and passwords.

In a statement, the WBA said: “Wi-Fi hotspots will be key for the development of IoT applications and services. But while current provisioning and sign-up procedures assume display and input capabilities, IoT devices will likely be defined without such capabilities.

“Next Generation Hotspot takes the established hotspot model and builds new levels of ease of discovery, security of connection and efficiency of service. As a result, there is an opportunity to augment the on-boarding definition to enable simplified IoT devices to be provisioned with NGH security credentials, and is being considered an important initiative in making impactful strides towards commercial IoT deployments.”

The assessment of the use of Wi-Fi in IoT deployments is part of the organisation’s study Internet of Things: New Vertical Value Chains and Interoperability, which discusses the channels for the monetisation of IoT and investigates priorities in developing the ecosystem.