This Wi-Fi has a range of up to 16 kilometers: how does it work?

This area, with its large open spaces and low RF noise, provides perfect conditions to evaluate the performance of this emerging technology.

Wi-Fi HaLow achieves record range of 15.9 km

At the heart of this test was Morse Micro’s MM6108-EKH01 evaluation kit, available from Mouser. Comprising a Raspberry Pi 4 equipped with a MM6108-MF08651 Wi-Fi HaLow reference module, the device was configured as an access point on the edge of a remote valley. The device transmitted at 21 dBm (125mW) via a standard 1 dBi dipole antenna for a total radiated power of 22 dBm.

The goal was to explore the maximum capabilities of Wi-Fi HaLow in real-world conditions, using off-the-shelf equipment that can be deployed in battery-powered devices. The researchers intentionally avoided the use of high-gain directional antennas or extreme output powers to maintain practical applicability in the field.

Theoretical calculations, based on the Friis transmission equation, predicted a signal loss of 116 dB at a maximum range of 15.9 km. This maximum distance was determined taking into account the maximum flight time specified by the IEEE 802.11ah standard, which is 53 µs in the Morse Micro implementation.

A revolution for remote areas?

In practice, tests demonstrated an impressive UDP throughput of 2 Mbps at the maximum distance of 15.9 km. This result is not just a technical feat: it is sufficient throughput to support real-world applications such as peer-to-peer communication for body cameras or IoT solutions for agriculture and mining.

The performance of Wi-Fi HaLow in these extreme conditions demonstrates its potential to provide reliable and usable connectivity in environments where range and reliability are important. The technology opens up new possibilities for long-distance communications in remote or rural areas, while maintaining significant data rates.