Wireless technology company Morse Micro has set a new WiFi distance record of 1.8 miles (3 kilometers) using the HaLow (802.11ah) standard. HaLow was originally announced in 2016, but its proper implementation is just starting to gain momentum. And now Morse Micro is doing it in a big way.
The Morse Micro’s connection speed during testing was 11 Mbit/s at 500 meters and just 1 Mbit/s at a maximum distance of 3 kilometers, which was still enough to sustain a video call. The company has uploaded a demo to YouTube. If you’d like to see the test in action, we’ve embedded a video below.
What makes this test impressive is not just the range that a working Wi-Fi signal can reach. It was the ability to operate at that range despite real radio interference from surrounding urban areas. This feat makes Wi-Fi HaLow the ultimate long-range wireless solution, as such ultra-long-range Wi-Fi devices are primarily targeted at Internet of Things (IoT) scenarios rather than media due to their slow speeds. It suggests that.
Wi-Fi HaLow has longer range and greater immunity to interference, as well as lower power consumption than very fast mainstream Wi-Fi solutions such as Wi-Fi 7. Morse Micro tested it with his MM6108 Wi-Fi HaLow production silicon. Wi-Fi Alliance and FCC certified.
Perhaps the HaLow and its speed compromises aren’t in the best interest for your daily driver needs at home. But for backend devices in enterprise scenarios, or if you’re a millionaire and own a mansion, Wi-Fi is great because it can extend your range to about 2 miles. People often walk that distance, or even longer, just to access public Wi-Fi. Perhaps someday his HaLow will be implemented in public Wi-Fi services over such long distances.
