WLAN with 1 kilometer range: New Wi-Fi HaLow router from GL.iNet

The Chinese router manufacturer GL.iNet is offering new routers for the long-range wireless standard IEEE 802.11ah, also known as "Wi-Fi HaLow". Wi-Fi HaLow uses radio frequencies below 1 GHz, in Europe in the range between 863 and 870 MHz, and therefore has significantly lower path loss than WLANs at 2.4, 5, or 6 GHz.

The router, called HaLowLink 2, uses the HaLow chipset MM8108 from Morse Micro, which is said to achieve a net data rate of up to 43.3 Mbit/s and can operate between 750 and 950 MHz. It encrypts transmissions with WPA3. The modem supports channel widths of 1, 2, 4, and 8 MHz and transmits with up to 26 dBm (400 mW) transmit power. It cannot do MIMO; the antenna, which is routed out via SMA, is the only one.

The HaLowLink 2 has both an access point and a station mode, allowing two devices to bridge longer distances via HaLow or a single base to connect HaLow-enabled end devices to the network. GL.iNet specifies a range of up to one kilometer.

Internals

As a System-on-Chip, GL.iNet uses the well-known Mediatek MT7621 (2 x 880 MHz MIPS1004K) with 256 MByte DDR3 RAM and 32 MByte NAND flash. This not only controls the HaLow modem but also provides two Gigabit Ethernet ports and Wi-Fi 4 (IEEE 802.11n, 2.4 GHz, 2 MIMO streams). Thus, the router can receive a network connection via HaLow without any additional hardware and forward it at the installation site via network cable or 2.4 GHz WLAN to non-HaLow-enabled devices. The router is powered via USB-C with 5 volts.

The HaLowLink 2 is available immediately in the GL.iNet shop for 126 Euros individually or for 217 Euros as a pair. However, according to the website, customs duties and import VAT will be added, so the set will ultimately cost around 260 Euros.

Limited Use

It is questionable whether the set at this price can attract European customers, as the range between 863 and 870 MHz is only very limited for fast, continuous data transmissions. Data networks are only allowed to operate in five blocks of 1 MHz channel width each, and the signal must not be spread across multiple channels. The transmit power is limited to 14 dBm (25 mW).

In addition, there is a duty cycle limitation of 10% (360 seconds) per hour for access points and 2.8% for clients (100.8 seconds). After this transmission time, the device is not allowed to transmit for the rest of the hour. At 1 MHz channel width, even with the best reception (4.4 Mbit/s) and no interference, this results in a maximum hourly data volume of only 55 MByte for clients and about 200 MByte for the access point. Since protocol overheads, path loss, and co-users of the frequency band consume data rate, one can expect half of this in practice.

Therefore, on the European continent, the HaLowLink 2 is more suitable for more specialized, very narrow-band applications such as sensor technology, smart home actuators, or low-resolution IP cameras that only send a video stream when needed.

However, those living in a country where the 900 MHz band is generally allocated (USA, Canada, Australia, etc.) can fully utilize the modem at 8 MHz and achieve an estimated 10 to 35 Mbit/s. This is sufficient for a wide range of applications.

(amo)