Say hello to HaLow: Wi-Fi routers that can transmit 250 Mbps over 10 miles (yes, 10 miles) have been demonstrated at CES 2025 and I’m very excited
- At CES 2025, Morse Micro presented a working demo of a HaLow router that can deliver data at up to 250 Mbps in a 10-mile radius
- Ny Breaking first covered HaLow in 2016, but the technology is only just maturing
- HaLow’s long range without the need for a repeater can be attractive for commercial setups
The future of Wi-Fi technology may have taken a giant leap forward at CES 2025 with the debut of Wi-Fi HaLow routers from Morse Micro.
The new prototype (via Yanko design) has a range of 10 miles, making a home Wi-Fi network potentially available locally.
Unlike conventional routers that struggle to penetrate walls when operating at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, HaLow’s sub-GHz frequency waves travel through obstacles, providing reliable connectivity over distance.
The roots of HaLow: from concept to reality
HaLow is designed to operate on the 900MHz band and is made for low-power, long-distance connectivity. Possible use cases include industrial setups, as well as connecting to Internet of Things (IoT) devices and smart homes remotely.
Ny Breaking reported in 2016 that HaLow’s initial speeds ranged from 150 KBps to 18 Mbps; certainly not impressive in retrospect – but nine years later, developments shown at CES 2025 have demonstrated speeds of up to 250 Mbps, a significant improvement that broadens its potential applications.
In February 2024, Morse Micro demonstrated the potential of Wi-Fi HaLow by setting a record for long-distance connectivity using the 802.11ah standard. The company was on a 3 kilometer (1.8 mile) video call at the time.
Even more impressive, during a test in Joshua Tree National Park in September 2024, a rural area with wide open spaces and minimal RF interference, Morse Micro achieved a range of 16 kilometers (10 miles).
While HaLow’s 250 Mbps speed isn’t as fast as 5GHz Wi-Fi, it’s more than enough for everyday tasks like browsing, email, and IoT communications.
Morse Micro says it envisions a future where HaLow routers coexist with today’s Wi-Fi bands, creating tri-band systems that combine 2.4GHz, 5GHz and sub-GHz frequencies.
Currently, mainstream devices such as smartphones and laptops are not yet equipped to support this technology, but Morse Micro is working with engineers to integrate HaLow chipsets into future devices.
Nevertheless, HaLow’s long-distance coverage offers remarkable commercial and industrial potential for environments such as warehouses, where robots and IoT devices could communicate without hubs or repeaters.