Wi-Fi HaLow Range Testing — Pulpit Rock, Colorado Springs
This round of testing went pretty well overall. The setup was running on a 2 MHz channel (42 @ 923 MHz) with just two nodes in the 802.11s mesh. Speeds were tested using the Google Speed Test app on my iPhone (should’ve used iperf3—next time).
- Local test (within 15 ft): 4.03 / 4.27 Mbps
- With a 3rd node added: 2.00 / 4.06 Mbps
The Starlink and Mesh Gateway were staged on top of Pulpit Rock in Colorado Springs, with tests conducted at different spots around the rock. All tests used a Muzi Works whip antenna. I planned to compare another antenna but forgot them at home.
Next round of testing will be with multiple nodes and on 1, 4, and 8 MHz channels. When testing locally at 8 MHz, I hit ~15 Mbps, so it’ll be interesting to see how that holds up at distance.
Distance & Speed Results
| Location | Distance (m) | Distance (mi) | Download (Mbps) | Upload (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parking garage | ~1,548 | ~0.96 | 0.37 | 0.21 |
| Hospital | ~619 | ~0.38 | 2.84 | 1.10 |
| Baseball lot | ~669 | ~0.42 | 2.77 | 1.37 |
| Neighborhood | ~1,038 | ~0.65 | 0.33 | N/A |
Test Images
IMG_8480 — Equipment Setup
Equipment staged on top of Pulpit Rock, running the Wi-Fi HaLow mesh.
IMG_8481 — View to Baseball Parking Lot
Looking out from the Rock toward the baseball lot, one of the test points.
IMG_8482 — Parking Garage
View from the Rock to the parking garage, almost a mile away.
IMG_8484 — Hospital View
Taken from the hospital parking lot, showing the Rock in the distance.
IMG_8489 — Neighborhood View
Obstructed line-of-sight to the Rock from inside a neighborhood.
IMG_8491 — Rock From Parking Garage
View of the Rock as seen from the parking garage test location.