Morse Micro Unveils Its Next-Generation Wi-Fi HaLow SoC, the MM8108 — and a Raspberry Pi Dev Kit
Available as a chip, USB dongle reference implementation, or full dev kit in sample quantities now.
Ultra-low-power wireless communications specialist Morse Micro has unveiled its latest-generation Wi-Fi HaLow system-on-chip, the MM8108 — boosting range, throughput, and power efficiency over its MM6108 predecessor.
"Once again, our engineering team has focused on creating the smallest, fastest, and lowest power Wi-Fi HaLow chip in the market," claims Morse Micro co-founder and chief technology officer Andrew Terry. "The MM8108 enables powerful and practical solutions for the evolving demands of IoT. With features like host offloading, integrated amplifiers, and industry-leading security, the MM8108 makes developing long-range, low-power IoT applications more simple and cost-effective than ever before."
Like the MM6108 before it Morse Micro's MM8108 is based around the IEEE 802.11ah standard, also known as Wi-Fi HaLow — a later addition to the Wi-Fi standard family that uses sub-gigahertz bands to deliver longer-range connections at a power consumption designed to compete with rival standards like Bluetooth, LoRa, and Zigbee. This does, of course, mean a trade-off in throughput: The MM8108 delivers up to 43.33Mb/s using what Morse Micro claims to be the world's first 2560-QAM (MCS9) implementation for improved spectrum efficiency.
In addition to the base chip, Morse Micro has also announced the MM8108-RD09 — a USB dongle based around the part that serves as both a development platform and a reference design, fully compliant with IEEE 802.11ah and ready to receive the Wi-Fi Alliance's Wi-Fi HaLow certification. This, the company says, will also be made available as a full development kit dubbed the MM8108-EKH19, bundled with a power supply, antenna, and Raspberry Pi 4 Model B single-board computer.
"The MM8108-EKH19 is more than just a Wi-Fi HaLow evaluation platform," claims Morse Micro it’s an enabler of market transformation,” said Morse Micro's Michael De Nil, co-founder and chief executive officer. "By simplifying the integration process, we're making it easier for customers to adopt Wi-Fi HaLow, driving growth and opening doors to new opportunities in IoT [Internet of Things] and beyond. These solutions position Morse Micro as a leader in a rapidly expanding market, empowering businesses to leverage the full potential of Wi-Fi HaLow for transformative connectivity."
The MM8108, MM*018-RD09, and the MM8018-EKH19 are now available for "sampling and evaluation," though Morse Micro has not announced pricing or general availability. Interested parties are advised to contact the company through its website for more information.