Hello,
I need technical advice about extending the Wi-Fi HaLow connection of an EZVIZ EP7 video doorphone (European version) installed at my home in Spain.
The outdoor doorbell communicates with its indoor monitor through IEEE 802.11ah Wi-Fi HaLow. According to EZVIZ specifications, the European EP7 uses:
IEEE 802.11ah
865–867 MHz
2 MHz channel bandwidth
WPA/WPA2 and WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK
Wi-Fi HaLow “AP pairing”
The outdoor panel and indoor monitor are approximately 40 metres apart. However, the terrain and obstacles make the radio path difficult: stone/masonry walls, concrete structures, metal railings and mesh, vegetation, elevation difference, and a large metal sliding gate very close to the outdoor panel.
The HaLow link does work, but it is intermittent and apparently close to its reliable range limit. Sometimes live video works correctly. At other times it takes a long time to establish or fails completely. Doorbell calls reach the smartphone, but sometimes answering the call fails, and two-way audio/video can also fail. Similar live-view failures occur directly on the indoor monitor, so this does not appear to be simply a problem with the home’s normal 2.4/5 GHz Wi-Fi or Internet connection.
Neither the outdoor panel nor the indoor monitor can be relocated.
I have an outdoor terrace at an intermediate point between the two devices where I could install a Wi-Fi HaLow repeater/extender. Therefore, I am considering a Morse Micro HaLowLink 2 EU, or any other Morse Micro-based solution you may recommend.
My main question is:
Is it technically possible to insert a HaLowLink 2, or another Wi-Fi HaLow device, between the EZVIZ EP7 outdoor panel and its indoor monitor to repeat/extend their existing 802.11ah connection?
Specifically:
Can HaLowLink 2 operate as an 802.11ah STA + AP/repeater for two third-party HaLow devices such as these?
Would the EZVIZ devices need to support WDS/4-address, or is there another repeater, relay, proxy or bridge configuration that could work without WDS support?
Since EZVIZ describes the connection as “AP pairing”, if the HaLow SSID, channel and WPA/WPA2-PSK credentials can be identified, could HaLowLink 2 associate with and extend this network?
If this cannot be done directly with HaLowLink 2, is there another Morse Micro device, development board or configuration that could accomplish it?
If necessary, could a Morse Micro/Linux HaLow device be used to analyse/sniff the EP7 HaLow association to determine whether a standard repeater can be inserted?
The intermediate terrace does not have mains power. If a compatible repeater solution exists, is there a low-power/battery-powered HaLow device suitable for this, or could HaLowLink 2 be reasonably powered using a battery and small solar panel with an appropriate regulated power supply?
I am not trying to extend the normal 2.4/5 GHz Wi-Fi. I specifically need to improve the 865–867 MHz IEEE 802.11ah HaLow link between the EZVIZ outdoor panel and its indoor monitor.
Before purchasing any hardware, I would greatly appreciate knowing whether this is technically feasible and which hardware/configuration you would recommend.
Thank you very much for your help
Hey @Santiago205c
Interesting problem!
In theory this should be possible, however it does depend. Your follow up questions are the right ones to be asking! For example, in the architecture I have used with only Morse Micro devices it would require WDS be supported by the EZVIZ AP.
Yes, though the products must be Wi-Fi HaLow certified. Claims of WPA2 later in your list of questions concern me, as Wi-Fi HaLow certification explicitly disallows WPA2. The devices must be using WPA3 to be Wi-Fi HaLow 
For the design I have in mind, yes. I can think of other ways that this could be implemented but they are not available out of the box and would likely require additional software to be installed.
If the EZVIZ devices are not doing something proprietary and otherwise adhering to the Wi-Fi HaLow standard but just with WPA2, then yes this is something you could make work.
I would definitely start with a HaLowLink2, but we can’t guarantee that it will connect to the EZVIZ devices.
Also note that our interpretation of the European regulatory restrictions does require reduced transmit power and duty cycle limits. This will impact maximum throughput and may make video transmission challenging.
EN304 limits you to 1MHz MCS9 and a 10% duty cycle. This will limit you to an average throughput per hour of 444kbps.
Of course, you can access the full 4.44Mbps if the usage is infrequent - ~6minutes per hour.
Thank you, this is very helpful. Could you please clarify what alternative implementation you had in mind if the EZVIZ AP does not support WDS/4-address? Would a single HaLowLink 2 EU with additional software be enough, or would two HaLow radios/devices be required?
Also, EZVIZ specifies WPA/WPA2-PSK and “AP pairing”, while you mention that Wi-Fi CERTIFIED HaLow requires WPA3. Can HaLowLink 2 associate with a non-certified 802.11ah AP using WPA2-PSK, or would that prevent interoperability?
Finally, what exact information should I obtain from EZVIZ to determine whether this can work? AP/STA roles, security/authentication method, WDS/4-address support, SSID/PSK, or anything else?
If EZVIZ does not provide the SSID/security details, can HaLowLink 2 scan or sniff the EP7 HaLow link to identify the channel, SSID and authentication method without associating to it?