Wi-Fi HaLow Media Gateway
Introduction
This application turns a HaLowLink 2 plus a XIAO ESP32-S3 node into a media gateway: a standard smartphone sends photos, videos, and files to a PC over a long-range Wi-Fi HaLow link, without any HaLow support on the phone.
The demonstrated end-to-end path:
Smartphone --2.4 GHz Wi-Fi--> XIAO ESP32-S3 + Wio-WM6180 --Wi-Fi HaLow--> HaLowLink 2 --Ethernet--> PC (Media Console)
The smartphone only needs ordinary 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. The XIAO node bridges the two worlds: it hosts a 2.4 GHz hotspot for the phone and holds the HaLow link to the gateway.
Hardware Requirements
| Product | SKU | Role in the demo |
|---|---|---|
| HaLowLink 2 Wi-Fi HaLow Gateway | 100072966 | Wi-Fi HaLow Access Point; Ethernet bridge to the PC |
| Wi-Fi HaLow Transceiver for Seeed Studio XIAO (Wio-WM6180) | 109100041 | The HaLow radio on the gateway node |
| Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32-S3 | 113991114 | Gateway controller: hosts the 2.4 GHz SoftAP and relays media |
You also need:
- A smartphone with 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi (no HaLow support required)
- A Windows PC with an Ethernet port, running the Media Console
- Power supplies and cabling for all devices
System Architecture
Five stages, each handing media to the next:
| Stage | Link | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Smartphone → XIAO node | 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi | The phone uploads to the node's SoftAP through a browser page |
| XIAO ESP32-S3 → Wio-WM6180 | SPI | The controller streams received bytes to the HaLow radio |
| Wio-WM6180 → HaLowLink 2 | Wi-Fi HaLow (sub-1 GHz) | The long-range hop; the node joins the gateway's HaLow network |
| HaLowLink 2 → Windows PC | Ethernet | The gateway delivers the traffic to the Media Console |
Set Up the Gateway Side
- HaLowLink 2. Set up the gateway — antenna, power, computer connection — following Preparation, then log in via Access the Web UI. The factory-default Router configuration is sufficient for a standalone demo; use Access Point Mode to integrate with an existing LAN.
- XIAO node. Assemble the XIAO ESP32-S3 with the Wio-WM6180 module following the Wi-Fi HaLow Module for XIAO guide, attach its antenna, and flash the Media Gateway firmware provided by Seeed Studio.
- PC. Connect the Windows PC to the gateway's LAN port by Ethernet (demo network
192.168.12.x), and start the Media Console server.
After power-on the node operates automatically: the ESP32-S3 initializes the Wio-WM6180, associates with the HaLowLink 2 Access Point over Wi-Fi HaLow, and starts its 2.4 GHz SoftAP for the phone.
Verify the HaLow link before running the demo: on the gateway's Home page, open the Access Point (HaLow) card — the associated node appears with signal level and RX/TX rate, and the Local Network / Network → Interfaces pages show the LAN side that carries the traffic to the PC.
Gateway web UI: the Access Point (HaLow) card lists the associated gateway node with signal level and RX/TX rate — the link is up before any media moves.
Gateway web UI, Network → Interfaces: the LAN interface (192.168.12.x) carries the demo traffic to the PC.
Run the Demo
- Phone: join the XIAO node's 2.4 GHz SoftAP, open the Media Gateway web page at
192.168.4.1in the browser, choose a photo, video, or file, and start the upload. - Node: the ESP32-S3 receives the upload and streams it over the HaLow link — no intermediate storage involved.
- PC: the Media Console receives, stores, and lists the file; open it there to preview, play, save, or download.
Smartphone side: the browser-based upload page served by the XIAO node's SoftAP, with a photo selected and the transfer in progress.
PC side: the Media Console lists every received file — photos, videos, documents — ready to preview, play, save, or download.
How the node moves the data:
- Dual-network gateway: the SoftAP serves the phone side while the HaLow interface serves the PC side; default-route management keeps outbound media on the Wi-Fi HaLow path.
- Streaming relay: media is forwarded in 16 KB chunks — the ESP32-S3 never buffers a complete file in memory, and no Base64 encoding is used.
- File types: JPG, PNG, MP4, and general files.
Demo Results
The complete end-to-end transfer was demonstrated by Seeed engineering:
- Photo upload — JPG / PNG transfer verified
- Video transfer — MP4 upload and playback verified
- Generic files — upload and download supported
- PC Media Console — received files previewed, played, saved, and downloaded
- End-to-end connectivity — smartphone-to-PC media transfer over Wi-Fi HaLow, with no HaLow support on the phone
Troubleshooting
For gateway and HaLow link issues — web UI access, pairing, IP addressing, throughput — see Getting Started → Troubleshooting.
Resources
- Getting Started with Wi-Fi HaLow Module for XIAO
- Getting Started with Wi-Fi HaLow Mini PCIe Module
- HaLowLink 2 Getting Started
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