Helium Network / LoraWAN / HNT mining

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ScuL

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#290444 12-Nov-2021 09:36

Kia ora all,

I just wanted to share this post to introduce the Helium Network as I am confident there will be fellow Geekzoners that may be interested in using this technology.

WHAT IS IT
* Q) What is Helium mining? A) Helium mining is a way to earn crypto by transmitting and receiving radio signals. Think of it as very long range WiFi.
* Q) What is the purpose of it? A) The goal is to build a global "internet of things" network. There are many IoT devices that can support LoraWan technology to connect to the internet and Helium can provide this coverage through the network.
* Q) What is the state of the network in NZ? A) The Helium network is still in its infancy in NZ. We require more people to put up hotspots in order to expand it and increase our combined earnings.
* Q) Can I see what the network looks like? A) Yes, check out the Helium Explorer: https://explorer.helium.com/

EARNING
* Q) So how does it earn money? A) There are several ways to collect Helium tokens. 1) You can be a p2p (network) participant and you get paid Helium to witness other hotspots via the internet. 2) You can connect with other Helium hotspots through radio signals (witnessing) and 3) You can provide internet access for IoT devices. The more of these you provide the more crypto you will be rewarded.
* Q) What crypto is paid out? A) You will earn HNT. https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/helium
* Q) What kind of earnings are average? A) This depends on how many hotspots there are in your area. The more there are around you the more you will earn. The earnings can range from a dollar a day to a hundred bucks a week, check out some overseas hotspots to compare.

COVERAGE
* Q) How do I provide the best coverage? A) If you have a location with good elevation or close to the water you will have premium range. The best gains are made by placing the antenna as high as possible. If only we could put an antenna on top of the SkyTower 😉
* Q) Does it matter if someone is already in my area? A) If two people occupy the same hex both their earnings get halved. This can be problematic in cities. Try to find spots that are unoccupied.
* Q) How far do the signals travel? A) This depends on the geography, your equipment and location. But on average most outdoor antennas easily range 5 to 10km. On high elevation that can go up to 50 to 80km. Across water I have seen distances as far as 150km.
* Q) Is there any point if I live rurally? A) Well, it's unlikely you will be able to connect to other hotspots but you can still provide IoT coverage and earn tokens by witnessing other hotspots via P2P.

HARDWARE
* Q) What do you need to mine Helium? A) In order to mine Helium you need a mining device called a Helium Hotspot. They have to be certified and there are only a select few vendors that support the frequencies used in AU & NZ.
* Q) Is that everything? A) Well, the standard unit comes with an indoor antenna and unless you live in the CBD the range is limited, particularly indoors. It's best to use a 5.8dBi outdoor antenna to improve your range. You will also need RFC400/LMR400 quality cable to preserve the best signal.
* Q) Awesome! How quick can I start? A) Because of the booming popularity of Helium mining worldwide there is a global shortage of stock. Most suppliers have 3 to 6 months delivery frames. Currently local supply is available from IOT store Australia and PB Tech have just announced to stock the Sensecap M1 which is currently the best available unit for the NZ market.

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/SBCSED0007/Seeed-Indoor-Gateway-SenseCAP-M1-Helium-Indoor-Hot (delivery UNKNOWN)
https://iqflow.io/products/sensecap-m1-helium-indoor-hotspot-lorawan-gateway-au915 (delivery DECEMBER)
https://store.linxdot.com/products/linxdot-indoor-hotspot?variant=40528871522496 (delivery FEBRUARY)

Note:
* Do not purchase an EU868 or US915 device from overseas, they will be useless in NZ. The NZ Frequency range is AU915.

Current state of the Helium network in NZ 11/11/2021

Auckland

Wellington

Christchurch

Dunedin

Haere taka mua, taka muri; kaua e wha.

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#2811489 12-Nov-2021 10:56

I looked into this a couple of months ago (I am a small time GPU miner, with 1060 cards, nothing special). I couldn't work out the ROI for these, and at $700+ per unit how does it compare to ETH (or FLUX, as the current top of the charts for mining)?

Also I cannot see how you scale these? For example if I brought another GPU I add it to my miner and earn more (and also calculate a ROI), but how does that work with Helium?

ScuL

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#2811496 12-Nov-2021 11:01

timbosan:

I looked into this a couple of months ago (I am a small time GPU miner, with 1060 cards, nothing special). I couldn't work out the ROI for these, and at $700+ per unit how does it compare to ETH (or FLUX, as the current top of the charts for mining)?

Also I cannot see how you scale these? For example if I brought another GPU I add it to my miner and earn more (and also calculate a ROI), but how does that work with Helium?

Above anything I think it's a pretty cool type of technology and that weighs more heavily than the potential earnings. However as described in the Q&A the potential earnings are really dependent on your location (city centre, urban, suburban) and most definitely your elevation and obstacles surrounding your site. I am enthusiastic about bringing the network up to a standard where most urban areas in Aotearoa are interconnected.

The best earning hotspot in Auckland right now is a guy in Glenfield who earns $100 USD a week and connects to between 4 and 6 other hotspots (the farthest one at 13km distance in Penrose).
So for him it would take approx 2 months to break even.

You are not going to make more money by placing 2 hotspots at your own house, so the scalability factor comes into play by placing them at friend's & relatives' houses or other locations you may have access to (office buildings etc.)

Haere taka mua, taka muri; kaua e wha.

timbosan

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#2811510 12-Nov-2021 11:58

ScuL:

timbosan:

I looked into this a couple of months ago (I am a small time GPU miner, with 1060 cards, nothing special). I couldn't work out the ROI for these, and at $700+ per unit how does it compare to ETH (or FLUX, as the current top of the charts for mining)?

Also I cannot see how you scale these? For example if I brought another GPU I add it to my miner and earn more (and also calculate a ROI), but how does that work with Helium?

Above anything I think it's a pretty cool type of technology and that weighs more heavily than the potential earnings. However as described in the Q&A the potential earnings are really dependent on your location (city centre, urban, suburban) and most definitely your elevation and obstacles surrounding your site. I am enthusiastic about bringing the network up to a standard where most urban areas in Aotearoa are interconnected.

The best earning hotspot in Auckland right now is a guy in Glenfield who earns $100 USD a week and connects to between 4 and 6 other hotspots (the farthest one at 13km distance in Penrose).
So for him it would take approx 2 months to break even.

You are not going to make more money by placing 2 hotspots at your own house, so the scalability factor comes into play by placing them at friend's & relatives' houses or other locations you may have access to (office buildings etc.)

Good point - I try to mine Raven and Flux and Firo often as I believe in what projects offer over just mining ETH as its the most profitable. But ROI does come into it at some point.

So, in summary, you have 1 device (and from what I understand these are also very low power, so not huge KW monsters like multi-GPU rigs, right?), and as long as you can connect to at least one other hotspot, your good?

And the more you can connect to, the better for both the network, and for your income?

Lazy question - what wallet do you use? And any recommendations on exchanges?

ScuL

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#2811516 12-Nov-2021 12:08

A Sensecap M1 unit is on 5V/3A, so that's a maximum of 15W which it will rarely require. Yes they are technically Raspberry Pi4 boards with some extensions. You used to be able to build your own but that is no longer allowed due to hacking.

The more other hotspots can be witnessed via radio waves the more tokens you will earn yes.
In order to activate the hotspot you will require the Helium app on your smartphone (Android/iPhone) and can use that as a wallet. Tokens are automatically deposited in there. Of course you can withdraw these tokens to most popular crypto exchanges.

-added below; example of hotspot in Glenfield. Generated $19 (USD) in the past 24 hours with 4 hotspots connected

Of course you can also go on steroids. You could set up connectivity via 4G and power the unit with solar panels.

This guy in the greater Los Angeles area makes up to $5k a week by placing his hotspot on a mountain top in the area;

Haere taka mua, taka muri; kaua e wha.

richms

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#2811518 12-Nov-2021 12:26

I tried ordering one ages ago and it was delayed and delayed and delayed so I cancelled it. I think the big earnings are over now that the supply of the hotspots is appearing to be sorted out.

Richard rich.ms

ScuL

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#2811523 12-Nov-2021 12:38

richms:

I tried ordering one ages ago and it was delayed and delayed and delayed so I cancelled it. I think the big earnings are over now that the supply of the hotspots is appearing to be sorted out.

Which vendor did you go with? Nebra and Syncrobit have had incredible delays and some buyers have had to wait more than 12 months... the majority have opted for a refund.

I don't think the big earnings are over, the network in NZ is still very very early days so being an early adopter here will definitely pay off.

Haere taka mua, taka muri; kaua e wha.

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concordnz

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#2811555 12-Nov-2021 13:21

Good initial post ScuL

I was looking at this a few months ago, but couldn't find a source of Hotspots - I'll follow through the links you provided thank you.

Do you know the size of the cells?
What distance between required to be in a different 'cell'

ScuL

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#2811564 12-Nov-2021 13:25

concordnz: Good initial post ScuL

Do you know the size of the cells?
What distance between required to be in a different 'cell'

Thanks. According to what I see online one hex is roughly 0.74km² https://docs.helium.com/wallets/app-wallet/hexagons/

You can see the hex outlines in the Helium Explorer and should more or less be able to determine where you will end up.

Haere taka mua, taka muri; kaua e wha.

concordnz

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#2811565 12-Nov-2021 13:27

I just spotted the Los Angeles Post,
I may be able to put one in a similar situation any idea of un inhibited clear range?

ScuL

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#2811572 12-Nov-2021 13:41

concordnz: I just spotted the Los Angeles Post,
I may be able to put one in a similar situation any idea of un inhibited clear range?

On a clear hill overlooking one of NZ's main cities you would make an absolute killing. Range on 100m elevation or higher would be between 50 and 100km.

I am thinking North Island geography right now. If you are in the South Island the mountains will block signals entirely and signal will likely carry in one direction only.

Haere taka mua, taka muri; kaua e wha.

ScuL

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#2821487 30-Nov-2021 11:24

Not sure if allowed but we now have a Helium NZ Discord channel at https://discord.gg/AhnVRjzEZn

The community is growing and so is our network :)

Haere taka mua, taka muri; kaua e wha.

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idkpmiller

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#2835529 19-Dec-2021 14:13

I received my SenseCap M1 miner early November, and around the mid to end of the month I had things stable and it has only a single witness it can see that is over 1.5km away that in it self is enough to have an ROI that fluctuates between 3-7 months depending on the price of HNT. I do nothing.

just look in and keep an eye on my rewards piling up. I am expecting I will HODL the reward's until perhaps Feb and then look at exchanging them into other coins that look promising at the time. I would get far higher rewards if they were more witnesses connected, actual users of the IOT network and if the HNT price rises as it did around October.

I really do not see the end being here yet in fact for New Zealand we are still at the very beginning. The wait times for miners is slowly improving but as we have a small community using the AU915 radio frequency then you can imagine we are only served when the larger EU and US bands have been served.

I still think it is well worth it, and I think I will purchase another next year once I get the festivities out of the way.

Take care and have a profitable future

Paul

sparkz25

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#2835534 19-Dec-2021 14:42

I have been keeping a close eye on this, have been thinking of deploying some when I can get my hands on some at some pretty remote locations that overlook Auckland,

Anyone know when the PB order is due in?

ScuL

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#2835673 19-Dec-2021 23:23

idkpmiller:

I received my SenseCap M1 miner early November, and around the mid to end of the month I had things stable and it has only a single witness it can see that is over 1.5km away that in it self is enough to have an ROI that fluctuates between 3-7 months depending on the price of HNT. I do nothing.

Excellent. Can you share your hotspot name and are you on the Discord yet? It helps so much keeping people connected as we can all do our bit to improve comms between the hotspots.

sparkz25:

I have been keeping a close eye on this, have been thinking of deploying some when I can get my hands on some at some pretty remote locations that overlook Auckland,

Anyone know when the PB order is due in?

From what I've heard the first PB Tech batch has been delivered and the next is scheduled for November 2022 :(

Best availability for NZ is currently still through IoT Store/IQFlow in Perth

Haere taka mua, taka muri; kaua e wha.

sparkz25

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#2835674 19-Dec-2021 23:29

ScuL:

From what I've heard the first PB Tech batch has been delivered and the next is scheduled for November 2022 :(

Best availability for NZ is currently still through IoT Store/IQFlow in Perth

Wow November 2022, looks like Ill need to go through the IOT Store then, was hoping to be able to purchase here in NZ.

So what is every one using? I hear a lot of sensecaps out there and bobcats are stating to come in but i also hear that some are using linxdot's.

Is there a list of pro's and con's relating to each device?

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