![\"helium](\"https:\/\/notsealed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/helium-lightning-arrestor.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n- \n
- Helium hotspot miner of your choice. Sensecap<\/a> (in stock), Nebra, Sincrobit, and Bobcats<\/a> are other good Helium miners. (If you can get one fast but you most probably will be waiting months due to current chip shortages.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- External Lora 824MHz-960MHz antenna<\/a>. I went with 5.8GHZ spread.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- LRM400 cable<\/a> shortest run possible.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Lighting arrestor N-type<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Earthing cable.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Cat6 RJ45 ethernet cable.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Ethernet Switch and or Router.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Mounting pole and guide wires for your antenna.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Why Helium Network<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Helium network<\/a> is powered by the Helium Blockchain (HNT) now transitioned to Solana (SOL) It is called the People\u2019s Network and represents a big shift towards decentralized wireless infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By deploying a simple mining LoRa device in your home or office, you can provide your city or town with miles of low-power network coverage for billions of IoT devices. This in return can earn you a new cryptocurrency called Helium IOT<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So not only can I help out my community I can earn an income cool hey. The more hotspot miners you can deploy in your area the more you can earn. But you have to set them up correctly and this is where I will show you how.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I will explain the 3 basic setups and the pros and cons of each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Basic Helium Miner Hotspot Setup.<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n![\"Basic](\"https:\/\/notsealed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/bobcat-miner-setup-1.jpg\")
Not the best location, indoors with a tree for a view.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n This is where you buy a stock helium miner, place it next to your router and connect it via ethernet or WiFi. This is what I did the first day I got my Helium Bobcat miner and I only picked up 2 hotspots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most stock miners will have a stock inbuilt 2-4dBi antenna that should give you good coverage around your area 1-4 miles. This is provided you have other miners around you that you can connect to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Placing the miner near a window in the 2nd story or in the attic space will be the best position for this setup. You can then reach out to 2-6 miles away in low-density suburban areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lots of tall buildings and trees will degrade your LoRa signal with a basic helium miner setup like this. But it is the cheapest way to get started and you can always upgrade later on to an external antenna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Midrange Helium Miner Setup.<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n![\"all](\"https:\/\/notsealed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/different-helium-miner-antennas.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nThis is where we start to get serious about getting our Lora 915mhz signal out as far as we can. Having an external antenna is a must and there are 3 different choices. 3dBi, 5.8dBi, and 8dBi. Anything over 8dBi is just not going to work well, the beam angle is just too narrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For all my setups I went with a 5.8 dbi external<\/a> antenna.<\/a> This gave me great range and a nice beam angle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each has its pros and cons and we will go over which may be better for your application further down in this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With an antenna mounted on the roof, you will need to run a high-grade coaxial cable to the antenna. Most people go with the LMR400 cable<\/a> or above as it has excellent shielding properties and low cable dBi loss.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"Midrange](\"https:\/\/notsealed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/mount-bobcat-on-wall.jpg\")
Bobcat helium miner mounted on the wall using LMR400 cable.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n Many people place the HNT\/IOT miner within 1-10m of their antenna. Any longer and you will start to lose too much signal in the cable run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Have a look at this excellent coaxial cable loss calculator<\/a> to see what different specs in dBi loss can be over longer distances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once I upgraded my stock antenna to an outdoor 5.8dBi omnidirectional I was able to pick up another 5 hotspots and increase my earnings. It was that easy.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"Sensecap](\"https:\/\/notsealed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/sensecap-ethernet.jpg\")
Setting up a Sensecap M1 miner before deployment<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n Always use a cat6 ethernet cable to provide a stable internet signal to your HNT miner. You will be surprised how often WiFi drops out around your home. You should also be able to max out your internet bandwidth via ethernet so you will sync to the blockchain faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can buy full helium miner installation kits that save all the guesswork from the includes high gain antennas, mounts, cables, and lightning protection devices. Just be sure to pick the correct area such as USA or EU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Helium antenna in the attic<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"helium](\"https:\/\/notsealed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/helium-attic-antenna.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIf you are unable to mount your helium antenna on the roof the next best spot is in the attic. You will still get better range than if the antenna is mounted lower down on the outside of a house wall. Mop grippers<\/a> work well to hold the antenna in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The higher you can get your antenna the better. Remember that roof tiles will reduce the radio signal as well as every tree and tall building in the path of your antenna beam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Helium](\"https:\/\/notsealed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/helium-miner-in-cupboard.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nOn this install, I mounted the Helium Miner Sensecap m1 in a cupboard just under the attic. This way the hotspot stays cool. Using blank wall outlets with cable glands keeps the installation clean. I just need to tie back the cables now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Highend Helium Miner Setup.<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n![\"Highend](\"https:\/\/notsealed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/nebra-outdoor-antenna.jpg\")
Nebra outdoor helium miner all in one unit.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n Ok now we are getting serious and the cost is starting to go up. For this, we need an external pole-mounted helium miner in an external weatherproof case. You will also need power over the Ethernet POE injector with a cat6 ethernet cable run to the pole. The helium miner must be installed in a weatherproof enclosure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This will provide the miner with a low dBi loss, and a strong signal from the antenna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What we are doing now is making the antenna cable run as short as possible. This will preserve the signal loss both in receiving and transmitting. For this setup, people often go with a 5.8dbi or an 8dbi LoRa antenna. But I have seen 3dBi in a dense city environment. The mistake is people think a high-gain antenna means more power. It may travel further as a signal but the with of the RF signal is very narrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Go with an 8dBi antenna only if you are trying to connect to another hotspot that is very far away. I’m talking 15 miles plus. With uninterrupted views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A quality 5.8dBi antenna is a good all-around option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Check out some topographic maps of your area.<\/a> These can be a great resource on where to locate your helium miner. But if you are just putting it on the roof of your house you may not have much option on where the antenna goes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But location plays a big influence on the antenna of choice. Are you in a valley, or on top of a mountain? As you can see from a topographic map of Portland Vancouver the elevation can go from 2m all the way up to over 3000m. A low-gain antenna may be all you need to cover these areas. So check your area for high and low spots.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"Topographic](\"https:\/\/notsealed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/vancouver-topographic.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nLoRa Outdoor Antenna Placement Range and dBi Explained.<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n![\"Outdoor](\"https:\/\/notsealed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/antenna-gain-dbi-3-9.jpg\")
Range of LoRa signal 3dBi vs 9dBi<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n - \n
- Outdoor placement beats indoor placement every time and I mean every time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Elevation and height is the most important factor. I mean it is the MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR. A stock antenna will beat an expensive brand-name antenna if the stock antenna is placed outside and high up in the sky.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- You should avoid going above 6 dBi if possible unless you live very far from every other miner. I am are talking over 10 miles away.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The higher the antenna placement, the lower the dBi you should go for if you live in the city. For example a 3 dBi is perfect for a skyscraper, 5.8 dBi is great in a sub-urban elevated rooftop. 8 dBi for country with wide open spaces.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- As you can see in the above image 9dB travels further than 3dB but it has a much thinner or flatter beam angle. So you could be shooting over lower HNT miners. Plan your coverage and experiment with antennas they are cheap compared to the rewards you may be missing out on.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- If you would like to learn more about antennas check out this post on how to increase the range on your Helium antenna.<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
How to Support the Antenna Pole.<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n![\"Outdoor](\"https:\/\/notsealed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/antenna-guide-wires.jpg\")
My homemade LoRa antenna mast with guide wires on the 2nd story has excellent views.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n Having your expensive Helium LoRa antenna flapping around in the wind at an angle will give you bad results. All antennas need to be vertical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Square up your antenna using at least 3x guide wires at a 120-degree angle from each other. Use a plumb bob or a brickies bubble level to get the antenna pole nice and vertical. Turn swivels will enable you to make fine adjustments on the guide wires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Place your antenna at the very top of the pole. This is so the pole is not casting a shadow or causing a black spot on the antenna signal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes you just have to think outside the box on how to mount an HNT antenna on your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Port Forward Your Helium Miner.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
You can port forward to your miner but it is not required. Handy for remote login.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Port forward 44158 TCP in your home router so you can connect to the maximum amount of devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- External Lora 824MHz-960MHz antenna<\/a>. I went with 5.8GHZ spread.<\/li>\n\n\n\n