Welcome to the ultimate guide on selecting the best location for your Helium Mobile Wi-Fi units! Whether you’re setting up an indoor or outdoor hotspot, choosing the right location is crucial to maximizing your coverage and rewards. In this guide, we’ll break down the best locations for both indoor and outdoor setups and walk you through using the Helium Mobile Coverage Planner to estimate your rewards before deployment. Let’s dive in! 🚀

What Makes a Great Helium Mobile WiFi Hotspot Mining Location?

Not all locations are created equal and your earnings will be drastically different from location to location! The success of your Helium mining endeavor primarily hinges on the location you choose. Generally speaking, elevation is going to be your friend. WiFi signals do not pass through buildings very well so if you can get your antenna above nearby obstructions, such as neighboring houses/businesses (or furniture of indoor units), your area of coverage will increase, and therefore so will your rewards.

Before we continue: Take a moment to write down a few locations where you could deploy your Helium Mobile WiFi setup. It could be your house, a friend’s small business, a family member’s house, your local gym etc… Your location will make or break your earnings so I recommend writing down at least a couple of options. Below I will explain how you can model the coverage/earnings for all of those possible locations to figure out which location will earn the most $MOBILE. If you’re going to be spending hundreds on a Helium Mobile WiFi Hotspot it’s better to share a percentage of your rewards with a friend than choose a sub-optimal location. A great location can easily earn 10x or more compared to a bad location!

Choosing Locations with High Footfall, Urbanization, and Good Land Type for Helium Mobile WiFi Hotspots

Before we dive in, it’s important to understand how Proof of Coverage (PoC) rewards are calculated (Proof of Coverage is Helium’s unique mining algorithm that dictates the rewards you receive). As time passes, PoC rewards will slowly go down, and data offload will dictate your rewards. By setting up your hotspot in a prime location now, you position yourself well for long-term rewards.

When selecting optimal locations for deploying Helium Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspots, several key factors can significantly enhance the effectiveness and rewards associated with the deployment. These factors include high footfall areas, urbanization levels, and the type of land.

High Footfall Areas: Deploying Helium hotspots in areas with heavy footfall traffic is crucial for maximizing rewards. Footfall Oracles, as introduced in HIP 103, identify and incentivize deployments in locations with significant human traffic. These include places like businesses, restaurants, schools, hospitals, sports arenas, and parks, which are recognized for their high visitor numbers. High footfall areas are prioritized because they ensure that the network coverage is utilized by a large number of users, thereby increasing the value and utility of the coverage provided. 🏢🏥🏫🏟️

Urbanization Levels: Urbanization Oracles focus on encouraging deployments in urbanized areas. Urban areas are characterized by dense populations and significant infrastructure, making them prime locations for network coverage. Urban settings ensure that the hotspots serve a larger audience, enhancing the efficiency of the network. The data for urbanization levels is sourced from reliable institutions like the United States Census Bureau, which classifies and updates urban and rural areas periodically. 🌆

Good Land Type: The type of land on which hotspots are deployed also plays a vital role. Land Type Oracles discourage deployments in locations that are unlikely to benefit from network coverage, such as empty fields or bodies of water. Instead, they promote installations in more suitable environments. Using data from projects like the European Space Agency’s WorldCover, areas are classified and prioritized based on their potential utility for network coverage. This ensures that the resources are allocated to areas where they will have the most impact. 🌳🌍

By focusing on these three critical aspects—high footfall, urbanization, and appropriate land types—deployers can significantly enhance the rewards and effectiveness of their Helium Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspots. This strategic approach not only maximizes the utility of the network but also aligns with the broader goals of improving network coverage in areas where it is most needed.

Best Locations for Indoor Wi-Fi Units

When setting up an indoor Wi-Fi unit, the goal is to maximize coverage while minimizing interference. Here are key factors to consider:

1. High Footfall: Indoor units rely primarily on data offload to receive maximal rewards. This means you will need your indoor Wi-Fi hotspot to be in an area with lots of people using their phones.
2. Central Location: Place your hotspot in a central area of the building to ensure even coverage.
3. Elevation: Higher positions, such as on a shelf or mounted on a wall, help in avoiding obstacles like furniture.
4. Line of Sight: Avoid placing the unit near large metal objects or appliances that can block the signal.
5. Distance from Interference Sources: Keep the unit away from devices like microwaves, cordless phones, and other Wi-Fi routers to reduce interference.
6. Ventilation: Ensure the unit is in a well-ventilated area to prevent overheating.

Ideal Indoor Locations

• Coffee shops ☕
• Restaurants 🍽️
• Malls 🛍️
• Museums 🖼️
• Schools 🏫
• Office Buildings 🏢

Best Locations for Outdoor Wi-Fi Units

Outdoor Wi-Fi units benefit significantly from open, elevated positions. Here are the best practices for outdoor setups:

1. High Footfall: Outdoor units can earn a decent amount from PoC alone, however having lots of users on their cell phones in your area of coverage ensures long-term rewards as data offload becomes more important.
2. Good Urbanization: Let’s be honest, if you’re only covering your family’s yard you’re not providing much useful coverage to the network. Areas that are well built out such as downtown areas are much more valuable to the network.
3. Land Type: If you’re coverage only extends out over a nearby lake or farmland no one is going to be on their phones in those areas and your rewards will reflect this.
4. Height: Mount the unit as high as possible, ideally above rooflines, to avoid obstructions. Due to the limited range of Wi-Fi signals, we don’t recommend installing outdoor units higher than 100ft.
5. Clear Line of Sight: Ensure the unit has a clear line of sight in the direction it’s pointed to maximize coverage.
6. Secure Mounting: Choose sturdy mounting options like non-penetrating roof mounts, J-bars, or metal poles with hose clamps.
7. Proximity to Power and Network Sources: Ensure the unit is close enough to your power source and network connections to avoid long cable runs.

Ideal Outdoor Locations

• Rooftops 🏠
• Elevated poles or towers 🗼
• Outside walls of buildings 🏢
• High balconies or terraces 🌇

Now that we have gone over what makes a location ideal and earn good rewards it is time to calculate how much the locations we have in mind should earn by using the Helium Mobile Coverage Planner.