Helium Hotspot Review
The Helium Hotspot can be set up in a matter of minutes, and once it is, it will sit connected to your wifi network and allow you to earn the Helium cryptocurrency as you use it. Because earnings can vary based on where you are and the number of available hotspots, it is difficult to predict how quickly or, if at all, you will recover the substantial original investment returned. In spite of this, Helium is an intriguing piece of technology since it takes a novel and innovative approach to the process of producing long-range wireless technology.
• Quick and simple assembly required
• It is completely hands-free
• It can earn you bitcoin
Cons
• Earnings might be unpredictable
• Initial investment is high
• It does not add any further value to your home
Key Specifications
• Review Price: £412
• 150 x 150 x 35 mm
• Ethernet and Wi-Fi
• Helium LongFi (support for LoRaWAN)
You will have the opportunity to contribute to the construction of a decentralized Internet of Things network if you use the Helium Hotspot, which was developed to offer a long-range wireless network for low-power sensors and trackers. This may not sound very interesting at first, but the box also has the potential to earn you a new cryptocurrency, which will give you the means to pay back your initial investment.
It’s an intriguing piece of technology, and once it’s up and running, you won’t have to do anything more to ensure that your hotspot bar has a stable internet connection. On the other hand, it’s not at all clear that you’ll get your investment back.
Structure and characteristics
• It is easy to set up, but it may take some practice to fully grasp what it does.
Because this is something entirely different, it seems appropriate to begin this critique by outlining exactly what the Helium Hotspot is capable of doing, as that is where we are starting. In its most basic form, it is a long-range hotspot that operates on the Helium LongFi protocol. This protocol is an amalgamation of the LoRaWAN wireless technology and the Helium blockchain.
In contrast to Wi-Fi, which was designed to transfer large volumes of data quickly over relatively short distances, LoRaWAN was created to transfer smaller amounts of data over a greater distance. IoT (Internet of Things) sensors and trackers are examples of typical devices that make use of LoRaWAN. These types of devices need to be dependable and powered by batteries, but they do not require the transfer of significant volumes of data.
For instance, in a smart city, a smart sensor can inform the city council about which recycling bins are full, allowing the council to save money on gasoline by only sending vehicles to the bins that truly need to be emptied. A pet tracker might also use the LoRaWAN network to provide real-time updates on the whereabouts of your animal companion.
Everything in this Hotspot is driven by the Helium blockchain, which operates in a manner analogous to that of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. This is what sets this Hotspot apart from others.
When you use the network with your devices, you will be charged in Data Credits for the privilege. Data Credits may only be purchased using the network’s own cryptocurrency, Helium (HNT), which has the ability to be converted into fiat currency. After that, owners of hotspots earn HNT for themselves by virtue of their participation in the network.
HNT can be acquired through a variety of different means. You can earn it in a couple of different ways. The first is if your hotspot participates in a method called Proof-of-Coverage. This is intended to examine whether or not hotspots are giving the level of coverage that they say they are, with the goal of preventing individuals from purchasing a large quantity of hotspots, concealing them in a closet, and using them to mine cryptocurrency.
In addition to this, owners of hotspots receive compensation for any network traffic that is routed through their equipment. Last but not least, Hotspots that have received the highest results on the Proof-of-Coverage test are invited to join the Consensus Group. This group is responsible for many responsibilities, including validating transactions and adding new blocks to the blockchain.
Because this process is fully automated, the only thing that has to be done is to acquire a Helium Hotspot and then connect it to an outlet.
Each Hotspot can be purchased for 450 Euros, which is approximately 412 Pounds. It is a square box that, in order to provide the best coverage, needs to be plugged in and placed close to a window. The Helium mobile app is used to set up and configure each Hotspot. The software guides you through the process of connecting your device to the internet connection at your home using either Ethernet or Wi-Fi, depending on your preference. It is the system.
The system will generate a list of phrases for you, which you will need to keep safe since they serve as evidence that you are the owner of the property. Because there is no backup for this system, you need to make sure that your words are stored somewhere secure.
It shouldn’t take you more than a few minutes to get everything set up, including walking through the steps of the setup wizard and configuring your actual location. At this point, that’s basically all you need to do, as the Helium Hotspot does not have any configuration choices and has no intrinsic value in your house: apart from enabling LoRaWAN access to local devices, the Hotspot does not have any features that improve your home or make your network better.
In all honesty, the Hotspot does nothing more than sit there and become a part of the network; in return, it gives you HTN cash.
• There is a consistent flow of cryptocurrencies, but it is unclear how much money you may potentially make.
The amount of money you make from running a hotspot is directly proportional to the amount of traffic that uses it and the proximity of your location to other hotspots. You can take part in a challenge to demonstrate Proof-of-Coverage, but in order to win the primary prize, there must be many Hotspots in an area that are at least 300 meters apart from each other, while still being within range of each other (up to a few miles, depending on the terrain). This makes it possible for nearby hotspots.
Due to the fact that Helium is still in its early stages, there aren’t all that many Hotspots now available. In point of fact, the one that was located in Central London and was the closest to me was approximately 18 kilometers away. When I checked the app, I discovered that my Hotspot had only produced a few Mining prizes as a result of the Constructing difficulties. I have not received any money through the Proof-of-Coverage program, nor have I received any money from transactions completed through my Hotspot.
As a consequence of this, my Hotspot produces somewhere in the range of 0.4 to 0.7 HNT per day, giving me a total of 10.54 HNT at the time of this writing. Since September 8 I’ve made a little more than $18 selling this item at its current price of $1.77 (at the time of writing). It’s probably too soon to quit your day job. Not yet, at least.
According to a discussion on Reddit, users in the United States, where there are a greater number of Hotspots, can earn an average of between 7 and 10 HNT every day when there are no other Hotspots within range. Although the price of HNT is quite volatile, it is hard to say exactly how much the currency is worth at any given point. This should, in theory, allow the cost of the Hotspot to be reclaimed in a few months; however, it is hard to say exactly how much the currency is worth because of its volatility.
People who are in close proximity to other Hotspots have the potential to earn more money, but the system is designed to reduce earnings in areas that have a high population density. There is no way for you to influence the number of hotspots that are located in your immediate vicinity.
Should you make the investment in the Helium Hotspot?
Instead of being just another cryptocurrency designed to make its creators wealthy as quickly as possible, the Helium network is based on the idea of making the world a better place while simultaneously rewarding the people who own and operate the Hotspots in the process.
LoRaWAN is an intriguing piece of technology, and it is anticipated that its use will become more widespread over the course of the upcoming years as smart city projects are developed. Trials of these networks are already being conducted in Wales; however, the Helium option provides a means of building the network without requiring significant investments from either local councils or the government.
According to my past experiences, recouping my losses at the rate that is currently being offered would take a very long time. Being the first person to purchase the Hotspot could put you in a position to earn more money in the future, but doing so involves taking a risk. Although the Helium Hotspot is an intriguing piece of equipment at the moment, there is no assurance that using it will result in financial gain.