Estimate your potential monthly earnings from running a Helium hotspot. Earnings depend on your location, signal quality, and network coverage.
Urban areas have more witnesses, but higher competition for rewards
More witnesses = more proof-of-coverage = more rewards
Upgraded antennas can double your coverage range
Based on current HNT price of $6.20 (as of late 2024)
Imagine a wireless network that doesn’t belong to Verizon, AT&T, or any big telecom company. Instead, it’s built by thousands of everyday people - homeowners, small business owners, tech enthusiasts - who plug in a device the size of a router and earn crypto for giving internet to nearby IoT gadgets. That’s the Helium Network. And it’s not a theory. It’s real. As of late 2024, over 400,000 hotspots are active across 80 countries, handling more than half a petabyte of data in just one quarter. This isn’t a crypto experiment. It’s a working, growing, real-world infrastructure replacing parts of the old cellular system.
The Helium Network is a decentralized physical infrastructure network - or DePIN - built to connect Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Think smart sensors for agriculture, asset trackers for shipping, environmental monitors in cities, or even smart pet collars. These devices don’t need high-speed internet like your phone. They need cheap, long-range, low-power connectivity. That’s where Helium comes in.
Traditional cellular networks (like 4G or 5G) are expensive to build. Telecom companies spend billions on towers, spectrum licenses, and maintenance. Helium flips that model. Instead of a corporation owning everything, anyone can buy a hotspot - a small device that broadcasts wireless signals - and join the network. In return, they earn HNT, the network’s native cryptocurrency, for providing coverage.
The magic isn’t just in the rewards. It’s in the proof. Helium uses something called Proof-of-Coverage (PoC) to make sure hotspots aren’t fake. Every six hours, a hotspot sends out a radio signal. Nearby hotspots - called witnesses - verify that signal was real and came from the right location. If the system confirms it, the hotspot earns HNT. This prevents people from placing 50 hotspots in one room to cheat the system. The network knows if you’re actually covering ground.
Helium doesn’t use Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. It runs on a protocol called LongFi, which combines LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) with blockchain. LoRaWAN is designed for IoT - it can send small data packets over 10-20 kilometers in open areas, uses almost no power, and works through walls and buildings. That’s 200 times the range of Wi-Fi.
Hotspots act as gateways. They receive data from sensors (like a soil moisture monitor in a farm) and send it to the internet via the hotspot’s own broadband connection. The data travels over Helium’s blockchain, which now runs on Solana. This was a huge upgrade. In 2023, Helium moved from its old blockchain to Solana. Before, transactions cost $0.30 and processed at 10 per second. Now, they cost less than a penny and process over 1,600 per second. That made the network faster, cheaper, and scalable.
Hotspots are now minted as compressed NFTs - digital ownership tokens - for just $0.50 to $1.00. That’s 1,000 times cheaper than early NFTs. This made it possible for regular people to join without breaking the bank. And 60% of the 100,000 mobile hotspots are converted devices - like Ubiquiti routers or Eero mesh systems - meaning people didn’t need to buy new gear. They just repurposed what they already had.
DePIN isn’t new. Filecoin lets you rent out unused hard drive space. Render lets you rent out GPU power. But most of these projects are still mostly speculative. People stake tokens, but there’s little real-world usage.
Helium is different because people are actually using it. Over 124,000 mobile users now pay for Helium Mobile - an unlimited data plan that runs on the same hotspot network. People in rural areas, college dorms, and even some urban apartments are ditching traditional carriers because Helium gives them service where others don’t.
Compare that to 5G. The U.S. alone needs an estimated $275 billion to fully roll out 5G. Helium built one of the largest LoRaWAN networks on earth with no central company spending billions. It was built by individuals, one hotspot at a time. That’s the power of decentralization.
Other DePIN projects are trying to copy this. But Helium has the data, the users, and the proven track record. It’s not just a token. It’s a functioning network with real demand.
You don’t need to be a blockchain expert to join. Here’s how it works:
Setup takes about 2-3 hours. You’ll need a Solana wallet (like Phantom or Backpack) to receive HNT. The Helium app walks you through it step by step. There’s also an active Discord community and Reddit forum where people share placement tips, antenna upgrades, and troubleshooting.
Helium isn’t just for crypto traders. It’s solving real problems:
These aren’t prototypes. They’re live deployments. Companies like Bosch, Siemens, and a dozen IoT startups now use Helium as their default connectivity layer.
It’s not perfect. Some users complain about inconsistent coverage. If your neighborhood only has two hotspots, your sensor might not connect reliably. Helium’s network is dense in cities but patchy in rural areas - and that’s by design. It grows where people place hotspots, not where a corporation decides to build.
Some early adopters lost earnings when they placed hotspots too close together. The network penalizes clustering. Others struggled with antenna placement - a $100 external antenna can double your range.
There’s also the question of sustainability. Will people keep running hotspots if HNT prices drop? So far, the answer is yes. Q4 2024 saw a 555% jump in data processed, and mobile subscribers kept growing. The network’s economics are tied to real usage, not just speculation.
Regulations are another concern. In some countries, radio frequency rules limit how strong your hotspot can transmit. Helium’s hardware complies with local laws, but operators need to check their region’s rules.
The roadmap is bold. Helium is expanding its 5G coverage. New hotspots now support cellular bands, meaning they can act as mini cell towers. In 2025, expect to see Helium hotspots competing directly with traditional mobile providers - especially in areas where coverage is weak.
Enterprise tools are also improving. Businesses can now manage hundreds of hotspots from a single dashboard. Integration with Solana DeFi means HNT can be staked, swapped, or used in lending protocols without leaving the ecosystem.
Analysts predict Helium could hit 1 million hotspots by 2026. That’s not fantasy. It’s math. With 400,000 today and 555% growth in one quarter, the trend is clear. The real question isn’t whether Helium will grow - it’s how fast the rest of the world will catch on.
The Helium Network proves something simple: infrastructure doesn’t need to be owned by big companies to be powerful. It can be built by ordinary people, paid for by usage, and maintained by incentives. This isn’t just about crypto. It’s about rethinking how we build the physical world - one hotspot at a time.
If you’ve ever wondered why your smart sensor won’t connect, or why rural internet is so expensive - Helium might be the answer. You don’t need to be a tech giant to change the system. You just need a device, a window, and a little patience.
Yes, but not guaranteed. Hotspot owners earn HNT for providing wireless coverage. Earnings depend on location, number of witnesses, and network demand. In high-coverage areas, some earn $50-$150 per month. In low-density areas, earnings may be under $10. The key is placement - near a window, away from interference, and not too close to other hotspots.
No. You can convert existing devices like Ubiquiti EdgeRouter or Eero Pro 6 into Helium hotspots using official firmware. This cuts costs significantly. New hotspots cost $300-$800, but converted devices only require the firmware update and a small antenna upgrade. Around 60% of mobile hotspots are converted devices.
It depends on where you live. In cities and suburbs with many hotspots, Helium Mobile offers reliable, unlimited data at a lower price than traditional carriers. In rural areas, coverage is spotty because fewer hotspots exist. It’s not a full replacement yet - but for many, it’s a solid backup or primary option in underserved zones.
Each hotspot must send out a radio signal every six hours. Nearby hotspots (witnesses) verify the signal’s location using encrypted GPS data and hardware authentication. If a hotspot tries to fake its location or cluster with others, the network detects it and reduces rewards. The system uses embedded ECC/RSA keys in each device - making spoofing nearly impossible without physical access to the hardware.
LoRaWAN is designed for low-power, long-range IoT devices. It can transmit data up to 20 km in open areas and lasts years on a single battery. Wi-Fi is high-speed but short-range (under 50 meters) and drains power quickly. Helium uses LoRaWAN for sensors and trackers - not for streaming video or browsing. It’s the right tool for the job.
Not directly. Helium hotspots don’t provide high-speed internet for laptops or phones like a router does. They connect low-bandwidth IoT devices. But you can use Helium Mobile - a cellular plan that runs over the network - for your phone. That’s the only way to get internet access through Helium for personal devices.
In most countries, yes. Helium hotspots operate within licensed radio frequency bands (like 915 MHz in the U.S. or 868 MHz in Europe) and comply with local regulations. You don’t need a telecom license to operate one. But always check your country’s RF rules - some restrict transmit power or antenna gain.
HNT is earned daily but claimed on-demand through the Helium app. You only pay $0.07 per year to claim your rewards thanks to the “lazy claiming” system. You need a Solana wallet (like Phantom or Backpack) linked to your hotspot. The app shows your balance and lets you claim with one tap. No daily blockchain fees.
Moving your hotspot resets your coverage history. The network sees it as a new device and requires a new Proof-of-Coverage validation cycle. You’ll earn less for a few weeks until it’s verified again. Don’t move it often. For best results, pick a good spot once and leave it.
Not replace - complement. Helium is designed for low-power IoT devices, not streaming or video calls. But its new 5G hotspots are starting to offer mobile data plans. In areas where traditional carriers don’t serve, Helium could become the primary network. It’s not about replacing Verizon - it’s about giving people options where none existed before.
I'm a blockchain analyst and cryptocurrency educator based in Perth. I research DeFi protocols and layer-1 ecosystems and write practical pieces on coins, exchanges, and airdrops. I also advise Web3 startups and enjoy translating complex tokenomics into clear insights.
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