Best Helium Miners to Earn HNT – Helium Miners is set-and forget operation is the best thing about it. It also powers a decentralized wireless network of world class quality.
Crypto Mining should be difficult and expensive.
You should imagine conventional mining setups with high-performing GPUs and ASIC miners, humming the existence out of the surrounding living with constant, unbearable warmth.
Don’t let me even begin to discuss mining investments.
Helium blockchain is an open-source distributed wireless network that powers billions of devices and offers low-cost internet. There are many more in the pipeline, including a Helium 5G network where you pay only for the data that you use and not on a fixed monthly subscription.
It will be much more economical than traditional internet service providers, and it will also make the business model more sustainable.
But, our primary purpose is to do Helium mining.
To earn mining rewards, you simply purchase and install a wireless device on your premises. These little WiFi devices use only 5W, which is a significant difference to traditional power-hungry miners.
They are far more reliable than ordinary wireless hotspots. These routers are powered by Helium LongFi technology and offer 200 times greater coverage than standard WiFi router.
Only a few hundred of these devices are enough to cover an entire city. This technology is possible thanks to low-power radio networks (technically LoRaWan).
Helium Mining (TL;DR)
The simplest way to helium mine is for someone who doesn’t know much about technology. It won’t take long to install, and you can find many YouTube videos on that.
This is it. Everything else happens by itself.
Helium Tokens are earned by hotspot owners in exchange for their ‘Coverage’. This is especially true if your hotspot is the only Helium one.
There are many activities that a miner can do, and most of them require a network of hotspot miners.
Helium Explorer allows you to see the people’s networks.
It is similar to Google Maps with the hexagons in green representing hotspot coverage.
This can be used to confirm the number of miners at your place. You can also view all rewards and past activities of each miner on the Helium network.
You can skip the next two sections, if you don’t feel comfortable with these details.
How does Helium Mining work?
By setting up a WiFi router, you can earn rewards and power Helium Network (also known as The People’s Network).
Your device creates Proof-of-Coverage challenges for other routers and data transfer, completes PoC tasks sent to others, and checks the PoC activity of hotspots that are accessible.
There are five ways to earn Helium tokens from mining (HNT).
- Participate in PoC Challenges (up to 2.11%)
- Participate in the PoC Challenge (up to 11.78%)
- Watch the challenge (upto 47.11%)
- Network Data Transfer (upto 35%)
- Consensus Group Member (6%)
Based on your activity, the percentage represents the amount in which you can earn HNT mining reward points.
You might perform one or more of these tasks depending on where you are (and what hotspot device is available).
If one is elected to the Consensus Group (which validates transactions) then you will also be eligible for mining rewards. This group can take away as much as 6% of all mining reward.
The remaining 33% of mining rewards are distributed to Helium, Inc, and network investors.
Helium mining is not like any other type of mining. It doesn’t guarantee steady returns.
Helium mining is also characterized by halving events. These events are observed by Helium blockchain every two years. This is also done to increase the native token’s worth.
Helium Mining: The Risks
Mining rewards are not guaranteed. You’ll face major problems if you are the only miner at a particular location.
You can’t participate in PoC activities, or serve as a witness. You get only rewards for data transfer.
You can earn HNT by becoming the Challenger.
These entities create PoC challenges for hotspots and Challengees. The Beaconer then accepts the PoC challenge and completes the task in the presence of a neighboring Witness.
But, it is important to note that all reward-generating activities can be done automatically. You don’t even have to lift a finger once you turn on the device.
Let’s now look at the hardware.
Best Helium Miners
Helium, Inc. manufactured the first miners.
They allowed other companies to do so. When purchasing a Helium mining machine, ensure it is on the official list for Helium miner manufacturers. This information can be found on their website.
Mimiq FinestraMiner
Features:
- Raspberry Pi 4 Processor
- 4GB RAM
- Frequency Support: EU868
- Bluetooth 5.0
- WiFi 2.4GHz & 5GHz, Ethernet
- Antenna Gain: 2.8 dBi
FinestraMiner includes a mount that is non-adhesive and can be used for higher stationing to provide better coverage. FinestraMiner or Helium apps support dashboard management.
SenseCAP M1-US915
Features:
- Raspberry Pi 4 Processor
- 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB RAM
- Frequency Support: EU868, USA915
- Bluetooth 5.0
- WiFi 2.4 GHz & 5 GHz
- Antenna Gain: US915: 2.6 dBi, EU868: 2.8 dBi
- 64GB MicroSD Card Storage
The product description includes miles of coverage, and it is eligible for automatic OTA upgrade.
SenseCAP M1 also comes pre-installed with a heat sink and cooling fan to ensure smooth operation.
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SenseCAP M1 LoRaWAN Indoor Gateway Helium Crypto Miner – US915 | There are no ratings yet | $418.78 | Shop on Amazon |
Browan Merryiot Hotspot
Features:
- Rockchip RK3566/Quadcore Cortex A55
- 4GB RAM
- Frequency Support: EU868/US915
- Bluetooth 5.2
- WiFi 2.4 GHz
- Antenna Gain: 2 dBi
- Built-In Antenna
- eMMC 32GB/64GBTF card
Browan Merriiot has an internal antenna. However, an external antenna can be used to extend the range. Its eMMC storage, which indicates ultra-fast beacon discovery, is what makes it stand out.
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Milesight LoRaWAN Hotspot
Features:
- Quad-core 1.5 GHz Processor with 64-bit ARM Cortex A53 Processor
- 2GB RAM DDR4
- Frequency Support: RU864/IN865/EU868/US915/AU915/KR920/AS923/AS923-2
- WiFi 2.4GHz
- Antenna Gain: 2/5 dBi
- 32 GB eMMC storage
In this instance, the differenceiator is the antenna gains that can provide great proof-of-coverage range, resulting in high HNT earnings.
Milesight offers two models to choose from, UG65 and UG67 for indoor and outdoor use.
Bobcat Miner 300
Features:
- Quad-core Cortex A35 CPU
- 2GB RAM DDR3
- Frequency Support: AS923/AU915/EU868/US915/KR920
- Bluetooth 5.1
- WiFi
- Antenna gain: 4 dBi
- 64GB eMMC Flash Memory
- OTA upgrades
Bobcat Miner was named the helium community’s favorite hotspot in 2021, in addition to its lightning fast eMMC storage.
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piecemaster Bobcat 300 Hotspot Helium HTN Miner US 915, Black | There are no ratings yet | $581.12 | Shop on Amazon |
The high antenna gain allows for greater coverage and higher mining rewards.
MNTD Blackspot – RAKwireless
Features:
- Raspberry Pi 4
- 4/8GB RAM
- Frequency Support: IN865, EU868, US915, US915, AU915, AU915, KR920 and AS923, CN470
- Bluetooth 5.0
- 2.4 & 5Ghz WiFi
- 32GB SD Card Storage
- Heat sink in-built
MNTD Blackspot, as stated on the website is based upon the RAK Hotspot. Not surprisingly, all of the specifications are for the RAK version.
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MNTD Helium Blackspot Miner (Black) | There are no ratings yet | $475.00 |
Nebra ROCK Pi Miner
Features:
- Dual-core Cortex A72 at 1.8GHz/Quadcore A53 at 1.4GHz
- 2GB RAM
- Frequency Support: US915, KR920 and AS923, EU868, EU865, IN865, RU864
- Bluetooth 5
- WiFi
- Antenna Gain: 3 dBi
- 32GB eMMC Storage
Nebra ROCK pi is available in two plans: basic (free) or advanced (paid). The basic plan includes auto-updating. The advanced tier provides remote management including device stats and performance.
RADACAT COTX X3
Features:
- Quad-core Cortex-A72 @1.5GHz Processor
- Maximum 8GB RAM
- Bluetooth 5.0
- WiFi 2.4/5GHz
- Antenna Gain: 3.5/8 dBi
- 32GB Micro SD Card
This option is the most expensive on the list and comes with an optional high-gain antenna and LCD display. This COTXX-X3 mining hotspot is currently available for purchase, without any reservation period.
Conclusion
This was the easiest, most plug-and-play Helium mining process you could ever wish for. It’s a small, one-time investment of 500 USD that supports the largest wireless network in the world.
The rewards are however equal and cannot be compared with typical Proof-of-Work mining (PoW).
