How to Make a DIY Helium Miner

Before we get any further, it is important to note that DIY Helium miners cannot mine HNT as official models can. Over the years, Helium has decided that DIY miners can connect to the network as data-only hotspots. These hotspots are eligible for Network Data Transfer Rewards but not Proof of Coverage Rewards. As Proof of Coverage rewards make up a sizable portion of the HNT mined by Helium hotspots, data-only generates less HNT relative to full hotspots in the same location.

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The benefit of a data-only hotspot is the cost. Mainline full Helium hotspots run around $500, whereas data-only models are cheaper.  So, a DIY Helium miner will always be a data-only miner. With that in mind, let’s talk about Helium!

What is Helium?

Helium is a decentralized network that is working to create public and long-range wireless coverage in a LoRaWAN network, as well as an up-and-coming 5G network. They are creating a new kind of network where devices can interact securely and the network can pop up in locations without a ton of infrastructure going down first. 

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Security is a major concern for networks today because of the sheer quantity of links in the chain. A dedicated and malevolent hacker could enter any one of the devices on the network, making it much harder to secure networks now than it was many years ago. People have taken advantage of this to hack into these devices to mess with servers and networks. 

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Helium is proposing a security fix by using crypto’s blockchain technology. They are working to create a network that is much more secure and is able to compartmentalize and handle keeping these millions of devices in check. There are, right now, more devices in the world that can connect to the internet than there are people in this world. Helium’s synced blockchain technology will make it easier to transfer data securely along the network.  

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Helium’s internet of things network is also rolling out as an alternative to major networks as a way to cheaply and securely transfer data. The sheer volume of data being transferred by all of these devices makes it important to keep the cost of its transfer as low as possible. 

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A Refreshing Way to Mine HNT

Helium’s mining system is very different from other systems out there. A lot of crypto mining happens on the back of processing power. For instance, if a computer with one unit of processing power mines $1 worth of crypto each day, a computer with double that would mine twice the amount, and so on. It is, of course, a little more complicated than that, but that’s a simplified reason why crypto mining is oftentimes coupled with an energy-heavy activity. 

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Helium’s mining system is different! Each miner only uses about $1 worth of electricity each month because it is not the processing power that drives the mining, it's the network traffic in your area. You could buy a premium Helium miner and make some serious HNT each day while your friend, a dozen miles away with the same miner is making pennies. The miner itself is not the driving force behind your Helium miner’s profitability. The network in your area is the biggest variable in your HNT mining, which is why we recommend checking out a website like Helium Explorer, which shows you how many miners are connected in your area as well as their HNT earnings. 

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The location-based profitability of the system is also why DIY miners are popular. You don’t need a crazy rig to make some nice profits, you just need to be in a high-data area! There are a lot of good areas to mine, there are some areas where you won’t make much HNT, and there are areas that are still developing. While some areas are not very profitable at this time, there’s no telling how that may change within the year. 

How do Helium Miners Work?

Helium miners work by piggybacking off of your home network to spread a web around itself that can transfer data from compatible devices. Your hotspot connects to all the other ones in the area and they work together to create a network. On this network, these hotspots transfer data and keep Helium’s proof of coverage up to date. There are hundreds of thousands of these little hotspots dotting the globe, and it creates a very impressive coverage map, allowing Helium to transfer a ton of data on their worldwide networks, while all of their users get to share in the profit! 

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Helium miners mine HNT in two major ways. They either transfer data on the network or take part in Helium’s proof of coverage system, which keeps tabs on the network’s strength and coverage. Helium miners work constantly to keep up Helium’s network and through that work, they mine constant rewards. It is, mind you, slow mining, but it is like keeping a lightbulb on in your attic, except the lightbulb is mining HNT!

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Helium mining is extra nice because it does not use much internet bandwidth or much electricity. There should be no noticeable differences in the internet you have at your disposal or your energy bill after booting up your Helium miner, and it is inadvisable to keep more than one running in your home so there’s no temptation to plug one into each available outlet you’ve got! As a quick note, there should be around 1000 feet between miners to maximize their productivity. You cannot control other hotspots in your area, but make sure you don’t ever set up two miners in the same spot!

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Helium Proof of Coverage System

Proof of coverage is how Helium keeps track of its network. The decentralization means that each miner is owned and operated by one of their customers, not the company itself. If you buy or make a Helium miner and set it up today, that miner will be yours, not owned by Helium. Because of this, the company has no control over which nodes are active and which are taken down. Helium dishes out a lot of rewards for nodes to talk to one another and keep track of which ones are up and running and how strong the network is at the present. 

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This system, called proof of coverage, allows users to mine HNT when they are in contact with other nodes, which all happens autonomously. This is, in essence, Helium’s way of paying its customers for owning and operating one of its hotspots. 

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Since it operates off of hundreds of thousands of miners, the network is bound to fluctuate as individual units break down, weather messes with the signals, or people decide to take theirs down. Through these constant challenges, Helium is able to keep an up-to-date map of its coverage and the strength of its network. This is important for them as well as their customers who are planning to buy a miner.

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Helium devotes a lot of its rewards to this constant data stream of its proof of coverage challenges, beaconers, and witnesses. Of the rewards that go to their miners, around 60% of them are related to the proof of coverage data. That’s a lot! It is understandable because the success of Helium’s wireless network is on the back of all of its miners. 

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How to DIY a Helium Miner

There are a lot of Helium miners on the market, but a DIY Helium miner holds an allure that none of the others do. To make your own Helium miner, now that would be something in which to take pride. Alas, it is not the move. DIY helium miners can only be data-only miners, meaning you are missing out on the proof of coverage rewards no matter where you set it up. 

Required Components

If you are interested in a DIY Helium miner, these are the components necessary to put one together, taken from the DIY hotspot page of Helium’s website. 

• Raspberry Pi4
• 2GB on-board RAM
• 32GB SD card
• Based on the LoRa Concentrator Engine: Semtech® SX1302
• Built-in Ublox ZOE-M8Q GPS Module
• Built-in Heat Sink for thermal heat dissipation management
• 5V/3A power supply
• IP30 housing

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Those components don’t run cheap! At this point and time, really the only reason to DIY a Helium miner is for the fun of the challenge. The money you save by DIYing your miner will not be a worthwhile investment, but making up your own Helium miner could be fun. It’s not all about maximizing your Helium miner profitability, right? There’s room for a fun project like this! 

Data Only Hotspot

Data-only Helium miners are a little different. The two major ways in which Helium miners make HNT is through data and through proof of coverage. Proof of coverage is a huge part of how Helium miners are rewarded, and these hotspots miss out on all of that. 

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While data-only miners miss out on the biggest chunk of Helium rewards, the idea is that they are less expensive and, because of that, meet their return on investment sooner while providing the bandwidth for data transference on Helium’s network. It allows users to enter the world of Helium mining for a much lower price and enjoy watching the rewards pile up!

Professional Versus DIY Helium Miner

If you are thinking of purchasing a Helium miner on the market, here are some of the most popular models sold today

• The Mimiq FinestraMiner costs $500 and is one of the best Helium miners, delivering a high-performance and reliable mining environment. All of these miners work on Helium’s LoRaWAN IoT network, which is their first network. 
• The SenseCAP M1 LoRaWAN Indoor Gateway costs $519 and is a ready-to-use indoor gateway on Helium’s LongFi network. Long-range devices can connect to these hotspots miles away from their points of origin.
• The Browan Merryiot Hotspot costs $500 and is a great Helium miner. It is a reliable workhorse, outputting HNT day in and day out. 
• The Milesight IoT UG65 Helium Gateway costs $500 and delivers excellent performance and reliability. Milesight has a good track record of producing high-quality products that do not run into problems down the road. 
• The Bobcat Miner 300 is the standard Bobcat miner. They have long produced some of the best Helium miners and they are all compatible with Helium LongFi. There are new and exciting Bobcat devices on the market that let you take part in Helium’s 5G network. 
• The Nebra ROCK Pi Miner is a solid companion for anyone who wants to get into Helium mining. With a miner like this, you should expect to set it up in less than an hour and then you can sit back, relax, and earn some HNT!

Should You Get into Helium Mining?

Helium is doing something exciting. They are taking a cryptocurrency and using it to accomplish something practical and with impressive results. A lot of crypto coins just exist, fluctuating on the market. A lot of people are wondering (and rightly so): what does crypto really do? Does it make any difference for the average person or solve problems that exist outside of the very small crypto niche? In the case of Helium — yes!

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Helium Miner Profitability

The return on investment for a DIY Helium miner is subject to change. There are people who make their initial investment back within the first year and are able to start making passive income after that, and there are those who make pennies for long enough that they decide to disconnect their devices. Unfortunately, every investment into a Helium miner runs the risk of little to no return on investment. Passive income is the major incentive for Helium miners, but there is no way to be certain. 

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There is a novelty in creating a DIY Helium miner that works and setting it up into your home. Even though you aren’t making the most money possible, you are still contributing to Helium’s network and getting rewarded in return. If you are willing to look beyond the money aspect of Helium, we absolutely recommend a DIY Helium miner project! Gather up your equipment, find an online tutorial, and get to work!

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Going in with a money-making mindset is dangerous, especially because there is nothing you can do to increase the output if your miner is placed optimally within your home. 

Investing in an Exciting Company

Helium outputs a real product that is used by people every day. They are creating a decentralized network where, hopefully soon, users can use data at much lower costs than traditional wireless networks while resting easy knowing that their data is secure. The network’s decentralization means that each player has a small stake in the company. 

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Up to this point, Helium’s incentives are more than enough to bring curious people into their project. It is a project, in truth. And, you who are interested in a DIY Helium miner, would that not be a project as well? They are trying to create a successful business to transfer data on the internet of things as well as a 5G network and create a network that is strong enough and covers enough to be a real choice for a wireless network. You are trying to make a miner that works on Helium’s network and takes part in the awesome thing that they are doing. Helium is much more than another crypto company. Users mining on their network are mining with a purpose.

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There is always the possibility that Helium’s network will grow exponentially larger in the coming years, and if that is the case, you will be rewarded big time as all of your mined HNT goes up in value. 

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Key Takeaways

If you are still interested in a DIY Helium miner, we salute you. Before you go, here are some of the key takeaways from this article. Helium miners are a fun investment if you have the money and if you are okay with the possibility that it will not pay itself back. 

• A DIY Helium miner is a data-only miner and it is not the most cost-effective way to start mining HNT.
• Helium will mine on two separate networks, creating new interest into their LoRaWAN network (Where your miner will mine)
• Helium mining is a good hobby for those who want to get into crypto mining

There are benefits to Helium mining over other crypto mining because Helium mining is not something that huge corporations have jumped on just yet