In general, earth in the form of mountains or hills will block radio signals. Imagine your antenna is a torch, emitting light from it. Thatll probably get you 80% of the results you could get with far more effort and expertise. Keep in mind that the goal of many ham radio operators is incredible range, but that can come at the cost of broad coverage. Dont just look at the gain of an antenna and think higher is better. The APP also provides comparison displays of tested antennas with all data. Not near any cell tower and antenna is high above the roof lines in a suburban neighborhood. Ok, ok, ok, why does it matter whether or not you know your EIRP? Is there info on here about how to get my Bobcat out of relay mode? Id wait a few more days to make sure. Location is far more important than antenna (or elevation, for that matter). Some of the signals bounce off to the side, proving that RF is weird.. Best of luck with your placement and earnings, Im stoked to be a part of this amazing community! 
As seen above the RF signal can bend around large structures. For those of you who skipped all that and just want to know what antenna to get, here are 4 generally good options for the 3 most common scenarios.
This alternative antenna design is known as Directional /Panel antennas -also known as Sector Antennas. As the antenna is an Omni Directional Design, it radiates a horizontal beam width of a full 360 Degrees. Dont worry so much about the right antenna. Im in France, it work on other frequency and Im a bit confused about the best setup to choose in my case, (Probably why Helium chose LoRa).
Would the update be needed for each antenna/gain option to actually reap the benefits? It *routinely* gets witnesses over 200km away.
Antenna strength can be simply thought of as the power of the signal the antenna sends out. Forests are RF sinks. Lets go through 3 examples. The best place for an antenna is up high, the best place for the miner is usually somewhere in a temp range humans can tolerate. Ive closed submissions on this page. Well, although not a classical high altitude location that is generally ideal for such a Directional Antennas (the building is only 140m above sea level), these results have been obtained using our latest Antenna innovation our McGill Tuned & Optimised 13dBi Directional Panel antenna. Dont bother with Yagi antennas. Will reveal the number of hotspots which can be witnesses for a given antenna and given location. Remember, topography includes not just hills, mountains, and water, but all the buildings, bridges, and other structures that might block your radio signal. You did, On a mountain where you cant possible transmit behind you (because the mountain will block your signal) and you have an enormous view of civilization and your nearest hotspot is more than 5 miles away? You dont need to. Add the gain (dBi) from your antenna and subtract the losses from any connections to figure out your Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP). My first thought is overkill and signal loose out of the gate. Read that again and youll have an advantage over everyone who doesnt get that concept. Im in a small building at the first floor so not so high, other buildings are higher Ill double tap this range thing with an example of a hotspot I run, which has a 3 dBi HNTenna on top of a 20 pole on top of a ~30 building. If you want to bend your mind a little bit, think about this: The higher your elevation, the flatter the relative topography is, and the LOWER dbi antenna you can use.
Only a lightning conductor can do that- Warning to make sure your antenna is in place that is not prone to get hit by lightning. Wait, you want to actually learn and match your antenna to your situation so you get the maximum rewards possible? It was therefore decided that we should use the available RF Antenna Power more efficiently and use our Tuned & Optimised 13dBi Directional Antenna to focus the power more towards the city of Edinburgh, located some 20-40 KM away where there is potential to pick up significantly more witnesses. Here is a great example demonstrating attenuation and topography. It has Lines of Sight to a lot of other hotspots, BUT those other hotspots dont have great lines of sight to other hotspots around em. Its become a daily occurrence here at McGill Microwave Systems for customers to ask for our recommendation on what would be the best Antenna choice to achieve optimum performance for a given Helium hotspot location. is that normal?or should I wait a few more days? What does that mean? regards. Location is far more important. Itll decrease signal strength if you assert a gain that puts you over the legal limit. Light Hotspots should make this a thing of the past. To the south, the signals are blocked or attenuated by interior and exterior walls, but apparently there is a small window or opening where those weakened signals are escaping, then going pretty far over the water. If you want help with getting the maximum value out of your placements or strategy, Im available for hire.
This is complimented by our range of unique and innovative solutions we have invented and developed to solve Helium installation issues including our lowest RF loss window pass through interconnect solution on the market today, lightweight and extendable masts and now passive and active RF solutions to boost the performances of Helium Hotspots. Required fields are marked *. The difference between a 3 dBi antenna (what most hotspots ship with) and an aftermarket 9 dBi antenna is a factor of 4! McGill Microwave have worked tirelessly to reduce the VSWR to the lowest in the industry, whilst maintaining exceptionally clear radiation patterns. The picture below show some of the most common antenna dBi in the market and their RF coverage. Use the stock antenna that came with your hotspot. Remember, topography isnt just hills and mountains, it includes buildings, trees, and other obstacles. McGill Microwave Systems are perhaps best known globally in the Helium/IoT community for our best-in-the-world McGill Antennas & Ultra Low Loss, High Performance LMR Coaxial Cable assemblies. Our passion is to be the recognised global market leaders in the design and manufacture of the highest performance RF/Microwave Interconnect solution and world class Antenna designs for all of the market sectors that our company is active in globally today. Your email address will not be published. If youre looking for work in the Helium ecosystem, check out Helium Jobs.
This may be true in some cases, but various locations require different antenna gains (both low and high) to achieve optimum performance. With slightly more obstructions nearby the antenna, a directional antenna wouldnt achieve the witnesses to the west, north and east of the antennas placement. Copyright 2022 Gristle King Inc. All Rights Reserved. Wait, what? Ability to connect multiple antennas to the hand held tool, one after the other and records instantly which antennas witnesses the most hotspots in your area. Topography refers to the buildings, earth, and water that surround, channel, and block your radio signals (propagation.) Area: Bayonne, NJ Antenna: Stock 3 dBi Cables: 1m pigtail, Warm Juniper Panther Elevation: 4th floor rooftop. Most of the witnesses its getting are further north. And DBP earns like crazy. Youll usually do that by using a low gain antenna up high, with clear lines of sight all around. What antenna shoud i get 5.8 , 8 , 10 . We use cookies on our websites for a number of purposes, including analytics and performance, functionality and advertising. Hi Hangman, yes, 15 dBi is overkill.
In this article, McGill Microwave Systems will provide a guide to help you choose the best antenna for your hotspot location. There is also a Tuned and optimised version available for the USA/AUS/AS/IN frequency bands here.
Do NOT, by the way, try to get the giant antenna in the picture below. I dont know which one should I choose. Im sorry rural Florida, youve just got a tough row to hoe on that one. Pretty normal. Have you found them to be a generally good company? Thank you for help. All of the above information is fed back through the Helium system and into the Glamos Walker APP via the Helium console where you can display all the information. McGill are also good antennas. Every increase of 10 dBm has a tenfold increase in power. Remember, its more a factor of how high you get your antenna and how much line of sight it has to other antennas than it is which antenna you buy. Any decent brand from 6-9 dBi will do as well as anything else in the location youre describing. The execution can be complicated. The fanciest, coolest, most high tech antenna in the world wont get you much if youre in a crappy location down low.
Cables: RAK pigtail cable, Sticky Pear Dolphin Elevation: 311 above ground (mountain). Im going to anthropomorphize this a bit, but their only option is to communicate with DBP. You can go to this. If you give those radio waves some room to spread out, they can get around obstacles. Hi Georgi, I think youd be fine with a McGill 6 or maybe higher. Jumpy Iron Ferret Elevation: 34th story, Area: Chicago, IL.
If it hits just one more thing, whether its a building, a tree, or a billboard, thats probably the end of the line. Its Line of Sight that is the secret here. Antenna placement is sometimes overlooked, however its no trade secret that the antenna placement is the most important consideration to ensure adequate witnesses and good rewards. They are also a popular choice for internal or external window mounting applications as an upgrade to the stock antennas supplied with the hotspot. That means if youre INSIDE the building, youve burned most of the energy of the antenna just getting outside the walls. As I said at the beginning, the general rule for topography is this: The flatter your topography, the higher gain antenna you can use, up to 9 dBi for 95% of placements. That brings us in a roundabout way to Lines of Sight. hi. Just an update since putting up my antenna. McGill Microwave Systems are a team of highly experienced RF engineers with a combined experience of over 60 years. Hopefully the above article has given a basic overview to Antenna selection which the reader finds helpful. McGill Microwave test all antennas before dispatch to ensure the VSWR is under what is promised on our data sheets. s it still worth it to set up a hot spot? Now these signals are not the best in reliability, but they can be a huge help to reach HotSpots that are not in direct line-of-sight. If you live in the 24th floor of a high-rise, you are already in a great place. is that too hot for miner?i can place it on second floor of my house but will have to run a 5m cable. Depending on who you listen to, LoRa doesnt go through much more than 60 meters of dense forest. 6dbi antenna bought and instaled. Almost always better to get the antenna outside & up high if possible. If youd like to learn more about HeliumVision (I use it in every one of my consults) Ive built a Master Class on it, over here. Cable losses vary by cable, which is why most people use a low loss cable like LMR400. Need help selecting the right products? The device has the following functionality. That brings us to ELEVATION. So it would be smart to get a ligthning arrestor and attach it to your antenna. What about buildings? Canada Distribution Open Now But based on everything you read, if you think you need to get a different antenna, below are some of the widely used antennas in the Helium network. Height is King is what the McGill team often say when working with clients on optimising setups. However, the use of higher gain antennas will increase the range of the hotspot witnessing, albeit perhaps at the cost of overshooting closer in hotspots with classical higher gain antennas manufactured by other suppliers. Ok, lets start with broad strokes: The antenna you choose for your hotspot placement should match your topography, your elevation, and your lines of sight. Hopefully this article was helpful. https://mightygadget.co.uk/upgrade-your-helium-hotspot-antenna-for-a-greater-range-in-the-uk-with-a-mikrotik-lora-6-5dbi-omni-antenna/, Learn more about Reddits use of cookies. Which one should be the best in my case? Establish what the best location is for a hotspot. The Antenna placement above is located on McGill Microwave Systems Headquarter building and is being used as a test bed for the new McGill Microwave 13dBi directional antenna. Please can you recommend the suitable antenna models for this hotspot to improve coverage and earnings. How much power will you lose?
If you want to run your EIRP numbers, heres how.
The McGill Microwave Tuned & Optimised 6dBi antenna is Tuned & Optimised specifically over the 868MHz frequency for EU/UK use. Hi Martin, In attic is usually 33C. All performing fine. hope you can help. This is because clear line of sight ensures that the RF signal remains unaffected by any potential obstructions. Hey Nik,
In an omni antenna (well get to directional or sector antennas in a minute), that shape becomes a flatter and flatter plane. European and other areas start WAY lower, at 14, $39 paper I quoted earlier regarding how much RF energy a given building material would absorb. That means that unless you aim your antenna very carefully, you can blast all that power into places that have no hotspots. I mean, not for the hotspot owner, but its a neat demonstration of the concept. and check by your country to make sure which frequency is compatible. this should help explain: https://mightygadget.co.uk/upgrade-your-helium-hotspot-antenna-for-a-greater-range-in-the-uk-with-a-mikrotik-lora-6-5dbi-omni-antenna/, A community for discussing all things related to Bobcatminer300 and the Helium network. Since the PoCV11 changes introduced by Helium which reduced the Hotspot output power to +14 dBm in the UK/EU, McGill Microwave have experienced a significant upturn in demand for our higher gain 7.5dBi and 9dBi Tuned and Optimised Omni Directional Antennas. Well that antenna is usually a 2dBi(Rak, Nebra miner, etc.) Area: Napa, CA. While were on Lines of Sight, lets talk about the range of a standard hotspot. I live in Michigan. We are having Milesight helium hotspot, model:UG65-868M-EA-H32. It currently therefore ranks well within the top 1,500 hotspots globally so within the top 0.01% of the 600,000 or so hotspots in the world. Good morning, I have a 9dbi mcgill antenna on the roof at 20 meters height + or I leave a hospot link but it gives me invalids in several hospots at 30km https://explorer.helium.com/hotspots/112gw67DtWkv9oK6kGi3EX2LnKZPAU4D5AeYR1EtF8P42sfamUsW help please simulation , Would a 6dbi mcgill one be better? Thank you and welcome :). The 6 dBi should be fine. Click Here to goto IoT Off-Grid Canada. Specific miners have specific temp parameters, double check yours. You may check out your location on the Helium Explorer Coverage map and think youre perfectly positioned in regards to nearby hotspots, like this: See how that spot is tucked into a bunch of hills? Docile Bone Pony Elevation: 16 stories, Area: Greater Boston, MA. https://explorer.helium.com/hotspots/11e9gtZYsxr1EE42SdipydLU6Ti3PJVXpdNRqAZv3W8XFRwBqgZ, I just want to know where to get the equipment your using. Each placement demands a well matched antenna in order to provide value to the Helium Network and consequently earn the most HNT possible for that location. Lets analyse the below Directional Antenna and its placement, Good Location Better Antenna Choice McGill Microwave 13dBi Directional Panel Antenna. You can get one from Amazon or rak. As visible here, the location of the HotSpot relative to the other buildings makes the use of a 9dBi antenna not suitable, since the RF coverage goes over the rest of the building. However, there is now a new and brilliant tool available from McGill Microwave Systems which has been specifically designed for Helium installations, which for the first time can now provide instant answers to this question we will discuss this later in the article! This hotspot is placed on the north side inside a building. However, to achieve this efficiently the dBi of the antenna should be higher. Remember, the antenna doesnt matter as much as the elevation. Still, most people dont live in the desert, and the flattest state in America has a ton of trees on it. Then once you pick a winner update the specs on the Helium app?
Learn how your comment data is processed. or a 4dBi(Bobcat) antenna, and is good enough for most miners that are in well populated areas with lot of miners around. I had this 8 months. Antenna: RAK 5.8 dbi, Cables: RAK pigtail interface converter bundled with antenna. Look at the scenario below. In general, 6-9 dBi is going to be your range, and anything in there should work well. This reduction in power is called attenuation. In general with radio communications, you dont want any attenuation. The radiated power is delivered much like a sprinkler mounted on a garden hose mounted vertically resulting in a fairly even power distribution, albeit in a much smaller area of up to 10-15 KMs. Hey Gunny, if youve got a clear line of sight to that other hotspot youre likely to connect with it. Optimised Helium Antennas All Questions Answered! Lets start with topography. You should try to place your antenna as high as you could, so the antenna does not have any obstacles in its way. Ive spent a considerable amount of time trying to find a straight answer to this, but apologize if youve addressed it before. My buddy says to purchase a signal booster which attaches to the Miner (Bobcat 300 in my case) to boost signal ex: FBP-915S. This is a very important questions. Cables: 15 LMR400, Lucky Dijon Scallop Elevation: 33 above ground. Now, those arent how it *actually* works. Also, and sorry if you had already addressed this, but would the connection from a wi-fi signal (the signal is coming from an extremely stable 4G connection from a router) be much worse than ethernet? Thanks for your time, Nik! They charged my card but never received any order confirmation and they wont return support emails. how many km will the 5 dbi 9 dbi antennas reach in ideal location? the stronger antenna, less beamwidth it has, for example 6,5dbi has 30degrees vertical, but 8.5dbi has only 10degree vertical. Hi. In this well focus on the choice of antenna to maximize the earnings. No RF Filters, no Amplifiers are used here. 7 day minimum to get good numbers. Cables: Bingfu, Petite Menthol Leopard Elevation 25. Can't find an item on our website? Youll probably be best served with a 9 dBi, just get it up as high as you possibly can. The 6dBi Omni Directional antenna therefore was a happy medium as it helped to achieve many local witnesses however still having a capability to link with many other miners in the city of Edinburgh , located some 20-25 Km away. dBm is based on a logarithmic scale. 900 MHz frequency needs some runway, ideally 50/15m to fan out enough to diffract around obstacles.
Lets keep this less technical and to the point.
Also, find a better placement location. would that matter around hills?so can 6.5dbi reach higher over the hill then 8.5dbi?Am i understanding right? What a lightning arrestor will do is protect your device from the static build up that happen during storms. Doing exactly what a ham operator does may give you the results they want, not what you want. Ok, lets get dirty! The antenna used with the HotSpot and the elevation from the ground determine the coverage offered by the HotSpot. 6dbi, 6.5dbi or even bigger ?I would say my town is between the hills.
Area: Englewood, CO. Antenna: RAK 8 dbi. There is one more thing to think about with Lines of Sight. Making sure the location of the HotSpot is an adequate distance away from any other miner. As a reward for this important work, Helium blockchain rewards HotSpot owners with Helium cryptocurrency(HNT). Yep, go here. Classically in radio communications, higher gain antennas are used only to cover lager distances with no real interest in local coverage. Hi Lyubo, fine to set up the stock Bobcat antenna outside, I believe its outdoor rated. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. regards. You can call McGill Microwave on +44(0)1592 655428 for immediate help or if you are looking to chat via email, you can email us, click the below button! Antenna Placement & Omni Directional Antenna Designs. Final antenna optimisation could only be achieved by experimenting with different antennas. This is indeed a bonus and can be seen in the picture above this Antenna is witnessing like a combination of a traditional 360 degrees Omni Directional Antenna as well as a focussed long range Directional antenna. The results are a little skewed because of that. Your house walls, window glass and even house trees falls under the category of barriers. This is my location https://explorer.helium.com/hotspots/hex/881ec152b7fffff I want to get Senscap M1 with antenna but I dont know which antenna shoud i get https://explorer.helium.com/hotspots/1121aRSBSxheung9eFVStXmcV3hsyjU6wcWYkhUNeVGBD8H1qPKh, hi. Here is a step by step method for understanding how to choose the best antenna for your hotspot placement. The McGill 13dBi Directional antenna still boasts a HPWH of 18 Degrees and a HPWV of 65 degrees, whilst still maintaining a very large gain vs others on the market (Combined with ultra-low VSWR for maximum power transmit and receive efficiency). Our sales team are ready to assist you, get in touch with us today and we'll help you find what you're looking for! This allow light to reach further out. Waterproof and high temperature electrical tape, Analysis of an Isolated Cluster of Miners for SORMN, Way to Gain High ROI for Helium as Space gets Crowded: Single Owned Rural Miner Networks(SORMNs), Antenna mounting poles(check Amazon for a suitable one). should i use the 2.8 dBi because of the round circle space at short distance ? The concept is simple.
This is only partly the reason why McGill antennas are the most sought after in the industry today. Hi Gerogi, click this link to go to the McGill 6 dBi, which should be fine for you. Your email address will not be published. Does that make sense? You can go to this link here and check by your country to make sure which frequency is compatible. In a terrain like this a 2dBi antenna with a spherical coverage would be not suitable, given the other miners are few and further apart. Below, we have a hotspot using a McGill Microwave Tuned & Optimised 6dBi Omni Directional antenna located in a inner town location, at a lower height.
So the take away is more powerful doesn't always mean the best in RF world; It's all about how to provide the best coverage in the terrain you are in. Its the specific elevation at the point of install, and how much clear line of sight (to other Hotspots) that gives you. Remember, location is FAR more important than antennas. So they do.
How to Choose an Antenna for Your Helium Hotspot? A Rough Guide To Helium Hotspot Placement, 5 Plug & Play Income Ideas 2022 | Crypto Gem Tokens, https://explorer.helium.com/hotspots/112gw67DtWkv9oK6kGi3EX2LnKZPAU4D5AeYR1EtF8P42sfamUsW, https://explorer.helium.com/hotspots/hex/881ec152b7fffff, https://explorer.helium.com/hotspots/11e9gtZYsxr1EE42SdipydLU6Ti3PJVXpdNRqAZv3W8XFRwBqgZ, In a building where you just cant get up high?
Thank you in advance and keep up the great content! Further, in a terrain like this with mountains, the propagation of the RF signal can take more than just line-of-sight signals. The antenna choice is related to the topography and the distribution of other miners - how many, how close or far and line of sight in between, not the device. You can also run that idea backwards; if youre in a really flat area where you dont have a lot of obstacles, a high gain antenna might be your best bet. Area: Bayonne, NJ Antenna: Nearson 9 dBi. However, the use of 2dBi antenna provides a better coverage. While it looks huge and cool and rad, it is the wrong antenna to use for these deployments. Finally, Lines of Sight can be blocked by forests. Dense forest in between you and other antennas is about the only time a higher gain (up to 9 dBi) makes sense, and even then it may not make a giant difference. Amplifiers? Thank you in advance, However, given the unique application here of Helium and the desire to connect with all hotspots irrespective of location, the McGill Microwave higher gain Antenna design are completely unique in that we have designed these antennas to push more power into the sidelobes of the main beam giving the McGill Antennas a clear advantage in still being able to connect with hotspots much closer in, while still covering long range. As a rule how long would you run each gain option as a test to have an appropriate data sources to pick a winner? McGills got a wide range. With the self declared use of higher gain Antennas, the power output on helium hotspots in theory could be further reduced to meet the specified + 14dBm EIRP power level. If that plane is super flat, itll fly right over the tops of all those hotspots you want to hit.
This Panel antenna is Directional has been specifically selected for this location placement -as opposed to a traditional Omni Directional Antenna design. Is it After Plugin Bobcat miner it turns power off after few RG-6 Cable on my home from old DirectTV dish - Can I use Press J to jump to the feed. Do you have a backup budget selection? If you have to go more than 40, use LMR600 if youre feeling extravagant. We decided that this Directional antenna may prove to be the ideal choice here because this is a location where you have minimum hotspots behind (North of) the location. Lets not get too into the weeds here. Heres another I definitely didnt go to art school drawing to demonstrate the idea of runway and diffraction. Currently, What happens if you dont update your aftermarket antenna specs on the Helium app? Similar concept is used here by the RF antennas. Antenna: 8 dbi omni from eBay, Cables: 60 of LMR400, Sweet Sage Pike Elevation: 43 above ground, Area: San Diego, CA. Antennas dont really matter. Behind me It is suburb area with 1/2 houses everywhere and in front of me it is pretty much wooded area. How much will buildings block or reduce the power of radio propagation? In this journey, HotSpot owners perform the most vital task by deploying the Helium HotSpots to increase the coverage. Id run the 5m of cable to keep the antenna high and the miner out of the heat.
As seen above the RF signal can bend around large structures. For those of you who skipped all that and just want to know what antenna to get, here are 4 generally good options for the 3 most common scenarios. This alternative antenna design is known as Directional /Panel antennas -also known as Sector Antennas. As the antenna is an Omni Directional Design, it radiates a horizontal beam width of a full 360 Degrees. Dont worry so much about the right antenna. Im in France, it work on other frequency and Im a bit confused about the best setup to choose in my case, (Probably why Helium chose LoRa).
Would the update be needed for each antenna/gain option to actually reap the benefits? It *routinely* gets witnesses over 200km away.
Antenna strength can be simply thought of as the power of the signal the antenna sends out. Forests are RF sinks. Lets go through 3 examples. The best place for an antenna is up high, the best place for the miner is usually somewhere in a temp range humans can tolerate. Ive closed submissions on this page. Well, although not a classical high altitude location that is generally ideal for such a Directional Antennas (the building is only 140m above sea level), these results have been obtained using our latest Antenna innovation our McGill Tuned & Optimised 13dBi Directional Panel antenna. Dont bother with Yagi antennas. Will reveal the number of hotspots which can be witnesses for a given antenna and given location. Remember, topography includes not just hills, mountains, and water, but all the buildings, bridges, and other structures that might block your radio signal. You did, On a mountain where you cant possible transmit behind you (because the mountain will block your signal) and you have an enormous view of civilization and your nearest hotspot is more than 5 miles away? You dont need to. Add the gain (dBi) from your antenna and subtract the losses from any connections to figure out your Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP). My first thought is overkill and signal loose out of the gate. Read that again and youll have an advantage over everyone who doesnt get that concept. Im in a small building at the first floor so not so high, other buildings are higher Ill double tap this range thing with an example of a hotspot I run, which has a 3 dBi HNTenna on top of a 20 pole on top of a ~30 building. If you want to bend your mind a little bit, think about this: The higher your elevation, the flatter the relative topography is, and the LOWER dbi antenna you can use.
Only a lightning conductor can do that- Warning to make sure your antenna is in place that is not prone to get hit by lightning. Wait, you want to actually learn and match your antenna to your situation so you get the maximum rewards possible? It was therefore decided that we should use the available RF Antenna Power more efficiently and use our Tuned & Optimised 13dBi Directional Antenna to focus the power more towards the city of Edinburgh, located some 20-40 KM away where there is potential to pick up significantly more witnesses. Here is a great example demonstrating attenuation and topography. It has Lines of Sight to a lot of other hotspots, BUT those other hotspots dont have great lines of sight to other hotspots around em. Its become a daily occurrence here at McGill Microwave Systems for customers to ask for our recommendation on what would be the best Antenna choice to achieve optimum performance for a given Helium hotspot location. is that normal?or should I wait a few more days? What does that mean? regards. Location is far more important. Itll decrease signal strength if you assert a gain that puts you over the legal limit. Light Hotspots should make this a thing of the past. To the south, the signals are blocked or attenuated by interior and exterior walls, but apparently there is a small window or opening where those weakened signals are escaping, then going pretty far over the water. If you want help with getting the maximum value out of your placements or strategy, Im available for hire.
This is complimented by our range of unique and innovative solutions we have invented and developed to solve Helium installation issues including our lowest RF loss window pass through interconnect solution on the market today, lightweight and extendable masts and now passive and active RF solutions to boost the performances of Helium Hotspots. Required fields are marked *. The difference between a 3 dBi antenna (what most hotspots ship with) and an aftermarket 9 dBi antenna is a factor of 4! McGill Microwave have worked tirelessly to reduce the VSWR to the lowest in the industry, whilst maintaining exceptionally clear radiation patterns. The picture below show some of the most common antenna dBi in the market and their RF coverage. Use the stock antenna that came with your hotspot. Remember, topography isnt just hills and mountains, it includes buildings, trees, and other obstacles. McGill Microwave Systems are perhaps best known globally in the Helium/IoT community for our best-in-the-world McGill Antennas & Ultra Low Loss, High Performance LMR Coaxial Cable assemblies. Our passion is to be the recognised global market leaders in the design and manufacture of the highest performance RF/Microwave Interconnect solution and world class Antenna designs for all of the market sectors that our company is active in globally today. Your email address will not be published. If youre looking for work in the Helium ecosystem, check out Helium Jobs.
This may be true in some cases, but various locations require different antenna gains (both low and high) to achieve optimum performance. With slightly more obstructions nearby the antenna, a directional antenna wouldnt achieve the witnesses to the west, north and east of the antennas placement. Copyright 2022 Gristle King Inc. All Rights Reserved. Wait, what? Ability to connect multiple antennas to the hand held tool, one after the other and records instantly which antennas witnesses the most hotspots in your area. Topography refers to the buildings, earth, and water that surround, channel, and block your radio signals (propagation.) Area: Bayonne, NJ Antenna: Stock 3 dBi Cables: 1m pigtail, Warm Juniper Panther Elevation: 4th floor rooftop. Most of the witnesses its getting are further north. And DBP earns like crazy. Youll usually do that by using a low gain antenna up high, with clear lines of sight all around. What antenna shoud i get 5.8 , 8 , 10 . We use cookies on our websites for a number of purposes, including analytics and performance, functionality and advertising. Hi Hangman, yes, 15 dBi is overkill.
In this article, McGill Microwave Systems will provide a guide to help you choose the best antenna for your hotspot location. There is also a Tuned and optimised version available for the USA/AUS/AS/IN frequency bands here.
Do NOT, by the way, try to get the giant antenna in the picture below. I dont know which one should I choose. Im sorry rural Florida, youve just got a tough row to hoe on that one. Pretty normal. Have you found them to be a generally good company? Thank you for help. All of the above information is fed back through the Helium system and into the Glamos Walker APP via the Helium console where you can display all the information. McGill are also good antennas. Every increase of 10 dBm has a tenfold increase in power. Remember, its more a factor of how high you get your antenna and how much line of sight it has to other antennas than it is which antenna you buy. Any decent brand from 6-9 dBi will do as well as anything else in the location youre describing. The execution can be complicated. The fanciest, coolest, most high tech antenna in the world wont get you much if youre in a crappy location down low.
Cables: RAK pigtail cable, Sticky Pear Dolphin Elevation: 311 above ground (mountain). Im going to anthropomorphize this a bit, but their only option is to communicate with DBP. You can go to this. If you give those radio waves some room to spread out, they can get around obstacles. Hi Georgi, I think youd be fine with a McGill 6 or maybe higher. Jumpy Iron Ferret Elevation: 34th story, Area: Chicago, IL.
If it hits just one more thing, whether its a building, a tree, or a billboard, thats probably the end of the line. Its Line of Sight that is the secret here. Antenna placement is sometimes overlooked, however its no trade secret that the antenna placement is the most important consideration to ensure adequate witnesses and good rewards. They are also a popular choice for internal or external window mounting applications as an upgrade to the stock antennas supplied with the hotspot. That means if youre INSIDE the building, youve burned most of the energy of the antenna just getting outside the walls. As I said at the beginning, the general rule for topography is this: The flatter your topography, the higher gain antenna you can use, up to 9 dBi for 95% of placements. That brings us in a roundabout way to Lines of Sight. hi. Just an update since putting up my antenna. McGill Microwave Systems are a team of highly experienced RF engineers with a combined experience of over 60 years. Hopefully the above article has given a basic overview to Antenna selection which the reader finds helpful. McGill Microwave test all antennas before dispatch to ensure the VSWR is under what is promised on our data sheets. s it still worth it to set up a hot spot? Now these signals are not the best in reliability, but they can be a huge help to reach HotSpots that are not in direct line-of-sight. If you live in the 24th floor of a high-rise, you are already in a great place. is that too hot for miner?i can place it on second floor of my house but will have to run a 5m cable. Depending on who you listen to, LoRa doesnt go through much more than 60 meters of dense forest. 6dbi antenna bought and instaled. Almost always better to get the antenna outside & up high if possible. If youd like to learn more about HeliumVision (I use it in every one of my consults) Ive built a Master Class on it, over here. Cable losses vary by cable, which is why most people use a low loss cable like LMR400. Need help selecting the right products? The device has the following functionality. That brings us to ELEVATION. So it would be smart to get a ligthning arrestor and attach it to your antenna. What about buildings? Canada Distribution Open Now But based on everything you read, if you think you need to get a different antenna, below are some of the widely used antennas in the Helium network. Height is King is what the McGill team often say when working with clients on optimising setups. However, the use of higher gain antennas will increase the range of the hotspot witnessing, albeit perhaps at the cost of overshooting closer in hotspots with classical higher gain antennas manufactured by other suppliers. Ok, lets start with broad strokes: The antenna you choose for your hotspot placement should match your topography, your elevation, and your lines of sight. Hopefully this article was helpful. https://mightygadget.co.uk/upgrade-your-helium-hotspot-antenna-for-a-greater-range-in-the-uk-with-a-mikrotik-lora-6-5dbi-omni-antenna/, Learn more about Reddits use of cookies. Which one should be the best in my case? Establish what the best location is for a hotspot. The Antenna placement above is located on McGill Microwave Systems Headquarter building and is being used as a test bed for the new McGill Microwave 13dBi directional antenna. Please can you recommend the suitable antenna models for this hotspot to improve coverage and earnings. How much power will you lose?
If you want to run your EIRP numbers, heres how.
The McGill Microwave Tuned & Optimised 6dBi antenna is Tuned & Optimised specifically over the 868MHz frequency for EU/UK use. Hi Martin, In attic is usually 33C. All performing fine. hope you can help. This is because clear line of sight ensures that the RF signal remains unaffected by any potential obstructions. Hey Nik,
In an omni antenna (well get to directional or sector antennas in a minute), that shape becomes a flatter and flatter plane. European and other areas start WAY lower, at 14, $39 paper I quoted earlier regarding how much RF energy a given building material would absorb. That means that unless you aim your antenna very carefully, you can blast all that power into places that have no hotspots. I mean, not for the hotspot owner, but its a neat demonstration of the concept. and check by your country to make sure which frequency is compatible. this should help explain: https://mightygadget.co.uk/upgrade-your-helium-hotspot-antenna-for-a-greater-range-in-the-uk-with-a-mikrotik-lora-6-5dbi-omni-antenna/, A community for discussing all things related to Bobcatminer300 and the Helium network. Since the PoCV11 changes introduced by Helium which reduced the Hotspot output power to +14 dBm in the UK/EU, McGill Microwave have experienced a significant upturn in demand for our higher gain 7.5dBi and 9dBi Tuned and Optimised Omni Directional Antennas. Well that antenna is usually a 2dBi(Rak, Nebra miner, etc.) Area: Napa, CA. While were on Lines of Sight, lets talk about the range of a standard hotspot. I live in Michigan. We are having Milesight helium hotspot, model:UG65-868M-EA-H32. It currently therefore ranks well within the top 1,500 hotspots globally so within the top 0.01% of the 600,000 or so hotspots in the world. Good morning, I have a 9dbi mcgill antenna on the roof at 20 meters height + or I leave a hospot link but it gives me invalids in several hospots at 30km https://explorer.helium.com/hotspots/112gw67DtWkv9oK6kGi3EX2LnKZPAU4D5AeYR1EtF8P42sfamUsW help please simulation , Would a 6dbi mcgill one be better? Thank you and welcome :). The 6 dBi should be fine. Click Here to goto IoT Off-Grid Canada. Specific miners have specific temp parameters, double check yours. You may check out your location on the Helium Explorer Coverage map and think youre perfectly positioned in regards to nearby hotspots, like this: See how that spot is tucked into a bunch of hills? Docile Bone Pony Elevation: 16 stories, Area: Greater Boston, MA. https://explorer.helium.com/hotspots/11e9gtZYsxr1EE42SdipydLU6Ti3PJVXpdNRqAZv3W8XFRwBqgZ, I just want to know where to get the equipment your using. Each placement demands a well matched antenna in order to provide value to the Helium Network and consequently earn the most HNT possible for that location. Lets analyse the below Directional Antenna and its placement, Good Location Better Antenna Choice McGill Microwave 13dBi Directional Panel Antenna. You can get one from Amazon or rak. As visible here, the location of the HotSpot relative to the other buildings makes the use of a 9dBi antenna not suitable, since the RF coverage goes over the rest of the building. However, there is now a new and brilliant tool available from McGill Microwave Systems which has been specifically designed for Helium installations, which for the first time can now provide instant answers to this question we will discuss this later in the article! This hotspot is placed on the north side inside a building. However, to achieve this efficiently the dBi of the antenna should be higher. Remember, the antenna doesnt matter as much as the elevation. Still, most people dont live in the desert, and the flattest state in America has a ton of trees on it. Then once you pick a winner update the specs on the Helium app?
Learn how your comment data is processed. or a 4dBi(Bobcat) antenna, and is good enough for most miners that are in well populated areas with lot of miners around. I had this 8 months. Antenna: RAK 5.8 dbi, Cables: RAK pigtail interface converter bundled with antenna. Look at the scenario below. In general, 6-9 dBi is going to be your range, and anything in there should work well. This reduction in power is called attenuation. In general with radio communications, you dont want any attenuation. The radiated power is delivered much like a sprinkler mounted on a garden hose mounted vertically resulting in a fairly even power distribution, albeit in a much smaller area of up to 10-15 KMs. Hey Gunny, if youve got a clear line of sight to that other hotspot youre likely to connect with it. Optimised Helium Antennas All Questions Answered! Lets start with topography. You should try to place your antenna as high as you could, so the antenna does not have any obstacles in its way. Ive spent a considerable amount of time trying to find a straight answer to this, but apologize if youve addressed it before. My buddy says to purchase a signal booster which attaches to the Miner (Bobcat 300 in my case) to boost signal ex: FBP-915S. This is a very important questions. Cables: 15 LMR400, Lucky Dijon Scallop Elevation: 33 above ground. Now, those arent how it *actually* works. Also, and sorry if you had already addressed this, but would the connection from a wi-fi signal (the signal is coming from an extremely stable 4G connection from a router) be much worse than ethernet? Thanks for your time, Nik! They charged my card but never received any order confirmation and they wont return support emails. how many km will the 5 dbi 9 dbi antennas reach in ideal location? the stronger antenna, less beamwidth it has, for example 6,5dbi has 30degrees vertical, but 8.5dbi has only 10degree vertical. Hi. In this well focus on the choice of antenna to maximize the earnings. No RF Filters, no Amplifiers are used here. 7 day minimum to get good numbers. Cables: Bingfu, Petite Menthol Leopard Elevation 25. Can't find an item on our website? Youll probably be best served with a 9 dBi, just get it up as high as you possibly can. The 6dBi Omni Directional antenna therefore was a happy medium as it helped to achieve many local witnesses however still having a capability to link with many other miners in the city of Edinburgh , located some 20-25 Km away. dBm is based on a logarithmic scale. 900 MHz frequency needs some runway, ideally 50/15m to fan out enough to diffract around obstacles.
Lets keep this less technical and to the point.
Also, find a better placement location. would that matter around hills?so can 6.5dbi reach higher over the hill then 8.5dbi?Am i understanding right? What a lightning arrestor will do is protect your device from the static build up that happen during storms. Doing exactly what a ham operator does may give you the results they want, not what you want. Ok, lets get dirty! The antenna used with the HotSpot and the elevation from the ground determine the coverage offered by the HotSpot. 6dbi, 6.5dbi or even bigger ?I would say my town is between the hills.
Area: Englewood, CO. Antenna: RAK 8 dbi. There is one more thing to think about with Lines of Sight. Making sure the location of the HotSpot is an adequate distance away from any other miner. As a reward for this important work, Helium blockchain rewards HotSpot owners with Helium cryptocurrency(HNT). Yep, go here. Classically in radio communications, higher gain antennas are used only to cover lager distances with no real interest in local coverage. Hi Lyubo, fine to set up the stock Bobcat antenna outside, I believe its outdoor rated. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. regards. You can call McGill Microwave on +44(0)1592 655428 for immediate help or if you are looking to chat via email, you can email us, click the below button! Antenna Placement & Omni Directional Antenna Designs. Final antenna optimisation could only be achieved by experimenting with different antennas. This is indeed a bonus and can be seen in the picture above this Antenna is witnessing like a combination of a traditional 360 degrees Omni Directional Antenna as well as a focussed long range Directional antenna. The results are a little skewed because of that. Your house walls, window glass and even house trees falls under the category of barriers. This is my location https://explorer.helium.com/hotspots/hex/881ec152b7fffff I want to get Senscap M1 with antenna but I dont know which antenna shoud i get https://explorer.helium.com/hotspots/1121aRSBSxheung9eFVStXmcV3hsyjU6wcWYkhUNeVGBD8H1qPKh, hi. Here is a step by step method for understanding how to choose the best antenna for your hotspot placement. The McGill 13dBi Directional antenna still boasts a HPWH of 18 Degrees and a HPWV of 65 degrees, whilst still maintaining a very large gain vs others on the market (Combined with ultra-low VSWR for maximum power transmit and receive efficiency). Our sales team are ready to assist you, get in touch with us today and we'll help you find what you're looking for! This allow light to reach further out. Waterproof and high temperature electrical tape, Analysis of an Isolated Cluster of Miners for SORMN, Way to Gain High ROI for Helium as Space gets Crowded: Single Owned Rural Miner Networks(SORMNs), Antenna mounting poles(check Amazon for a suitable one). should i use the 2.8 dBi because of the round circle space at short distance ? The concept is simple.
This is only partly the reason why McGill antennas are the most sought after in the industry today. Hi Gerogi, click this link to go to the McGill 6 dBi, which should be fine for you. Your email address will not be published. Does that make sense? You can go to this link here and check by your country to make sure which frequency is compatible. In a terrain like this a 2dBi antenna with a spherical coverage would be not suitable, given the other miners are few and further apart. Below, we have a hotspot using a McGill Microwave Tuned & Optimised 6dBi Omni Directional antenna located in a inner town location, at a lower height.
So the take away is more powerful doesn't always mean the best in RF world; It's all about how to provide the best coverage in the terrain you are in. Its the specific elevation at the point of install, and how much clear line of sight (to other Hotspots) that gives you. Remember, location is FAR more important than antennas. So they do.
How to Choose an Antenna for Your Helium Hotspot? A Rough Guide To Helium Hotspot Placement, 5 Plug & Play Income Ideas 2022 | Crypto Gem Tokens, https://explorer.helium.com/hotspots/112gw67DtWkv9oK6kGi3EX2LnKZPAU4D5AeYR1EtF8P42sfamUsW, https://explorer.helium.com/hotspots/hex/881ec152b7fffff, https://explorer.helium.com/hotspots/11e9gtZYsxr1EE42SdipydLU6Ti3PJVXpdNRqAZv3W8XFRwBqgZ, In a building where you just cant get up high?
Thank you in advance and keep up the great content! Further, in a terrain like this with mountains, the propagation of the RF signal can take more than just line-of-sight signals. The antenna choice is related to the topography and the distribution of other miners - how many, how close or far and line of sight in between, not the device. You can also run that idea backwards; if youre in a really flat area where you dont have a lot of obstacles, a high gain antenna might be your best bet. Area: Bayonne, NJ Antenna: Nearson 9 dBi. However, the use of 2dBi antenna provides a better coverage. While it looks huge and cool and rad, it is the wrong antenna to use for these deployments. Finally, Lines of Sight can be blocked by forests. Dense forest in between you and other antennas is about the only time a higher gain (up to 9 dBi) makes sense, and even then it may not make a giant difference. Amplifiers? Thank you in advance, However, given the unique application here of Helium and the desire to connect with all hotspots irrespective of location, the McGill Microwave higher gain Antenna design are completely unique in that we have designed these antennas to push more power into the sidelobes of the main beam giving the McGill Antennas a clear advantage in still being able to connect with hotspots much closer in, while still covering long range. As a rule how long would you run each gain option as a test to have an appropriate data sources to pick a winner? McGills got a wide range. With the self declared use of higher gain Antennas, the power output on helium hotspots in theory could be further reduced to meet the specified + 14dBm EIRP power level. If that plane is super flat, itll fly right over the tops of all those hotspots you want to hit.
This Panel antenna is Directional has been specifically selected for this location placement -as opposed to a traditional Omni Directional Antenna design. Is it After Plugin Bobcat miner it turns power off after few RG-6 Cable on my home from old DirectTV dish - Can I use Press J to jump to the feed. Do you have a backup budget selection? If you have to go more than 40, use LMR600 if youre feeling extravagant. We decided that this Directional antenna may prove to be the ideal choice here because this is a location where you have minimum hotspots behind (North of) the location. Lets not get too into the weeds here. Heres another I definitely didnt go to art school drawing to demonstrate the idea of runway and diffraction. Currently, What happens if you dont update your aftermarket antenna specs on the Helium app? Similar concept is used here by the RF antennas. Antenna: 8 dbi omni from eBay, Cables: 60 of LMR400, Sweet Sage Pike Elevation: 43 above ground, Area: San Diego, CA. Antennas dont really matter. Behind me It is suburb area with 1/2 houses everywhere and in front of me it is pretty much wooded area. How much will buildings block or reduce the power of radio propagation? In this journey, HotSpot owners perform the most vital task by deploying the Helium HotSpots to increase the coverage. Id run the 5m of cable to keep the antenna high and the miner out of the heat.