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Improving Proof-Of-Coverage

This page has not been fully updated to represent the latest state of the Helium Network following the migration to Solana on April 18, 2023.

Has your Hotspot been unable to complete challenges on the network? If there are known Hotspots in the neighborhood, they just may not be able to hear you because of interference or its position is poor.

There are a few ways to try and address this.​

  1. Moving the Hotspot to a different window, or higher floor if possible. Metal window screens can also affect RF, so if those can be removed it may improve the signal.
  2. Placing the Hotspot outdoors. Some building materials in the surrounding walls can block RF. For example, Stucco buildings have a layer of metal wire, so placing at least the antenna outdoors would help with that. Look for IP-66 Waterproof cases if you’re intending to place the Hotspot outside. You can purchase these from mouser.com, amazon.com, or most hardware stores.
  3. Some newer high-rise buildings have a UV protective layer on the outside of the building glass that is known to block and interfere with radio signals. If this occurs, you could try moving the Hotspot outside (in a weatherproof case), or purchase an outdoor antenna so it can bypass the glass.