HotspotRF - RF Simulation Settings Guide
Learn how to use our tool to simulate prospective host locations, find the optimal placement for your Helium Hotspots and calculate your estimated rewards!
Radio Frequency Settings
- Frequency (MHz) – This is determined by your location. Different countries allow different frequencies for The People’s Network. This can be found on your hotspot or based on your country.
- US/CAN – 915 MHz
- Europe – 868 MHz
- Australia – 915 MHz
- Asia – 923/868 MHz
- China – 470 MHz
- Antenna Gain (dBi) – This is determined by the type of antenna you are using. Every hotspot manufacturer ships with different types of antennas. Here are some of the most common:
- Helium Hotspot – 1.2dBi
- Rak Hotspot – 2.3dBi
- Nebra Indoor – 3dBi
- Nebra Outdoor – 3dBi
- Syncrob.it – 2.3dBi
- Bobcat Miner 300 – 4dBi
- Cable Loss (dB) – If you are using a length of cable to connect the miner to the antenna some of the signal strength will be lost. You can calculate your loss with this calculator. We recommend you use high-quality cable from USA Coax such as LMR-240 or LMR-400. The cable loss from cables <5-10ft is usually insignificant.
- If you’re not sure what to put you are safe to put 0.
- Height (feet) – This is determined by where you place your hotspot’s antenna. The height is from the ground, not from sea level. Here are a few examples:
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- 1st story window – 5ft | 0.3m
- 2nd story window – 15ft | 4.5m
- Roof/chimney (2 story house) – 25-30ft | 9m
- 10th-floor highrise – 120ft (figure 12ft/floor) | 35m
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- Antenna Placement - Will you be placing your hotspot indoors (ideally next to a window) or outdoors? When you choose indoors our tool will slightly decrease your signal output to account for the loss that's incurred when RF passes through windows and walls.
- Terrain – This setting lets you control the interference you expect the RF signal to encounter in the given area. This setting is extremely important for correct output.
- Clear Line of sight – Best used when your antenna has a clear line of sight over the surrounding area. Examples:
- The location is on a hillside overlooking the surrounding suburbs.
- You are able to get your antenna high up and above the roofline and trees.
- Wooded area/farmland – Best used for fairly open areas with trees and occasional spaced-out houses. Examples:
- Farms.
- Mountain cabins.
- Suburbs – Best used for your average suburbs consisting of 1 & 2-story houses and the occasional taller commercial building. Examples:
- Townhomes
- 1 & 2 story houses
- Mixed - Best used for areas with 3-6 story buildings.
- Outside of large cities.
- Medium-sized cities.
- Urban – Best used in large cities with 5-10+ story buildings. Examples:
- Large cities
- Clear Line of sight – Best used when your antenna has a clear line of sight over the surrounding area. Examples:
Latitude & Longitude
This section lets you manually set your latitude & longitude or find the latitude/longitude of an address when you look one up via the search bar in the top right. Pro Tip: The search bar also lets you search by hotspot name!
Download KMZ
The download KMZ button found under the “Simulate Location” button will download the KMZ file for your most recent RF simulation. This file can be opened in Google Earth Pro so you can view in-depth RF coverage in a 3d environment.
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