Host Frequently Asked Questions

Hotspot Setup Related

How do I know if my Hotspot is set up correctly?

Once you have gone through the installation steps (sent via email by Mesh) and see the LED light on your Hotspot turn green, your Hotspot should be operational and begin earning HNT in 24-48 hours. Once you have gone through the installation steps (sent via email by Mesh) for the specific Helium compatible Hotspot that you are hosting, your Hotspot should be operational and begin earning HNT in 24-72 hours. After following the instructions, you can check the status of your Hotspot on helium.com/explorer or in your app by searching for your hotspot's name.

How much will powering the Hotspot cost?

The actual cost depends on where you’re located and who your electricity provider is. From the various cost estimates we’ve seen, we conservatively estimate the Hotspot would use less than $10/year in electricity in the US.

How much bandwidth will it use and will it slow down my wifi?

The short but great answer is no it will not slow down your wifi.

We conservatively estimate the Hotspot will consume 20 - 30 gb/data per month on average. While the internet connection is necessary, it is only used to provide backhaul to Helium’s blockchain and peer-to-peer LongFi network data usage. This can include Proof of Coverage work, blockchain syncing, OTA updates, and sending 3rd party data packets. The Hotspot sends and receives data to monitor and validate network coverage during the Proof-of-Coverage process. Other IoT devices will communicate with the Hotspot over LongFi, not IP (Internet Protocol). Expected bandwidth utilized by 3rd party devices is 1-5 kb/s (about the size of a long text message).

The actual amount of data usage varies as it depends on your specific Hotspot’s activity, how consistent your Hotspot is connected to the internet, and how often your Hotspot needs OTA updates.

Lastly, after the successful launch of Validators on July 7, 2021, consensus group activity, new block development, and the requirement of storing the complete blockchain on Hotspots have all changed. This change drastically reduces each Hotspot's internet consumption.

While it is allowed to add aftermarket antennas to the Mesh Hotspot, we encourage hosts to do their own research. Mesh recommends joining the Helium Discord Community and checking out the "Antennas" channel.

Why is my Hotspot showing up as “Relayed” on the Helium Explorer?

Your Hotspot is appearing as “Relayed” because your Hotspot is currently connected to the internet but not connected directly to the Helium Blockchain. You will need to manually open a few TCP ports using your admin page from your home internet provider. There is only one open port (inbound and outbound) you would need to set-up, TCP port 44158 that is used for the Helium peer-to-peer network. Additionally, you will need to open TCP ports 22 and 443 open outbound for firmware updates released by Helium or any of the approved manufacturers.

Additional network connection issues?

Please reach out to a Mesh member as we are always willing to troubleshoot connection issues with our hosts.

Viewing Earnings and Activity

Where can I view my earnings and activity?

There are multiple ways you can view your activity.

Visit the Helium Explorer page, type in your Hotspot’s name in the search bar (e.g. fuzzy red cat).
You can also search for your Hotspot's name in the Helium App and "flag" that Hotspot for easier future reference.

Why don’t I see my HNT earnings in the Helium app?

You can search for your hotspot's name in the Helium App and "flag" it for easier future reference. Here you will see all of the Hotspot's activity. You would then calculate 30% of the total to estimate your portion of the Token Share.

What does my Hotspot’s “Transmit Scale” mean?

The Transmit Scale associated with your Hotspot is calculated based on how densely populated your nearby area is with Helium Hotspot Hotspots. The scale is a number greater than zero but less than or equal to one with one being the optimal density score. This update to Proof of Coverage reward distribution was approved by the community via HIP17: Hex Density Based Transmit Reward Scaling. The incentive of HIP17 is to introduce density as a variable in HNT reward distribution to increase geographic coverage and avoid oversaturating specific areas. The result of Transmit Reward Scaling will allow for more optimal Hotspot placement and improve the geographic reach of Helium Network coverage.

What does “Rewards” on Helium Explorer mean?

Rewards means HNT earnings.

What is a “challenge” and how are Hotspots selected?

You can read Helium’s description of “The Anatomy of a PoC Challenge” to understand how Hotspots are selected and how Helium’s Proof of Coverage works.

Payment Related

When and how often will Mesh send HNT distributions to Hosts?

Mesh hosts will receive their token share on a monthly basis. Mesh will pay hosts their token share within seven (7) days from the end of each calendar month. For example, this means hosts will receive their January payment between February 1st and February 7th.

The Helium app that hosts download to set up their Hotspot also acts as a Helium Wallet for the HNT. Soon after the host sets up their Hotspot, Mesh will ask hosts to email Mesh their "receive" QR code/wallet address so that Mesh can proactively prepare for the upcoming token share distribution. If you would like to send us your QR code and wallet address, please follow the "How To Share Your Helium Wallet" instructions from the Host Portal.

Does Mesh offer a referral bonus?

Mesh hosts can earn a referral bonus ($50 USD worth of HNT) for each new individual they refer that hosts a Mesh Miner for at least a 3 month period.

What happens if I get logged out of my account?

If you get logged out of your Helium account, you will need to find the 12 key words you wrote down when you first created your account. There is an option to import an existing account in which you will type in all 12 words. This is the only way to access your Helium account/wallet.

What happens if I lose my account keys?

If you have lost your words, you will not be able to access your account. These words are the private keys to your Helium account, wallet, and any tokens or Hotspots that are connected to it. Mesh and Helium cannot provide access to your account if you have lost this information.

How do I account for the taxes I will owe from my HNT income?

Each Mesh Host who earns more than $600 in HNT during a calendar year will receive annually a 1099 tax form and is responsible to pay taxes as required by law. Mesh is not an investment vehicle, does not provide any guarantees of return, and does not provide any financial products, services or advice.

Helium Compatible Hotspots Security

Is connecting a Helium compatible Hotspot to my home internet secure?

Regarding the security of the Helium compatible Hotspots, you can read more about Helium's approach for security directly from their website. As an added measure you can create a guest wifi network with a unique password for the Hotspot using your wifi admin page. By partitioning the Hotspot it adds an additional layer of security. There are also many devices on typical home networks that pose a higher security risk, such as a wireless printer.

Do you have additional questions regarding security?

If you have any additional questions regarding security we suggest contacting Helium directly.