You can learn how to choose a stronger antenna and how to update the Bobcat Miner 300 Antenna in Helium App in this post.
How to Update the Antenna in Helium App
Step 1:
- Activate the hotspot for FinestraMiner.
- Click on the “gear” icon.
Step 2:
Once the Hotspot settings load, click on “Update Hotspot.”
Step 3:
From the dropdown menu, tap “Select Antenna” to pull up a list of antennas.
Step 4:
Select “Custom Antenna”.
Step 5:
- Set the “TX / RX Gain” to “2.6 dBi”.
- Be sure to update the FinestraMiner’s placement height (in meters).
- Then tap “Update Antenna”.
Step 6:
- To submit this change, you must pay a fee of 55,000 DC (55 cents).
- Your miner will then be given the status “pending.” After a few minutes or even up to a few hours, it will eventually fully update.
Do I Need to Update My Bobcat Miner 300 Antenna?
You should always update your antenna details whenever you switch antennas or modify the height at which your antenna is mounted in order for your Helium LoRaWAN miner to operate properly. For reasons of security, the Helium network employs a number of anti-gaming techniques to combat cheating hotspots. These measures mean that your PoC activity may be rejected as invalid if your RF transmit or receive strength does not match the information asserted for your antenna.
NOTE: There is a fee of 55,000 Data Credits ($0.55 USD) which is charged each time antenna details are updated. This is a network fee that must be paid; Bobcat does not impose it. If you don’t have enough Data Credits in your wallet, HNT in your wallet will be burned automatically to provide the 55,000 DC; no further action is required.
NOTE: At the moment, the Bobber App is unable to manage hotspots associated with new 24-word Helium wallets. Keep checking back because this functionality will soon be available. In the interim, if you need to manage a hotspot owned by a 24-word wallet, you must use the Helium CLI wallet to transfer ownership to a 12-word wallet, which can then be managed by the Helium Hotspot App or Bobber App.
Not just Bobcats, but any brand of Helium LoRaWAN miner can have its antenna information updated with the Bobber App!
Replace the Standard Antenna of the Bobcat Miner 300
The Bobcat Miner 300 comes with standard antennas that range in strength from 2-4 dBi. You can increase the range and the quantity of HNT a miner can earn by replacing the antenna with one that is stronger, 6.5 dBi or more.
Is 8 dBi the maximum gain possible, or should I try something higher?
5.8 or 8 dbi are ideal for the majority of environments as they offer a good balance between signal gain and vertical beamwidth. An antenna’s vertical path (the angle at which it can transmit and receive) becomes more restricted as its gain rises. When considering a beam of light, very high gain antennas will have a very low vertical path, or beamwidth. This means that they will not provide as much visibility above and below their path. Your antenna may overshoot or undershoot the transmitter you are attempting to connect to if its vertical path is too low.
Both of our 4 dBi gain setups—the indoor, which includes the official RAK magnet base—can be used indoors or outdoors in urban settings.
Because signals bounce off of obstructions, we only advise using extremely high gain antennas, like our 10 dBi, in completely open spaces.
Conclusion: Update the Bobcat Miner 300 Antenna
The guide above shows you how to update the Bobcat Miner 300 Antenna in Helium App, or you can replace the standard antenna of the the HNT output of the Bobcat Miner 300 should be increased.
FAQs
Is Higher DBi Better for Helium Mining?
For most environments we recommend 5.8 or 8 dbi as they provides a good tradeoff between signal gain and vertical beamwidth. The vertical path (the angle at which an antenna can transmit and receive) of an antenna gets narrower as gain increases.
Does Higher DBi Mean Better Quality?
For this application, a lower gain antenna such as a 6 or 8 dBi would provide better signal quality and coverage for the pub’s customers. A high gain antenna will also not pick up users who are seated because the wireless signal is best projected horizontally as opposed to vertically.
What Antenna Comes With the Bobcat Miner 300?
All other indoor Helium HNT miners on the market right now have 2dbi antennas. In contrast, Bobcat Miner 300s enhanced 4dbi antenna is able to provide 150 percent wider coverage (up to 10+ miles).
How Far Can a 5 DBi Antenna Reach?
about 500 meters
With this 5dBi antenna, theoretically a distance of about 500 meters can be covered. As the demand for wireless connectivity rises, businesses frequently want to offer concentrated wireless coverage in sizable spaces like auditoriums, cafeterias, or even between buildings.
