Yes, the idea that drives the Helium network is based on giving everyone in the world access to a shared network and benefitting from participating in the growth and management of that network.
Not only is the Helium network an innovation breeding ground, but it’s also built on blockchain technology that has programmed-in financial rewards for those participating in the process.
Everyone in the world has a chance to host a node on the network and earn rewards for the roles their node performs in helping to manage communications and data on the network.
The possibility of earning a financial reward for hosting a node on the network is supposed to encourage more adoption of the technology and help increase the coverage and quality of the network.
There are a couple of problems with this in practice.
Technology tends to move faster than the general population. Even though the network has grown quickly, (over 400,00 nodes worldwide), there is still a long way to go. The density needed worldwide is not exactly clear but many people still don’t even know what blockchain is much less what the Helium network is and why it matters.
Here’s a current look at Howard County deployments of nodes as of 02/22. You’ll see there is a very large portion of the county that has little to no density and a whole lot of opportunity.
A majority of the people who do “give it a try” don’t take it any further than that. It’s a novelty that they may indulge in the off chance it actually generates some financial benefit.
This leaves many of the nodes in sub-optimal configurations and locations where they can’t provide real value to the network. Even if they are connected, they don’t address or optimize the communication needs of a healthy network.
The general public does not have a good understanding of the Helium network, wireless technology, or how to optimize their nodes, stunting the progress and overall adoption of the network.
Realizing Potential
This is where Freedom RF Technologies comes into play. I plan on orchestrating a systematic approach to the proliferation and strategic growth of the Helium network.
How am I going to build a decentralized wireless network in Howard County?
Keep the goals in mind
I want to accomplish a few things…
- Build a foundation for growth and sustainability for the technology
- Ensure unilateral coverage of the region
- Bring/Develop new business in Howard County, MD
The initial focus is on goal number one. What is a foundation for growth and how do I build it?
Two things matter most
- Density – There can’t be too many nodes but there needs to be enough to provide coverage and value to the network.
- Communications – Each node needs to have two-way communication with as many nodes as possible, as clearly as possible.
If there are too many nodes in an area, the value of those nodes is reduced so the nodes who can talk to the most other nodes will provide the most benefit to the network.
Once excellent communication has been established, balancing the density becomes important in order to increase the value of nodes in an overly dense area.
This not only increases the effectiveness of existing nodes but improves the quality of the network as a whole.
This is the path to reaching goal number one and builds the framework for goal number two. It increases the quality of network communication, raises the value each node has to the network, and sets the groundwork for density management when it’s time to work on goal two.
Freedom RF Technologies 