Helium IoT
Forward LoRaWAN IoT sensor data on the Helium network and earn from data transfer (paid in Data Credits) on your CM4-based miner.
What is Helium IoT?
The Helium IoT network is the world's largest decentralized wireless network for Internet of Things devices. GPS trackers, environmental monitors, smart meters, supply chain sensors, and thousands of other IoT devices use the Helium network to transmit small data packets. Your Helium miner provides LoRa wireless coverage in your area, and IoT devices pay in Data Credits to use your hotspot.
How it works
Your miner's LoRa radio listens for IoT device transmissions in your coverage area and forwards them to the Helium network. You earn from data transfer — the sensor data your hotspot forwards, paid at the Data Credit rate. (Proof-of-Coverage — beacons and witnessing — was retired network-wide by HIP-149, so data transfer is now the only way any Helium IoT hotspot earns.) The ECC608 security chip in your miner stores your Helium identity securely on the hardware — PiLoader OS automatically detects this chip and recovers your original hotspot identity, so your hotspot comes back online with the same 3-word name and on-chain history.
What you earn
Since HIP-149, Helium IoT hotspots earn from data transfer only — Proof-of-Coverage no longer pays anyone. You earn based on how much real IoT sensor traffic your hotspot forwards, measured in Data Credits (each pegged at $0.00001 USD). Earnings depend on your location, local network density, and how much IoT traffic actually passes through your area — a hotspot only earns when nearby sensors route data through it.
Setup on PiLoader OS
This module requires LoRa hardware and is available on CM4-based Helium miners (SenseCAP M1, RAK Hotspot V2, MNTD Gold/Black, etc.) Bobcat 300 devices (serial 285, G290, and G295), and the Nebra Indoor (ROCK Pi 4). Standard Raspberry Pi boards without a LoRa card cannot run this module but can run all other PiLoader OS modules. The module runs as a Docker container managed entirely by PiLoader OS — no command line, no config files, no technical knowledge required.
Run Helium IoT on your Pi
Helium IoT is included with every PiLoader OS license — along with 15 other earning modules. Try everything for 45 days, no credit card required.
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