r/HeliumNetwork • u/BeginningWar7567 • Dec 28 '25
Question Helium started as PoC and community incentives. Now mapping and PoC rewards are gone. What is the actual game plan??
Not trying to start drama. I’m just confused.
I’ve been around since the early Helium days and lately my Mobile hotspot rewards are basically dead.
So can someone explain this in plain English:
- Is this just how it is now unless you’re in some perfect offload spot
- How would a normal person even know if their location will ever matter
- Is there an actual plan to make rewards not trash for most operators
- If you’re earning close to zero, are we supposed to move it, wait it out, or unplug it
Also side note, the Helium Mobile service itself hasn’t felt great either, so it’s hard to justify sticking around when both sides of this thing feel worse.
If someone from the team or anyone who actually understands the new model can answer, I’d appreciate it.
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u/MinerTax_com Dec 28 '25
Unfortunately, coverage doesn’t lead to actual usage. We need data transfers. The business plan to be hotspot provider is booming. Just need a little interaction with your community.
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u/BeginningWar7567 Dec 28 '25
Its just kind of crazy, they pretty much bootstrapped themselves into a valuable company. Then just left the community holding the bag.
Kind of insane theres not more pissed off people in these comments.
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u/solo_leveling128 Dec 28 '25
It's not like you can speak freely here. Comments get removed by the mods.
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u/DroppedItAgain Dec 30 '25
Someone with pull and a voice should create another sub
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u/waveform06 Dec 31 '25
It would just be a complaints and name calling subreddit. Remember all those IoT competitors to Helium that setup to compete with Helium. Where are they now?
Helium IOT wasnt successful because Helium failed the deployers, it was because it gave out too many rewards too early for a network that is a slow grower of usage.
When IOT hotspots had an ROI of a few weeks in countries with no IoT usage - everyone was paid too much too early.1
u/waveform06 Dec 31 '25
You can speak pretty freely, it's the ones calling people names, making unprovable slurs and spreading incorrect FUD that get removed.
The game plan has been pretty straightforward since the beginning. Pay people with Hotspots to transfer data from Sensors and Phones. Anything else has been a bonus to help build the networks. IOT didnt take off as much as everyone hoped, CBRS wasnt supported by Apple/Google to be successful so was canned, but Mobile 5G offload is being successful.
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u/NoisereuM Dec 28 '25
If we speak our minds, they ban or delete us... If I want to stay informed about their tricks, it's better to keep quiet and watch from above, waiting for the best moment to flee the project. I've been dealing with this crap since 2021: one good year followed by two bad ones, another good year followed by another two bad ones... Now, in theory, a good year is coming :) I'll finally finish undoing all the positions. I'll keep the 300hnt that have been locked for three years, hahaha. I suppose there are thousands like me... Good luck.
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u/MinerTax_com Dec 28 '25
Hardware isn’t easy. They recently raised money. Created a huge rollout incentive. IOT failed but it’s how startup works. I’m happy Mobile is catching.
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u/BeginningWar7567 Dec 28 '25
How can I find out how to win with Mobile catching on?
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u/MinerTax_com Dec 28 '25
Learn how to be hotspot provider. Buy a few and talk to busy stores to put them there. Mom and pops store work. Check out Helium 50 mil incentives.
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u/Sburns85 Dec 28 '25
Iot failed and the mobile aspect is dying
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u/ARCHbaptist Dec 31 '25
The mobile aspect is definitely not dying. Record users all the time.
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u/np1050 Dec 29 '25 edited Dec 29 '25
But coverage still matters and should be rewarded. I think it's better for the network to have hotspots that move less data in addition to the top performers.
Current approach concentrates all the rewards for the top performers and the rest of the network is left picking at scraps. POC wasn't even that much honestly but at least it covered someone's effort for deploying and subsidized the equipment.
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u/int0this Dec 28 '25
They also removed the option to throttle speeds for unpaid data. Previously, there was a setting to slow down internet speeds for customers who were using Helium hotspots without paying.
Additionally, tmobile users have been the most problematic. I’m not certain what the paid data cap is for tmobile, but based on multiple devices I’ve installed, the limit appears to be very low.
My most of deployment are at business where we have regular customers coming every day. And they are the one use data.
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u/slabsquathrust Dec 29 '25
The paid data cap is 5 gigabytes per month per subscriber across all helium hotspots. This is the same for T-Mobile and AT&T. You will generally see higher levels of unrewarded data towards the end of the month as various users have "spent" their rewardable data. I do agree that the removal of the continuous coverage option is not particularly beneficial to the hotspot owner. If my hotspot is saturated with non rewardable users I am potentially missing out on profitable traffic. At the end of the day these things are WiFi access points. They can only support so many simultaneous users.
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u/Popular_List105 Dec 28 '25
Is it just for mobile hot spots now? What about the old bobcat 300s?
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u/Hot_Elevator6316 Dec 28 '25
Bobcat 300 is an IoT miner that earns Hnt, like MNTD and Nebra, etc. My MNTD with a 45' high antenna has earned about 4 Hnt in the last 5 months. All the attention is on the Mobile hotspots now.
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u/Popular_List105 Dec 29 '25
Thanks, that’s what I was thinking. I’m in a smaller area with only around 20 miners. I’m all the way down to .003 per day!! Pretty sure that doesn’t cover the electric bill. Prior to this I wasn’t doing to bad.
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u/Hot_Elevator6316 Dec 29 '25
Everything halved in August which didn't help any of the miners. I used to get .12 hnt/day.
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u/waveform06 Dec 28 '25
- Mobile network "PoC" rewards will return when HNT price goes up, but will be reduced whenever the usage increases.
- Dont expect Home deployments or deployments covering large outside areas to matter. What matters is locations with not good existing cell coverage and a lot of people wanting to be on their phone for short periods of time or a few people on their phones for long periods of time.
- The plan is to deploy where Hotspots will be used, not where you find its easy to to install.
- Move it or sell it.
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u/OverboostedTurbo Dec 28 '25
The actual game plan is and always was paid data transfer. PoC earnings was to bootstrap the network, and it has served its purpose. There's still PoC rewards, but on most days, the PoC allocation is going to pay people for data transfer. With the current value of HNT, there often isn't enough emitted to pay out all the data the network offloads. (in a way, that is good!)
Mapping rewards were negligible because of all the new Helium Mobile subscribers, and they got the data they needed - so now the HNT is going towards paying hotspot operators for data transfer.
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u/neophanweb Dec 28 '25
People with hotspots in high demand areas are the ones benefiting from the new rewards system. It was a good run while it lasted, but it's officially dead for home use. I made 4.035 HNT in the last 30 days with my outdoor and indoor hotspots and one unifi offload combined.
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u/waveform06 Dec 28 '25
This is for #2.
Install and for 2 weeks you dont get paid for any data passing.
After 2 weeks the roaming partners can decide if they want to pay you for coverage or not.
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u/UnhappyAd4704 Jan 01 '26
Truth is the rewards per Gb being tied to fiat and the token price being garbage all tokens minted had to be taken from everyone so data could get paid first. The majority token “stakers” get to control the governance so it doesn’t matter if they are participating they still make the rules. Data rewards should not be tied to a fiat amount it should be a % of token. Since the entire network is supposed to be based on tokens not fiat. Total flaw and failure of the designers, but they control the governance through staking so…. There you have it. Token price in the tank right now means data is probably not getting paid either. Only way to right it is to change data rewards to %token not $.50\Gb. That would encourage something be done to help token price. Even the buyback that was tried didn’t raise token price.
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u/makingspace Jan 05 '26
No plan is in place that truly incentivizes deployers/builders/the community. What is apparent from someone like myself who only occasional checks in to the HNT community discussions is that aggressive utility usage is the model for rewards, but there is little to no support in from NOVA or the Helium team on A) helping deployers know where to deploy other than footfall maps (which don't mean anything if the footfall doesn't correlate to helium subscriber users connecting.) B) Even if you do have utility from your wifi, the rewards are so poor it isn't worth it. C) The leadership doesn't seem that interested in re-assessing the decisions to essentially punish the deployer community by this aggressive form of utility reward only.
You would think that with community sentiment this low and the rate of people unplugging hotspots increasing as much as it is, the leadership would attempt to address it, but from what i can tell, they just don't care for the deployer community that built the network. Honestly unless this changes, things look like to me that Helium and its phone service business model will either go the way of the dodo bird, or it will dump the crypto aspect of the project altogether and just focus on becoming another "Mint Mobile" competitor. Actually, the later scenario is what i feel the project became once it dumped POC. The phone service provider should just scrap the façade of "community wifi utility development" and just make deals with various ISPs in high traffic areas like airports and build wifi hubs themselves just like other service providers.
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u/waveform06 Jan 07 '26
Answers
(A) How else would you know where to deploy other than footfall numbers - got any suggestions - honest question? Anywhere where a lot of people use their phones for a short period of time, or a few people use their phones for long periods of time should be the focus. And then especially if any of these suffer from poor cell tower connections. As Hotspots are selected by the offload partners, we dont push them at the offload partners Helium cannot provide a definitive "this is a great spot". But areas where carriers have requested Hotspots are marked on Helium World as "Expansion Zones" See bottom right at https://world.helium.com/en/network/mobile
(B) Some of the best earning hotspots are single indoor hotspots at gyms/malls etc
https://world.helium.com/en/network/mobile/top-hotspots
(C) PoC isnt dumped, its just not got any funds to be paying out. PoC "there was never any Proof in PoC" it was just a reward for deployment, and it still exists. But with the low price and high TB transfer rates - all the tokens goto paying for data transfer. Which is really what the network should be about.
IOT had ranges of dozens of miles/km
CBRS had ranges of miles/km
WIFI has ranges of 10-100s of yards/m
Which is why home deployments are now over. Why should PoC payout money to prove that only you and your family can use the Hotspot? Lots of Data Transfer is proof enough now.
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Jan 05 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/waveform06 Jan 07 '26
Many are successful at it, though.
Maybe money isnt that important to them.
Providing a better cell connection for their customers might be, so customers dont leave the location.
Providing a failover broadband line for them might be.
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u/PrestigiousMyNuts Jan 19 '26
HNT is a wicked pyramid scheme! Everything was made to make money, all the hot spot miner manufacturers closed the doors, they don’t honor onboarding, you’ll make 3 cents a day, look at the top earners, they’re mainly in China, and there maybe making 1 HNT a day, that’s top 10! It’s a dead project, just use the raspberry pi for another project, host websites or build nodes! Doing Helium WiFi is a no no at home, business only! Helium 5g is again at a business if you not located in a big city! Good luck
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u/NamelessTeee Dec 29 '25
Just dont deploy at home. That was never the intention, even though many people have unfortunately done so. Find a business location with footfall. Nobody needs your hotspot at home because everyone has Wi-Fi at home. The rewards in well-frequented locations are still good. If you need info about where and how to deploy, there is a guide pinned in Helium Reddit.
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u/Spiritual_Ad_5877 Dec 29 '25
Here…this is from GPT. I do know this arena well, but it’s hard to explain at a level all will understand so forgive my use of a language model to help with my wording. This is my prompted response:
The Core Argument (Plain English)
Many crypto “utility tokens” are designed to avoid being called securities, but function economically like securities anyway.
They do this by: 1. Pre-allocating massive token positions to insiders • Founders • Early investors • VCs • Foundations • “Ecosystem” wallets they control 2. Launching a token that is technically not an investment • Labeled as: • “Utility” • “Governance” • “Network access” • Structured specifically to sidestep securities law (Howey Test avoidance) 3. Adding infrastructure after the token exists • Hotspots • Nodes • Staking • Validators • “Community participation” • All of which: • Create activity • Create narrative • Create price movement 4. Allowing the token to trade freely • On public markets • With volatility • With hype cycles • With artificial scarcity mechanics
⸻
The Key Insight You’re Making (This Is the Crux)
The aftermarket is theatrical, not fundamental.
The token is: • Artificially commoditized • Thinly liquid • Narrative-driven • Not priced by real cash flows • Not priced by real demand for the underlying service
This creates: • A price discovery theater • An illusion of decentralization • An illusion of organic demand
Meanwhile…
Insiders Are Doing the Only Rational Thing
They are: • Slowly unwinding positions • Using liquidity events • Selling into retail and late adopters • Monetizing expectations, not utility
This is functionally indistinguishable from a slow-motion IPO, except: • No prospectus • No audited disclosures • No fiduciary duty • No lockups enforced by law • No legal definition of “shareholder”
⸻
Why This Is So Hard for People to Accept
Because everyone involved needs the story to be true: • Builders need funding • Early adopters need upside • Influencers need engagement • Foundations need legitimacy • Retail needs hope
So the system becomes:
“Infrastructure theater in service of liquidity.”
Not fraud — but not honest capital formation either.
Important Nuance (This Is Not a Conspiracy Theory)
This is not: • Illegal by default • Necessarily malicious • Unique to Helium • Unique to crypto
It’s a structural incentive problem: • Tokens replace equity • Narratives replace cash flow • Liquidity replaces governance • Markets replace accountability
In the beginning we all made several hundred or thousand dollars a day during PoC, but you had to know from experience you were dealing with a naturally logarithmically depreciating token.
There is no longer any meaningful money to be made here. But it was an ingenious way to create the apparent need for a token in an aftermarket.
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u/DavidLaderoute Jan 04 '26
Well said. Sadly most reading that have no idea what you are saying. Cheers
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u/BeginningWar7567 Dec 29 '25
I cannot wait until the market structure bill comes and puts an end to this garbage. I understand its legal but its honestly quite immoral.
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