RAK Hotspot Miner
Hotspot MINER
A frequently asked questions
Check out the RAK Hotspot Miner Shipping Calculator. Simply select the frequency of your hotspot on order and type in your order number, then click search!
Cal-Chip Connected Devices provides weekly shipping updates every Wednesday from 4-5PM EST. You can always find these shipping updates on the RAK Hotspot Miner order page under “Shipping Notice.” Please do not bombard our support team with questions such as, “when will my order ship?” The most up to date information is listed on the shipping update, and support will no longer be replying to shipping inquiries outside of these updates.
If you are located in the United Kingdom or Ireland and placed your order before March 12th, 2021, you will get the correct version of hotspot and power plug shipped to you based on your shipping location. This is just an FYI, there are no action steps that need to be taken.
The RAK Hotspot Miner v2 is now available for PRE-ORDER in Australia, with new orders estimated to start shipping in Fall 2021. Continue to PRE-ORDER in Europe and China, with new orders estimated to start shipping in Fall 2021. Continue to PRE-ORDER in the U.S. and Canada, with new orders estimated to start shipping in Fall 2021. Once in stock, the orders will be shipped out in ascending order, in daily batches. Shipments will continue to go out in the same order they were received, starting in March of 2021, and shipping will continue through the Fall. Click below to PRE-ORDER and get your place in line now!
Yes, email support@calchipconnect.com with this request and after a few verification questions, the shipping address will be updated by a member of our support team.
The RAK Hotspot Miner v1 updated version contains enhanced security features, eliminating the need to back up the SD card.
The RAK Hotspot Miner v2 will also have the same enhanced security features, including a side pairing button for easier user configuration. There will also be covers over the exposed ports, creating a sleeker look.
Please note that the devices are in pre-order status only and are still being manufactured at this time. When you place an order, you are locking in your place in line and reserving your Hotspot. These devices are scheduled to START shipping out in late March of 2021 and will continue in batches throughout the spring.
IoT or the Internet of Things can be defined as a system of computing devices that provides the ability to transfer data over networks without requiring human to computer interaction. In short, it allows systems to communicate and work together delivering efficiency and decreasing operational costs.
These devices range from chips that are implanted into livestock, to sensors that monitor just about anything, living or nonliving. As we transform buildings and cities into smart buildings and smart cities, the desire to monitor everything and have everything interconnect and working together in real-time is becoming not only the new reality, but a necessity to stay competitive.
In order to meet the battery life, security, and coverage requirements of many IoT deployments, new communications standards were required. LoRaWAN (https://lora-alliance.org/), BLE Mesh https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth_mesh_networking, and CBRS https://www.cbrsalliance.org/ are some of the communication standards that will support the majority of IoT deployments.
Most IoT deployments will use multiple communication technologies, continuing to leverage cellular and Wi-Fi where it makes sense, along with integrating LoRaWAN for hard to reach areas and CBRS for high bandwidth & QoS applications.
CalChip Connect (CCC) is here to help our customers understand how to combine the technical attributes of these different communication technologies into an optimal IoT network architecture for your deployment. CCC is committed to helping our customers navigate through the expanding buffet of communication technologies. Lets start with understanding LoRaWAN.
LoRaWAN (https://lora-alliance.org/) offers the lowest power and longest range for many types of IoT sensors. A single LoRaWAN gateway can support thousands of sensors and provide coverage for a large warehouse, commercial building, or farm. Additional LoRaWAN gateways can easily be added to expand coverage to an entire corporate campus or even entire cities. LoRaWAN operates in the unlicensed ISM bands and can be deployed using IP or cellular backhaul LoRaWAN gateways. LoRaWAN includes two layers of 128-AES encryption and a flexible network model that allows sensor data to be securely routed through public or partner networks. LoRaWAN is an ideal solution for commercial building monitoring and anything that needs to cover large, outdoor areas. For instance, take building occupancy as an example. Lets say we want to detect the real-time occupancy of a small hotel (3 stories – 100 rooms). LoRaWAN would allow you to cover the whole facility with only one or two gateways, while using low cost & battery powered PIR sensors, such as this Browan model (https://www.calchipconnect.com/collections/sensors/products/browan-pir-motion-sensor), in each room. These Browan sensors have a 3+ year battery life in most applications.
Why not use Wi-Fi PIR sensors you might ask, after all, the hotel likely has a WIFI network already, right? The biggest technical issue is most likely the battery life of Wi-Fi based PIR sensors. LoRaWAN typically has a 5-10x battery life advantage over Wi-Fi for these types of applications. Security, remote network administration, and network autonomy are additional advantages of LoRaWAN. There is no guarantee that all hotel operators will allow someone to add 100 IoT sensors to their Wi-Fi network. Furthermore, there is zero chance you will be the administrator of that network, meaning there is really very little control of QoS. Deploying a couple LoRaWAN gateways with cellular fallback is a more deterministic solution. LoRaWAN provides extensive remote network management tools that work over the top of the primary IP network used for backhaul.
In some locations there may be a public or multi-tenant LoRaWAN network already deployed, saving you the cost of deploying a gateway to that site. LoRaWAN is enabling entire network carrier options including Helium – The People’s Network (www.helium.com).
After undergoing all the troubleshooting steps with the Helium Support Team, you will need to email support@calchipconnect.com to start the RMA Process.
If hotspots are too close (within 300 meters or so) they will end up competing for Challenges and their overall participation in Proof-of-Coverage would be impacted. It’s better to have them spaced out, at least a few houses or blocks away, to broaden the network coverage.
Yes, although you will need to purchase an additional outdoor enclosure to protect it from the environmental conditions. It’s also important to note the operation and storage temperature requirements as shown in the table below:
Currently, we cannot advise on any external antennas outside of the antenna that comes with the product, because that is the antenna that meets product certification and FCC regulations.
Feel free to join the Helium Community on Discord where members are always willing to give feedback and advice on all different topics.
No, a 4G network is essential for operational efficiency. 2G will not work, the PoC and Consensus traffic is time critical.
The orders are being shipped out in the same order they were received, as soon as we get to your place in line, your order will be shipped. You will receive an email confirmation of this including a tracking number so you can check on your Miner’s progress on making its way to you. If you have not yet received a tracking number, your order has not yet been shipped.
- When a device sends information over the network using your hotspot
- By initiating PoC Challenges over the internet
- By participating in a PoC Challenge
- By acting as a Witness to a PoC Challenge between nearby hotspots
- Being a part of a Consensus Group
If you are located in the United Kingdom or Ireland and placed your order before March 12th, 2021, you will get the correct version of hotspot and power plug shipped to you based on your shipping location. This is just an FYI, there are no action steps that need to be taken.
Check out the RAK Hotspot Miner Shipping Calculator. Simply select the frequency of your hotspot on order and type in your order number, then click search!
Cal-Chip Connected Devices provides weekly shipping updates every Wednesday from 4-5PM EST. You can always find these shipping updates on the RAK Hotspot Miner order page under “Shipping Notice.” Please do not bombard our support team with questions such as, “when will my order ship?” The most up to date information is listed on the shipping update, and support will no longer be replying to shipping inquiries outside of these updates.
What’s the connector type on the outdoor enclosure for the antenna? N-type Female
Does cable length have anything to do with signal loss?
see https://www.timesmicrowave.com/Calculator
if you have an 8dbi antenna and a 32 ft cable from that link it is showing that there would be a loss of around 1.70 making it a 6.3dbi?
site shows about 1.70 dbi loss with 30ft cable so if i have 8dbi after connecting via this new cable it would be 6.3 dbi correct?
