FreedomFi CBRS & Helium 5G deployment guide
Looking to deploy a FreedomFi 5G miner and CBRS small cell antenna to earn Helium $MOBILE token? Want to know the best location for the best rewards? Here are some important things to know.
1. Mobile traffic and phone usage
Where are there large groups of people commonly using their phones? The best location for an indoor or outdoor FreedomFi CBRS hotspot will be a high traffic area where many people are using phones.
An airport or bus station may be better than a stationary store because people tend to wait longer and initiate more 5G data usage in these places. Near a college living area or library may also be good due to dependency on 5G internet.
Concert halls and sports venues can be great, but if they have many days in succession with low traffic, your usage rewards will be lower. Strip malls and urban centers are recommended. 24 hour gyms where people are always coming and going can be good locations.
2. Cellular Coverage
The best location for an indoor or outdoor FreedomFi CBRS hotspot will be a high traffic area where many people use their phone, but it is also important that signal quailty be fair or poor in these areas. If users already get great 5G coverage from carriers in the location you are scouting, it is unlikely much- if any- data usage we be passed off to the Helium 5G network here.
Check carrier maps, or drive around and use your own phone to find areas of poor coverage. There are many MVNOs, so if you use an MVNO like Visible or Cricket and have poor coverage, chances are it's poor for other providers too.
3. Indoor CBRS vs. Outdoor?
A key decision to make right off the bat is whether to get the FreedomFi indoor CBRS antenna, or the Outdoor package?
In terms of cash investment, the indoor has a lower up-front cost, but the outdoor is expected to pay significantly more $MOBILE rewards, especially in the right location.
But that does not mean the indoor model is not a worthy investment. In fact, as FreedomFi hotspots can have up to 6 CBRS antennas connected to them, if you have access to a larger indoor mall or retail space, putting indoor antennas at various locations of the building and connecting them with CAT cable could be a worthy venture. If you do deploy an indoor CBRS, make sure to aim it toward people, or out a window toward a higher traffic area, such as a shopping mall across the street.
Outdoor CBRS antennas will perform better when mounted higher and aimed toward crowded areas. But in rural areas, an outdoor CBRS antenna may not get much rewards.
