Taoglas®, a leading provider of advanced technology for a smarter world, has announced a partnership with Embedded Works to provide its industry-leading antennas for Embedded Works portfolio of Helium Network crypto-mining gateways. This industry-first partnership highlights how the best-performing antennas in the industry can increase revenue for Helium crypto-miners.
To earn Helium Net Tokens (HNT), users simply install a Helium Hotspot such as Embedded Works’ KST Affinity Enterprise Helium Miner gateway and connect it to power and the internet. While serving as a LoRaWAN gateway for Internet of Things (IoT) devices that they already own, it also verifies other nearby Helium Hotspots. This process — known as “Proof-of-Coverage” — earns the user HNTs and the wider the range, proof-of-coverage and the quality of coverage the more crypto currency is generated.
Embedded Works selected and tested the Taoglas Barracuda OMB.915 8dBi omni-directional antenna for use with its KST Affinity Enterprise Helium Miner gateway and saw significant performance enhancements over other vendors’ antennas. “When we put up the Taoglas high gain antenna, we got an extra 10 km range — helping each miner optimize Proof-of-Coverage and crypto earned,” said Andy Do, Embedded Works President and CEO. “Considering that the Helium network is adding 80,000 Hotspots each month, that extra coverage could easily translate to significant extra HNTs per month for a user, especially in urban areas such as the Bay Area.”
Taoglas offer 30 compatible Helium antennas and recently added six standard Helium RF cable assemblies kits with TGC-200 and TGC-400 cables available in 1m, 5m and 10m lengths as standard. Through the Taoglas Cable Builder, customized cable assemblies can be built and shipped in as little as 24 hours.
The Taoglas Barracuda is ideal for rooftops, poles and other high, outdoor places where Helium crypto-miners frequently install their antennas to maximize coverage. Featuring an integrated bracket for easy installation on poles and walls, the Barracuda has a UV-resistant, IP67-rated fiberglass housing that’s more durable than traditional whip antennas. The antenna also has wind resistance up to 200 km/h and a ruggedized N-type female connector.
With a sturdy 1475 x 70 mm form factor, the Barracuda OMB.915 covers the 900 MHz LoRaWAN band. The collinear dipole array provides up to 8 dBi peak gain and high efficiency, as well as an omnidirectional radiation pattern that’s uniform in the azimuth to achieve long-distance coverage. That’s key for wringing maximum performance out of even minimal signals. Taoglas offers 30 compatible Helium antennas and recently added six standard Helium cable assemblies kits, with TGC-200 and TGC-400 cables available in 1m, 5m and 10m lengths as standard. Through the Taoglas Cable Builder, customized cable assemblies can also be built and shipped in as little as 24 hours.
“Embedded Works’ side-by-side comparison of the Taoglas Barracuda is yet another real-world example of how a great and high-performing antenna makes all the difference,” said Dermot O’Shea, Co-CEO of Taoglas. “In the case of Helium, that difference can be measured multiple ways, from additional revenue for crypto-miners to a larger, more comprehensive network for the people who depend on it for connectivity.”
