Helium expands hotspot network to Europe and releases personal IoT tracker

#News(IoTStack) [ via IoTGroup ]

Helium Tabs allow users to easily locate lost items up to 10 miles away from one of its hotspots, eliminating the need for Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
The device, called Helium Tabs, runs on Helium Hotspots and allows users to easily locate anything from items to pets, without Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connectivity.
“We launched the first Helium Hotspot last year,” said Frank Mong, chief operating officer at Helium, adding “We’re now in over, over a thousand cities in the United States and Canada.
Helium doesn’t own it.”
Helium Hotspots are a peer-to-peer wireless network that allows low-power IoT devices to send data to and from the internet.
Users who own a hotspot are able to earn Helium, a cryptocurrency, as an incentive for providing public coverage, Mong said.
After spreading through 1,000 North American cities within just one year, Helium has decided to expand the network to Europe, with Helium Hotspots expected to begin shipping in early July 2020, according to a press release.
As for the Helium Tabs, the company was inspired to create the IoT devices after seeing the widespread success of the “people’s network,” per the release.
“Helium Tabs is a tracking product that allows you to attach to your purse, or your dog or cat, and track in real time where that purse or dog and cat is,” Mong said.
“All that’s needed is a Helium Hotspot to be within that five to 10-mile radius to give you that information.”
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth can typically only track devices up to 100 feet from the network source, while Helium’s tech can track for miles.
Helium Tabs also work on the company’s blockchain-based reward system, so each time a Tab connects to the Helium network, hotspot owners will be rewarded with Helium cryptocurrency, Mong said.
“It doesn’t matter as long as there’s a Helium Hotspot within a few miles.”
Helium Tabs aren’t the only IoT devices that can connect to the hotspots; any device that is compatible with LoRaWAN is able, Mong added.

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