Impact of overlapping coverage on Proof-of-Coverage rewards

The rules of how Wi-Fi Hotspots get rewarded for overlapping coverage are defined by multiple Helium Improvement Protocols (HIPs).

HIPs are voted on by the Helium Community and are subject to change due to the decentralized nature of the network, which is governed by an active global community of users and deployers.

As of June 12th 2024, the Helium Network protocol is subject to the following rules.

Only one Wi-Fi Indoor Hotspot is eligible to earn Proof-of-Coverage (PoC) rewards for providing coverage in a given location, or “hex”. If multiple Hotspots provide coverage within the same hex, the Hotspot that has been continuously online for the longest period of time is the only one eligible to earn rewards. This rule is called “Coverage Claim Time” (see more detailed explanation below). Rules for Wi-Fi Indoor Hotspots are defined in HIP93.

A maximum of three Wi-Fi Outdoor Hotspots are eligible to receive PoC rewards for providing coverage in a given hex. The three Hotspots within the hex with the highest signal strength that have the longest Coverage Claim Time will be eligible to earn rewards. The Hotspots are ranked based on the signal strength and Coverage Claim Time. Coverage Claim time is used as a tiebreaker in case multiple Hotspots have the same signal strength in a given hex.

For example, a hex is covered by four Wi-Fi outdoor Hotspots:

Hotspot 3 and 4 have the highest signal strength in the hex, but since Hotspot 3 has the longest Coverage Claim Time, it will be ranked A and will get a 1x multiplier for coverage in the hex.

Hotspot 4 will be ranked B and assigned 0.5x multiplier.

Hotspot 1 has signal strength lower than Hotspot 3 and 4 and therefore will be rated C with a reward multiplier of 0.25x.

Hotspot 2 has the lowest signal strength among all the outdoor Hotspots covering the hex, and will be rated D with 0x multiplier for the coverage.

Rules for Wi-Fi Outdoor Hotspots are defined in HIP105.

Coverage Claim Time indicates the length of time the Hotspot or radio has been continuously online. If the device is offline for more than 72 hours, Coverage Claim Time will be reset. The time when the device goes back online will determine the start of the new period of Coverage Claim Time.

Coverage Claim Time is defined in HIP74. This rule is to Wi-Fi Hotspots, both indoor and outdoor.

Rules regarding mapping signal strength to signal levels and corresponding coverage points can be found in HIP93 for Wi-Fi Hotspots.