How to Use the Helium Network: The People Counter Project Part 1

This is the beginning of a project to show how you can use the Helium Network. In this case, I'll be counting the number of people hiking on trails. I'm excited to take you on this journey as we navigate the challenges and opportunities in using the largest contiguous wireless network in the world. Rock 'n roll!
𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭: grstl.ink/hf-g...
𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐠 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟏: grstl.ink/peop...
𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬: grstl.ink/courses
𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: grstl.ink/cons...
𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗵𝗼𝘁𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁?
Rough Guide To Helium Hotspot Optimization
grstl.ink/roug...
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗚𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗼?
GKI helps you crush it with Helium. Whether free online content on blog posts or videos or paid consulting, my goal is to make your Helium experience radical.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐚/𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐈 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬?
Camera -- grstl.ink/camera
Office Lens (Screenshares, Zoom calls) -- grstl.ink/offi...
Workshop/Field Lens -- grstl.ink/fiel...
Audio Recorder -- grstl.ink/audi...
Lights -- grstl.ink/indo...
Camera/Computer Interface -- grstl.ink/came...
Camera Holder -- grstl.ink/came...
Monitor -- grstl.ink/monitor
Yes, some of those are affiliate links. If you use them, I may make a small commission on products you buy.

[@nikr8131]

I love this video !! MORE MORE MORE !! Usecases for helium is important to understand and I love how you go through where you got the product and especially you breaking it open and showing the software. I am all here for this content and sharing It to all my helium buddies !! Thank you Gristle King

[@thegristleking]

Right on, it's coming Nik!

[@pedrod1999]

Nice video. Very interesting to learn about the people counter and the use cases for the network. I bought two browan sensors too try out myself and test. Adding them to the console is simple. Configuring the integrations took a little trial and error but it was rewarding once everything started working as it should. The pre built integrations make things easier.

[@thegristleking]

Yeah, pre-built integrations are WAY easier. We're wrestling with the integrations for these right now, but we'll get it (and I'll post the deets). Stoked you figured it out on your end!

[@Alpejohn]

Thought i was gonna see how it was connected and what to do but before i knew it it was working and outside.. If i get a sensor, do i have to pay to use it? How do i pay? How much? What is the device that checks coverage? Can i buy it somewhere? I have so many questions..

[@thegristleking]

You'll find most of the answers over here: gristleking.com/?s=people+counter

[@danlundgren27]

I love the condensed format. I’d look forward to seeing more of these! Keep up the great work!

[@thegristleking]

Thanks Daniel, definitely more to come.

[@robertogarciaariza]

Nice video, I'm building an off grid miner using a sensecap M1, I'm wondering, why is recommended use a 12v 36ah LiFePo4 battery instead a sealed lead deep cycle battery which is chepear than LiFePo4 ? what battery do you recommend? thank you

[@thegristleking]

Smaller and lighter, better for backpacking/carrying in somewhere remote. No flammable gases while charging, no danger of chemical burns. I use the LiFePO4 for all my off grids.

[@georgeholland4645]

If you have a sensor tracking the traffic into a store and you own a hotspot that witnesses this activity, will your hotspot get rewarded for the data?

[@thegristleking]

It should, but it's not a guarantee.

[@TechnologyGeek862]

Could you do another update on this project. How's the counting, is the connection stable to network, how often does it update, is there outages etc 😄

[@thegristleking]

Been a very difficult project to complete. The company (Parametric) is having trouble making these devices work on the Helium Network. The devices were all built for Euro/TTN applications, and despite the fact that it should be pretty straightforward to bring into the US and put 'em on Helium, it hasn't been easy. Convincing them that it's worth their time has been frustrating, but I'm still banging away at it. Other US customers are having the same problem. As of Aug 29, 2022 I would not buy anything from Parametric that you intend to put on Helium.

[@nortnbird]

So good

[@thegristleking]

Thanks MGK!

[@bigecrypto8297]

Just your walking back and forth made my day start off right 😂😂😂

[@thegristleking]

Gotta do serious scientific tests on these things! ;)

[@czarmd5404]

Can u plz do a tutorial on how to connect it to our helium hotspot?

[@thegristleking]

Hi Czar, yep, that's coming!

[@AlexlikesRamen]

this thing gives me internet or wah

[@thegristleking]

Nope. A Helium Hotspot provides "LoRaWAN" coverage, which is a specific radio protocol for Internet of Things devices. The People Counter is one of those devices. Does that make sense?

[@chioz]

Thank you. Struggle with making a simple trigger by the help of a cubecell ab01. Seems like a perfect board for combining Arduino like development, but man getting it on the helium network was a wall of difficulty i did not expect. I need more of this stuff 😊

[@thegristleking]

Right on, it's still not plug 'n play easy to use Helium; we're early. :) The single best spot to get help is usually the Helium Discord in the sensor-dev channel.

[@carlbreeden9074]

How close does the people counter need to be to an active helium miner to get data credit? Rock on!

[@thegristleking]

I'll find out as I deploy, but this is LoRa radio, so with clear line of sight we should have 10km ranges.

[@carlbreeden9074]

@@thegristleking I guess what Im saying is in order for one to guarantee the data credit..we've talked about location location location....so you'd wanna make sure that you had helium setup in a close proximity to the IOT device/traffic right?

[@thegristleking]

@@carlbreeden9074 there's no reasonable way to guarantee that your Hotspot will get rewarded for a specific sensor. Depending on how the owner of that sensor set up their payment (pay first Hotspots, or first 5, or all, etc) depends on whether or not your Hotspot gets rewarded for processing that data. Ideally you'll place your hotspots close to your sensors and you'll both pay for and receive the payment for the data transfer, but there's not a way I know of to restrict a sensor to only "send" data to one Hotspot.

[@carlbreeden9074]

@@thegristleking No wasnt looking to be the only one, just in the mix....I want aware you could tell a sense how to pay...very interesting...so if you owned both the sensor and the hotspot nearby you could say only pay mine...is that accurate? Thanks

[@thegristleking]

@@carlbreeden9074 nope, you can't specify a hotspot. You can only specify the number of Hotspots. Does that make sense?

[@georgecook6279]

Great stuff. This is the future: learning/selling/implementing IoT hardware not just hotspot optimization, generating data transfer credits, big incomes from POC will not last forever...

[@thegristleking]

Yep, agree 100%. This is the future, I'm racing into it!

[@charliegervasi5619]

Looking forward to episode 2!… I want to learn what devices I can use with helium and which ones I can’t. I know that for the most part it’s sensors and devices transmitting small amounts of data. I’m wondering if I can connect my house lights and refrigerator and that type of stuff.

[@thegristleking]

Right on Charlie! Technically, you can connect damn near anything, though it does take a fair amount of skill to do it at the "anything" level. :)

[@DavidRaie]

@@thegristleking you never did part2. but didn't you demonstrate two end devices sending msgs to each other. i cant find the vide!

[@thegristleking]

@@DavidRaie we're still working on getting the people counters to work on Helium. I'ts been a long road, though the end is in sight.

[@DavidRaie]

@@thegristleking thanks King. Sorry to ask again about the video I’m trying to find. You did demonstrate two end devices sending msgs to each other. Can you please help me find it.

[@thegristleking]

@@DavidRaie I don't think I made one. All the sensors I've used just send messages to a gateway. Check out Meshtastic, that may be what you're looking for.

[@79ober]

Great work!

[@thegristleking]

Thanks, psyched to share!

[@martinblanco6995]

Nice Egyptian walk

[@thegristleking]

20 years of dance class went into that.