The Helium network is a project in which the goal is to make an IoT (Internet of Things) network globally. Thanks to this IoT, devices are able to connect to each other across the world in a cost-efficient manner. Rather than building a network in the classical centralized way where you have to buy the infrastructure across the world, which is an immense task, Helium use rewards and blockchain to incentivize regular people like you and the MoonMiners team to help and build the network together.
The way it works is that people buy Helium miners, sometimes referred to as hotspots, which come in many variations, and connect them to the internet, therefore connecting them to the overall Helium network; nearby Helium miners may now connect to your hotspot and generate more HNT, this should explain the importance of building the network. Now your location heavily influences the effectiveness of your hotspots as you are more likely to get better service connection and be within proximity of other hotspots in an urban area than you are on top of a mountain in a rural area.
This problem can be overcome as Helium has implemented antennas with different properties that you purchase with your miner based on your circumstances; 3.8 dBi, 5 dBi, 8 dBi and 10 dBi are examples of radio frequencies that these antennas use while establishing a connection and optimising coverage for your Helium miner. The higher the dBi, the “flatter” the coverage therefore lower dBi in terrain where the radio signal may need to overcome obstacles such as inner city skyscrapers will produce better coverage while higher dBi in flat terrain such as flatland in a rural area will produce better coverage