The challenge

Helium, Arm, Semtech and STMicroelectronics are coming together to give away $6,500 cash, $6,500 worth of Helium Data Credits, and a whole lot of Helium Hotspots in the name of #IoTforGood. We’re incredibly excited to see what the community will build! Read on to see how you can join in and make an impact.

The world is struggling with critical issues: from global pandemics like COVID-19 to climate change, growing homeless populations, resource depletion and more. We believe IoT can help.

Helium lowers the barriers to entry by delivering secure, ubiquitous and affordable wireless coverage for IoT devices, and makes it easy for any developer to start rapidly building on the Helium Network.

With that, we bring you #IoTforGood: a challenge calling on IoT developers to build an application on the Helium Network that could provide a huge positive impact on society if widely deployed.

Get started by purchasing relevant hardware (take a look at the boards included in our Helium Developer Kit) or submitting an application for a free Helium Developer Kit courtesy of our Premier Hardware Partner, STMicroelectronics. 75 applicants will be chosen to receive a Helium Developer Kit to be used to make your idea a reality. The earlier you submit, the better! Deadline for application is 5/28.

Registered participants will also have access to virtual workshops and engineer-led tutorials where they can ask questions, get tips on building projects, and share ideas. Feel free to ask any relevant questions to help jump-start your idea!

Eligibility

This challenge is open to developers interested in taking advantage of Helium's open-source technology, and enables access to the Helium team, community, and resources for support throughout the extent of the contest. Refer to the official rules for details on eligibility and how to enter.

Make Sure You Have Wireless Coverage:

Now the largest LoRaWAN Network in the US, The Helium Network allows developers and entrepreneurs to rapidly create applications without the need to deploy network infrastructure, while eliminating high costs and short battery life associated with cellular networks. The Network is available in more than 745 cities throughout the United States, with Canada soon to come.

Wireless coverage is paramount to developing devices that function on the Helium Network. If you’re in the US, check our real-time map for coverage. If there's no coverage in your area, consider building a gateway on the Helium Network, or even migrating an existing LoRaWAN gateway over to the Helium network

If you’re not based in the US, you will need a compatible LoRaWAN gateway to join the Helium Network (consider building your own). We will attempt to support existing LoRaWAN gateways outside of the US on a request basis. Please contact travis@helium.com for more details.

The Helium Developer Kit

The Helium Developer Kit is the perfect development setup to get started on the Helium Network. It consists of two hardware parts:

The main development board (right) with a LoRa capable radio and an expansion shield (left) with 5 environmental/motion MEMS sensors.

View our Discovery Board Quickstart Guide

Example IoT Applications and Use Cases

From stolen bicycle tracking, to smart pet collars, and remote environmental monitoring in dangerous conditions, the Helium Network drastically reduces what you have to concern yourself with in order to get your solution up and running.

Contest Community & Support