Current State on Testnet
Hardware-based Hotspots are now participating in a new Proof-of-Coverage with Validators on Testnet. In this test, all Hotspots use Testnet Validators for blockchain information and do not need to sync the blockchain directly. They also receive PoC Challenges from Validators.
You can see their progress on testnet-explorer.helium.com. These Hotspots are also running a dockerized version of gateway-rs (rust-based gateway firmware) and an updated packet forwarder that relies on Validators. Note that these Hotspots are earning testnet tokens (TNT) and not HNT.
Relevant PRs: https://github.com/helium/blockchain-core/tree/andymck/poc-grpc-v2https://github.com/helium/blockchain-core/pull/1002https://github.com/helium/blockchain-core/pull/1216https://github.com/helium/miner/pull/1370
Known Issues List on Testnet Explorer: There are some known issues on testnet-explorer.helium.com related to how explorer interprets Light Hotspots and Validators. A known issues list is being tracked here: https://github.com/helium/explorer/issues/857
Current State On Mainnet
A portion of the complete Light Hotspot software is also on mainnet, transferring non-PoC packets on a test Hotspot using the new packet forwarder that relies on Validators. We will beta test this on a larger group of Hotspots then make generally available for Makers as soon as we’re able to.
What’s Next: Invite all Makers to participate in our Testnet test by supplying a tag on Quay, our image distribution tool, for Makers using Docker: https://quay.io/repository/team-helium/testnet?tag=latest&tab=tags.
Makers are welcomed to try this out but we’ll make a formal announcement with a How-To guide when we’re ready for you. Helium Improvement Proposals: Two HIPs are now available for discussion.
HIP 54: H3Dex-based PoC Targeting https://github.com/helium/HIP/blob/main/0054-h3dex-targeting.md
HIP 55: Validator Challenges https://github.com/helium/HIP/blob/main/0055-validator-challenges.md
The Core team will be scheduling an AMA on Discord Stages to go over the roadmap and answer any questions related to the two HIPs proposed. Join us on February 16 at 9:00am to 9:30am PST (12pm EST/5pm GMT)!